Rebels get veteran forwards back to tangle with Tigers
By DANNY RODE
The Red Deer Rebels offence has received a boost heading into a three-game run with the top-ranked Medicine Hat Tigers.
A pair of veteran forwards – newly appointed captain Ollie Josephson and Kalan Lind – returned from their NHL camps, both anxious to get going.
“It’s good to be back and to see the guys,” said Josephson, who attended the Seattle Kraken camp after being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft.
Lind, who was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators echoed Josephson’s sentiments.
“Definitely being back is awesome.”
Both veterans enjoyed their time at pro camps.
Lind was making his second appearance in Music City, which made it a bit easier to navigate.
“I felt more confident, knowing what was going on,” said the Shaunavon, SK, native. “I just went in and played my game… physically and forced pucks. Played hard and showed what I could do, and I felt I had a good outing.”
Lind played in three rookie games and a split-squad preseason game.
“That was cool playing against the likes of (Aleksander) Barkov and (Sam) Reinhart,” he said. “I just tried to play my game. I’m a bit undersized (compared to them) but I worked hard.”
Even being at camp for his second year Lind admitted he learned a lot, which he can use back in Red Deer.
“One thing you notice you don’t have much time and space,” he said. “You don’t have that extra second to look around to see what’s going on.
“Here we have more time and space, and I can use that to my advantage where I can have more time with the puck … be stronger on the puck.”
Lind, who is listed at six-foot-one, 165-pounds, has always been a little smaller, but never backed down. He indicated he’s working on improving his size and strength.
“I’ve been working to get bigger and stronger, get prepared for the season,” he said. “I think I did everything I could to get ready and I’m feeling good … added some muscle and weight.”
Lind indicated one of the “cool” things about the Nashville camp was skating alongside the likes of Steven Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly.
“If you asked me five years ago if I’d be skating with Stamkos I wouldn’t have believed it,” he joked. “It was an awesome experience,” added Lind, who signed with the Predators last year.
Although Josephson was making his first appearance at the Kraken’s main camp, he did come in with some experience having competed in their spring rookie camp.
“That helped,” he admitted. “It definitely made it easier knowing all the staff and facilities and what to expect made it easier … helped me a lot.”
Josephson didn’t get to play any preseason games, but did play in a rookie tournament in Los Angeles.
“I played two games against Colorado and Vegas,” said the six-foot-one 190-pound native of Victoria.
“The whole thing was awesome. (The camp) was a lot of fun. It was cool to skate with the good players and to be coached by NHL coaches”
Josephson indicated he felt prepared, but it was also tough going up against older and bigger NHL veterans.
“It was tough but overall, it went well. A great experience watching them and how they go about their day, how they practice and how they work out and everything. Seeing their mind set. Everything is something I can bring back and pass on to the guys here.”
Josephson is one of the premier faceoff men in the WHL and picked up a few more tips.
“For sure. The guys there were bigger and stronger, and you had to ready, bear down and focus on your technique and timing. All that stuff.”
Josephson, who has yet to sign a contract with Seattle, received positive feedback and was told to continue to play his strong two-way game.
“Be responsible,” he said. “Also work on producing more offence. I hope to have a bigger offensive year. Just continue working and improving.”
Josephson is coming off a 47-point season where he scored 12 times and added 35 assists in 68 games.
Lind has dealt with a few injuries the last two seasons. Last year he had 16 goals and 29 helpers in 46 games while in 2022-23 he had 16 goals and 28 assists in 43 games.
Both Lind and Josephson are looking forward to facing the Tigers Friday at the Peavey Mart Centrium and Saturday in The Hat (both at 7 p.m.). The two teams also clash Oct. 4 back in Red Deer.
“They are super skilled, super fast,” said Josephson. “We have to work hard and play our game.”
“They have a great team,” added Lind. “They have some key players and added a couple key pieces.
“For us we need to do what we do best and work our tails off.”
Finnish forward Kasper Pikkarainen is also back with the Rebels after attending camp with the New Jersey Devils, who selected him in round three of this year’s NHL Draft.
