MR VERSATILE QUINTIN LISOWAY
(Courtesy of Rob Henderson, The Brandon Sun) — Surrounded by Ferraris and Corvettes in the Brandon Wheat Kings’ lineup, Quintin Lisoway is the dependable pickup truck that Kelly McCrimmon turns to when he wants to get the dirty work done.
Now in his third season in the Western Hockey League, Lisoway, a 19-year-old from Neepawa, can appear virtually anywhere on the Wheat Kings’ forward lines on a given night. Recently, he was a fixture on the left side with Reid Duke and Peter Quenneville until being shifted to centre on the fourth line for last Saturday’s 6-4 win over the Swift Current Broncos.
On Tuesday, he was back at left wing, practising on a line with Tim McGauley and Jayce Hawryluk — Brandon’s top two scorers — as the team prepared for this week’s games against Moose Jaw on Wednesday and tonight vs Swift Current (Teddy Bear Toss Night).
“Quintin’s a versatile player for us,” said McCrimmon, the team’s head coach and general manager. “He’s played a lot of wing for us — last year he probably played more centre than wing — but he can play any forward position and accepts his role no matter how we use him or what situation. I think he trusts that he’s going to make a good contribution every night, no matter what position or what line.”
Lisoway said there are some adjustments to make with each change in role, but he believes the ability to adapt makes him a more valuable player.
“They’re all different positions,” he said. “You can’t compare a centreman to wing … but I’ve played enough centre and enough wing in this league that I can play both positions and I’m comfortable playing both positions.”
Lisoway has largely earned his keep with his play in his own end, but he’s been productive in the offensive zone lately as well, with two goals and four assists in his last six contests. He has points in four straight games, including the winning goal against the Broncos, but don’t expect him to ever lose his defence-first mindset.
“Whenever Kelly needs me to step up and take a shift with the big guys and shut down the (other team’s) top line, he knows that I’m always there for him,” said Lisoway, who has six goals and nine assists in 31 games this season and a plus/minus of +9 that trails only Hawryluk (+15) among Brandon forwards. “He trusts me with that spot and I’m very honoured to have the privilege to do that.”
One thing Lisoway won’t do is leave the Wheat Kings short-handed very often. Despite his blue-collar style of play, he has taken only one minor penalty this season and Brandon came out of that incident — an exchange with Ayrton Nikkel on Saturday after the former Wheat King and current Bronco hit Lisoway’s linemate Tanner Kaspick — with a power play.
“(Lisoway is) a very good skater and he works very hard, so that usually prevents you from a lot of those reaching penalties — hooking, holding — those types of penalties,” McCrimmon said.
“We haven’t got a more competitive player or a guy that’ll pay a bigger price to win than Quintin Lisoway. I think he has a lot of respect from his teammates for that and that’s in part why he’s one of our captains.”
