WHL Stars of Tomorrow: Cruz Pavao, Tri-City Americans
Cruz Pavao knows a thing or two about hitting the ground running.
The crafty winger let the Tri-City Americans know he meant business with a monster performance in his WHL debut on November 4, 2023.
“He didn’t seem like a guy that was very intimidated by the moment,” Americans Head Coach Stu Barnes recalled “From the time he got his feet on the ice the first time, he seemed like he was right into the game and was very confident in his abilities… He was trying to make plays, wasn’t timid about doing anything like that.”
Barnes even recalls the coaching staff exchanging pleasantly surprised glances after a particularly strong shot on net on one of Pavao’s first shifts.
And Pavao wouldn’t have to wait long to be rewarded for his efforts.
Midway through the second period, he drove the net to position himself for a precision redirect for his first WHL goal.
The youngster raised his arms in front of a roaring crowd of more than 4,000 fans in the Toyota Center while his linemates, Colorado Avalanche prospect Max Curran and 2025 NHL Draft-eligible forward Cash Koch, hurriedly collected the milestone puck from the back of the Spokane Chiefs’ net.
“That was very special,” Pavao said. “I kind of blacked out after I scored the goal, I was just super excited. It was awesome. Everyone was so happy for me, and it just felt really amazing. It was probably the best feeling I’ve had in my life so far.”
The 13th overall pick of the Tri-City Americans in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft followed up his strong debut with a two-goal showing in his second WHL match three nights later.
15-YEAR-OLD Cruz Pavao nets his fourth goal of the season with the @TCAmericans! pic.twitter.com/kCjK8Noxft
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 23, 2024
Overall, he’d light the lamp five times in eight games as a 15-year-old- including a pair of game-winning tallies.
While he undoubtedly launched himself into the WHL at a full sprint, Pavao has made speed a key focus of his offseason training in his hometown of Calgary, Alta.
Pavao has been training at the Edge School’s Duckett Performance Centre five times a week, skating three times a week and sniffing around for any extra ice time he can get.
“I noticed when I affiliated sometimes last year, I found the speed is a really big jump,” Pavao explained. “Everyone is 10 times faster and it just feels like the puck’s moving quicker. Shots are faster, everyone’s faster, everyone’s bigger, everyone’s stronger, like everything about it is just another level up.”
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound forward feels he’s ready to hit a new gear after a dominant campaign with Edge’s U18 prep squad in the 2023-24.
Pavao finished second in goals (16) while tacking on 23 assists for 39 points in 27 regular season games en route to earning CSSHL U18 Prep Prairie Division First Team All-Star honours.
In the postseason, he averaged more than two points per game with three goals and eight helpers for 11 points in five matches- highlighted by a one-goal, one-assist performance in a 3-2 overtime win over NAX to secure the CSSHL Western Championship.
The U18 Prep Prairie Division 1st Team All-Stars:
F: Riley Boychuk – Northern Alberta Xtreme
F: Jordan Duguay – Northern Alberta Xtreme
F: Cruz Pavao – Edge School
D: Landon DuPont – Edge School
D: Daxon Rudolph – Northern Alberta Xtreme
G: Ryley Budd – Edge School pic.twitter.com/l3w3EKp0gB— CSSHL (@CSSHL) April 16, 2024
Barnes expects Pavao to bring that nose for the net and willingness to learn to camp.
“He’s going to be counted on for some offense,” Barnes emphasized. “There’s no doubt about that. He’s already established the fact that he can do that at the Western League level. He’s smart defensively. He can play important minutes in his own end of the ice too. So he’s not a one-dimensional player. Then as he works through rounding out his game and growing and continues to to add on layers to his game, I think it’s going to be exciting for him.”
Pavao looks to grow with an Americans team that has high aspirations after finishing 10th in the Western Conference in 2023-24, and Barnes feels he’s a player who could have an impact on the ice and in the room as a leader as the club looks to return to dominant play.
Tri-City will play its third of six preseason games on Friday, September 13 when the team welcomes the 2024 Western Conference Champion Portland Winterhawks to Toyota Arena in Kennewick, Wash.
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