NIPAWIN HAWKS
The Nipawin Hawks have only scored more goals than two other clubs through the first half of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League regular season so a lot of weight can’t be put on the study of offensive output from players from that team.
Yet 18-year-old Brodie Girod might change that as the 5-foot-9, 217-pound forward garnered half of his season total in the final week before the Christmas break and he might be ready to move forward heading into the second half of the schedule.
In 31 games played Girod has five goals and four assists, but in the last four games before the break he picked up four of those points. Girod also collected a third of his 24 penalty minutes in that stretch showing he is becoming more involved in the game.
A second-round pick of the Hawks in the 2015 SJHL bantam draft, Girod joined Nipawin after two-plus seasons with the Saskatoon Contacts of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. In 95 regular-season games with the Contacts over that span Girod tallied 22 goals and assisted on 19 others.
Prior to making the jump to the Contacts, the Saskatoon product started his midget career with the Midget AA Riverkings where he had 32 points in 28 games, including 22 goals.
Girod has consistently gotten better at each successive level and that could be thanks to early exposure in those various leagues. As a 14-year-old Girod played four games at the Midget AAA level with the Saskatoon Blazers and last season he got his first taste of Junior “A” action when he appeared in one game with the Hawks while still playing Midget AAA with the Contacts.
The defending Canalta Cup champions know how important it is to have depth heading into the post-season and if Girod continues to improve like he has then the Hawks appear to be in good shape as they try and win back-to-back titles.
