By Dave Leaderhouse
MELFORT MUSTANGS, C
The Melfort Mustangs knew they were going to have to find more offence if they were to avoid a repeat of last season when they tallied 42 fewer goals than they allowed and just narrowly got into the post-season with the final Wild Card spot.
A part of that solution might have been found with Carson Albrecht, a 19-year-old centre in his second season with the Mustangs.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Martensville, Sask., product has almost matched his entire output from a year ago with four goals in the first six games and as a result the Mustangs find themselves in first place overall early in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League regular season.
Albrecht, who had just six goals and seven assists in 42 games with Melfort last year, had points in his first five games this season and his four goals leads the team in that category.
Prior to joining the Mustangs, Albrecht completed his midget career with two seasons with the Saskatoon Contacts of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.
Albrecht registered 10 goals and 11 assists in just 29 games in his final year, but he also had a goal and two helpers in five games at the Telus Cup when the Contacts salvaged a disappointing regular season by claiming the regional qualifier spot for the national championship .
His output in his final season with the Contacts was a huge improvement on the 7-8-15 totals he had in 42 games during his maiden campaign and it looks like his junior career will follow a similar pattern as a season of experience has given him more confidence in his abilities.
The Mustangs have clearly been the early surprise to the current SJHL regular season and with performances like Albrecht’s it will be interesting to see how the turnaround continues for both the team and himself individually.
Tag(s): Young Guns