Steven Fogarty went on a tear when five Penticton Vees teammates left for the World Junior A Challenge.
In the 20 games since then, the New York Rangers draft pick has scored 11 goals and 28 points in 20 games leading into the BCHL’s Christmas break. On the season, Fogarty has 16 goals and 40 points, which puts him eighth in team scoring.
Fogarty had good point totals, but likely not as impressive to some fans if they compared his production to that of Mario Lucia, but that didn’t concern him.
“When you aren’t putting up points you just have to keep things simple,” said Fogarty of his play early in his BCHL career. “It’s not like I was playing bad by any means. It’s not all about points, but obviously points are a big factor to it. I wanted to do a little bit better, but I feel like every game I have gotten better.”
It’s hard to argue that the former Edina Hornet hasn’t improved. From the beginning of the season, he has shown what his slick hands are capable of. Possessing a great shot has helped Fogarty bulge the twine. He has a knack for going top shelf or beating goalies with a flick of the wrist.
There are other parts of his game that have impressed Vees coach-GM Fred Harbinson.
“I think Steven is one of the best two-way players not just that we have, but in the entire league,” he said. “There’s not much that he doesn’t do at a high level. He’s good on faceoffs, he plays both ends of the rink. He’s one of our top penalty killers.”
When the offence wasn’t coming immediately, Fogarty focused on the defensive parts of his skills and he feels he’s improved.
“We do so much in the defensive zone in practice. It’s a significant difference from before,” he said. “I look forward to shutting down the other team’s top lines, but also put in some offence too.”
When it comes to instructing him on the ice, Harbinson said Fogarty is very coachable.
“Here’s a kid that is a high NHL pick and off to Notre Dame University and no air about him,” he said. “He’s a yes-sir type kid. I really enjoy coaching him.”
When asked what feels better, scoring or shutting down the opposition, Fogarty said he likes doing both.
“I think they are different in their own way,” he said. “It does feel good to eliminate the other team’s goals but also when you score a goal there’s not really a better feeling.”
Playing with Bryce Gervais and Joey Benik, the trio is dangerous on the ice as either one can set the red light on fire behind the opposing goalie.
The transition from high school hockey has been relatively smooth for Fogarty and there are two reasons for it. The first is because once his season with the Hornets finished, he had a short stint with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League. Secondly, he is among seven Minnesota products with the Vees. Fogarty knew a lot of the guys and has gotten to know them better. He joked that it is better to play with them than against, especially Lucia.
“I don’t think we ever beat them in my high school career,” said Fogarty of the Hornets’ struggles against the Wayzata Trojans. “We were 0-6 or something. It’s nice to have him on my team. And the Reillys, I always played against them too. We still joke about each other because we always played each other.”
Ice chips
The Vees return from the Christmas break ready to host the Vernon Vipers at the South Okanagan Events Centre at 7 p.m. They look to extend their franchise record 18-game winning streak.