At this pace, Luke Zazula should finish the Western Hockey League season as a point-per-game player. Not bad for a rookie blue-liner.
All kidding aside, it has been a good start for the 16-year-old from Langley.
Zazula had the lone goal for the Kamloops Blazers in a 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Giants on Sunday at the Langley Events Centre.
It was the WHL rookie’s fourth game of the season and he now has two goals and four points in those contests.
He is third among the league’s defencemen and tied for second among rookies.
“I just got the pass and (it was a) lucky shot that went through,” Zazula said afterwards.
Off a won face-off in the Giants zone, Zazula’s wrist shot from the point made its way through a maze of bodies in front of goaltender Ryan Kubic.
The goal cut the lead to 2-1 but the Giants restored the two-goal lead six minutes later.
A fourth round bantam draft pick by Kamloops, Zazula played three games last year as a 15-year-old, registering one assist. He has played in four of the five Blazers games so far.
“The pace is really fast, I am still trying to get used to it, get my feet under me. But pretty awesome so far,” he said.
Sunday’s contest was the team’s third in three days after they split a pair of road games in Victoria against the Royals.
“Yeah, everyone is tired, but we can’t have excuses in this league. You have to be ready to play every night, shift in, shift out,” he said.
Zazula had about 15 to 20 family and friends cheering him on at the game.
“It was awesome, it was good to see people I know in the crowd.”
He is also one of two Langley players on the Kamloops team, but fellow rookie Brodi Stuart was scratched from the line-up.
The forward played one game but was re-assigned to the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds of the BC Major Midget Hockey League on Monday.
The Blazers are back at the LEC on Oct. 29.