In sports lingo, a sophomore jinx refers to when a second-year athlete, or sophomore, fails to live up to standards following a solid first-year effort.
With five goals and 10 assists so far this season, Kelowna Rockets forward Nolan Flamand is hoping to a sophomore slump.
“I think I’m a good 200-foot player who’s able to make good plays in the offensive zone,” the 5-foot-9 and 160-pound forward told Global News.
One of Flamand’s skills is often winning key faceoffs.
This season, he’s won 158 of 366 faceoffs. And, on several occasions, those wins have led directly to goals.
Consequently, the 17-year-old Saskatoon product is garnering plenty of praise.
“He’s been great. He’s a really, really, smart hockey player, he’s got a very high hockey IQ,” said Rockets assistant coach Josh MacNevin.
“He’s a little guy, but he seems to win a lot of battles.”
Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton said Flamand’s skating will have to improve if he wants to move to the next level, “but he’s one of the guys that everybody wants to play with because he moves the puck real well.”
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Both Hamilton and Flamand credit last spring’s hub experience as a big part of this season’s success.
Flamand played 16 games during the COVID-19 hub season, notching one goal and six assists.
“Certainly, the time he spent in the hub with us was unbelievable for him to get an understanding of how fast the game was going to be,” Hamilton said.
“For me, I think it was huge,” Flamand said of last season’s exposure to the WHL.
“It was just like me being underaged in midget; it’s just another way to jump into the league and see how the pace is.”
The Rockets are hoping that Flamand will continue to use that knowledge to his advantage, as they start a four-game homestand Friday night
against the Prince George Cougars.
In related news, Rockets forward Pavel Novak has been invited to the Czech Republic’s selection camp for the upcoming 2022 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Edmonton.
A 5-foot-10 and 170-pound forward, Novak is leading Kelowna in scoring with 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points through 21 games. He also has a plus-seven rating, along with eight penalty minutes.
Last season, Novak played for the Czech Republic at the 2021 World Juniors, registering a goal and two assists.
Canada and the Czech Republic are both in Group A, and the two teams will meet each other in opening-day action on Dec. 26.
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