Obobaifo, who has missed 10 games with a shoulder injury, has been a full participant at practice this week and looks ready for weekend
It seems like the Vancouver Giants could be getting NHL draft prospect Aaron Obobaifo back into the line-up just in time for a tricky weekend.
Obobaifo (shoulder), who was off to a strong start to the season with six goals and 10 points in nine games, hasn’t played with the Giants since leaving an Oct. 14 game in Edmonton. The winger has been a full participant at practice this week, though, which suggests he is closing in on a return to the line-up, and general manager Barclay Parneta was listing him as a “possibility” for this weekend.
Vancouver (9-6-4-0) has dropped four straight (0-2-2-0) and they are heading into their first three-in-three weekend of the season, with a visit to the Kelowna Rockets (8-8-1-1) on Friday (7:05 p.m.) followed by home games at the Langley Events Centre against the Spokane Chiefs (13-9-0-0) on Saturday (7 p.m.) and Prince George Cougars (12-5-3-2) on Sunday (4 p.m.).
Giants winger Cameron Schmidt, whose 22 goals led the WHL going into Wednesday, is getting buzz as a possible first-round pick. For instance, TSN’s Craig Button has him slotted at No. 12 in his latest rankings, while Elite Prospects pegs him at No. 13.
Parneta says he’s getting asked plenty, too, by NHL types about Obobaifo. The 17-year-old Calgary product has shown in limiting viewing this season an ability to finish around the net and to play in high-traffic areas. Overall, the 5-foot-10, 186 pounder has a game that you can project to pro.
He’s a tone setter for this Vancouver crew with his energy and his intensity, and the Giants have lacked some zip as a group of late, particularly in a 6-2 setback to the Kamloops Blazers on Friday.
The Giants haven’t said exactly how Obobaifo was injured in the Edmonton game. He did have his shoulder in a sling after the road trip.
“He excels at every aspect of the game — he’s a solid, two-way guy who’s also one of the most skilled guys on the ice every night,” Vancouver defenceman and team captain Mazden Leslie said of Obobaifo, who has missed the past 10 Giants contests. “He has the ability to take over games. He was doing that before he got hurt.”
Leslie, 19, says Vancouver needs to get their forecheck going again, and Obobaifo would be a boost there. Leslie also believes that the Giants have been turning over the puck in key areas during this recent stretch.
“This weekend is a huge test for our team, playing against three good teams,” Leslie explained. “We have to get back to how we played earlier in the season.”
Schmidt is one of 10 WHLers on a Canadian side set to face USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program Under-18 side.
Schmidt, 17, who’s from Prince George, has eight multi-goal games this season. He bagged 31 goals last season. The Giants’ record for goals in a season is 61, set by a 20-year-old Ty Ronning in 2017-18.
Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino has Schmidt at No. 27 in his most recent draft rankings, while Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala pegs him at No. 25.
Cougars goalie Joshua Ravensbergen is also part of the WHL contingent taking part in the Prospects Challenge, so he is also slated to miss Sunday’s game with Vancouver.
Ravensbergen, 17, is No. 21 on Button’s latest rankings, and No. 20 with Elite Prospects. Cosentino has him at No. 15.
Who Vancouver counters with in goal is open to question. The Giants have had three goalies at practice this week, bringing in Carter Capton, 19, who’s been playing this season with the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL.
Parneta said simply: “We wanted to give him a look.”
This is a product of the NCAA opening up its scholarship rules starting in August. Capton doesn’t lose his eligibility now by playing just a single game with the Giants.
The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Capton is 9-5-1-2, with a 2.87 goals against average and a .911 save percentage for Camrose. He played the previous two seasons in the BCHL with the Cranbrook Bucks, and the Lethbridge native went to Yale Hockey Academy.
Vancouver’s been splitting the netminding chores so far this season between 18-year-old sophomore Matthew Hutchison (6-3-1-0, 3.52, .883) and 17-year-old rookie Burke Hood (3-3-3-0, 4.45, .872). Parneta wouldn’t say how they’ll deploy their goalies this weekend.