Steve Ewen: Florchuk foremost in five Giants factors in team’s surge up the standings – Ottawa Citizen

These days, there has to be much more wonder in the wondering for Vancouver Giants fans.

A month ago, the Langley Events Centre stands had plenty of people probably pondering whether the Giants had the stuff to get out of the first round of the playoffs. Now, Giants backers are bound to be feeling much more optimistic. Vancouvers one of the hottest teams in the Western Hockey League, winners of 13 of 15 games going into Wednesday nights visit to the Kamloops Blazers.

The B.C. Division is much tougher this season than it was a year ago. There are three clubs that could finish with at least 35 wins. Vancouver was the lone one to reach that plateau in 2018-19.

Vancouver goes into the Kamloops game on Wednesday with a 32-22-3-2 record and tied in points with the Victoria Royals (31-23-5-2) in the race for second place in the B.C. Division and the home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs that goes with it. Vancouver has nine games left in league play and two games in hand on the Royals.

The Giants have climbed back into this season. They look like a contender again. How exactly did it happen? We have theories.

Vancouver Giants forward Tyler Preziuso (right, in action against the Victoria Royals) came to the Giants in a midseason deal with the Medicine Hat Tigers, where he spent parts of four seasons under coach Shaun Clouston, now the Kamloops Blazers bench boss.Rik Fedyck, Vancouver Giants / PNG files

There were stretches earlier in the season when it was difficult to name three or four Giants who were playing well. Right now, its hard to come up with someone who isnt doing whats expected or even more than expected.

General manager Barclay Parneta, coach Michael Dyck and the rest of the staff felt the chemistry was off early on. Parneta made five trades from early November right up until the Jan. 10 deadline. He signed Michal Kvasnica, the former Portland Winterhawk who was playing in the Czech Republic. He signed Holden Katzalay, the onetime Seattle Thunderbird who was in the BCHL with the Surrey Eagles.

Theres a reset for a group that has to follow that kind of change. Guys needed to figure each other out. Dyck needed to decide how he wanted to deploy his players. It looks like they have it dialled in now.

The book on Florchuk when he came over from the Saskatoon Blades in a deal the day before the trade deadline was that he was a dependable, two-way player who would fit somewhere in your top-six forward grouping.

So far with Vancouver, hes been much more. Hes been a play driver. Hes been a surefire No. 1 centre. Through 22 games with the Giants, Florchuk has 10 goals and 31 points. Thats 1.41 points per game, and that upped Florchuks career total through 245 career regular season match-ups to 0.67 points per game.

Vancouver bringing in Florchuk from Saskatoon for centre Evan Patrician, a 2020 first-round bantam draft pick the Giants had picked up from the Medicine Hat Tigers in a December swap, and a 2021 second rounder was arguably the second most significant trade at the deadline, following only the Victoria Royals adding winger Brayden Tracey from the Moose Jaw Warriors as part of a five-player, six-pick exchange.

Centre Eric Florchuk in action for the Vancouver Giants, driving between Jake Lee and Pavel Novak of the Kelowna Rockets during a WHL game at the Langley Events Centre.Rob Wilton, Vancouver Giants

Tracey was a first-round NHL pick last summer by the Anaheim Ducks. Florchuk was a 2018 seventh-rounder of the Washington Capitals.

Tracey has five goals and 18 points through 21 games with Victoria.

That may be the most telling statement about how well Florchuk has played for Vancouver.

His addition had to be a confidence boost to the Vancouver dressing room as well. He was one of the better players available. Parneta bringing him in said to the players that the staff believed they had a playoff run in them. Consider that in this second-half run, along with the fact there had to be some concern among the players that the Giants, with their middling first half, might be sellers at the deadline.

Florchuk has yet to sign with the Capitals. Seventh-round picks are far from automatics to get deals. If Florchuk can keep this up and help Vancouver go on a playoff run, it will be easier and easier to wonder if the Capitals will give him a contract and have him play somewhere in their system next season, rather than Florchuk coming back to the Giants as one of their three overages (20-year-olds).

Going into Wednesdays game, Byram has eight goals and 27 points in his past 14 games. As absurd as it sounds, you can argue that hes played even better than his numbers of late.

Hes locked in defensively. Hes physical. Hes blocking shots. Hes nullifying opposing teams forechecks; if the puck comes to him in the Vancouver zone, its always quickly headmanned back up the ice.

The penalty trouble that plagued Byram early in the season has vanished as well.

This is as good as hes been as a Giant. And, yes, we do realize he set a team record for goals (26) in a season by a defenceman last year and led all WHL players in scoring in the playoffs (26 points in 22 games).

This is as good as it gets for Bowen Byram (left) with the Giants: Hes scored eight goals and 27 points in his past 14 games.Gerry Kahrmann / Postmedia News

Byram had pledged that hed step up his game down the stretch.

His focus has been diverted in various directions since the summer. There was the push to stick with the NHLs Colorado Avalanche after they picked him fourth overall in last summers NHL draft and then the return to the Giants.

Then there was the chase of a Team Canada post for the world juniors and all that went with playing in that tournament in the Czech Republic.

With those things behind him now, Byram finding his game for the Giants is completely logical.

He goes into Wednesday-night action with 11 goals and 48 points in 47 games this season.

The Giants are getting more from more guys since the trade deadline. That includes the third line of Cole Shepard and midseason additions Katzalay and Kvasnica. Their mix of skills clicks, with the abilities down low of Katzalay and Kvasnica especially opening up space for the speedster Shepard.

There have been games where theyve dominated their match-ups, like Vancouvers 6-2 win over the Victoria Royals last Saturday. They combined for six points, with a goal and an assist apiece.

As well, the WHL doesnt publish players ice times like the NHL does, but it feels like Dyck is beginning to trust youngsters like Kaden Kohle, Justin Lies, Tanner Brown and Jacob Brown more and more in giving them more shifts. More minutes from that group cuts down on the wear and tear on the older players as this season plays out.

Speedy Cole Shepard (above, in front) has meshed well with midseason additions Holden Katzalay and Michal Kvasnica to form a potent third line.Rik Fedyk / PNG

The Giants were 17-16-2-2 at the Jan. 10 trade deadline and their power play was working at 11.7 per cent (15-for-128). Going into Wednesday, the power play has clicked at 37.3 per cent (28-for-75) in the 22 games since the trade freeze.

Florchuk is part of that story. He calms things down. He resets the game plan when the Giants recover the puck after the opposing goalie makes a save. Hes similar to Davis Koch, who was a linchpin of Vancouvers man-advantage unit last season as one of the Giants overages.

It also seems that earlier in the season the Vancouver power play would only settle for highlight-reel goals. They were overly fancy. Theyre much better at getting pucks and bodies to the net now. Theyve seemingly realized that ordinary-looking goals count the same as the pretty ones.

How much Florchuk plays into things being more simple is hard to guess. Even before Florchuk, though, the Giants had the talent for a 20-per-cent power play.

Going into Wednesday, they are at 21.2 per cent (43-for-203), good enough for 12th in the league.

sewen@postmedia.com

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Steve Ewen: Florchuk foremost in five Giants factors in team's surge up the standings - Ottawa Citizen