By Adam Dunfee /
Big is something Keith Aulie does well.
The Abbotsford Heat defenceman stands at 6-6 and is hoping his large frame will help him find success in his first pro season.
“It’s pretty cool being tall,” says the Rouleau, Sask.-native, who was a member of Canada’s gold medal winning World Junior team earlier this year.
The 20-year-old Aulie comes to the Heat after spending his entire Major Junior career with the Brandon Wheat Kings, where last season he served as team captain. Aulie wants to bring his leadership skills to the Heat this season and says the best place to show them off will be through on-ice play.
“I want to try to be consistent day-in and day-out by coming to the rink and working hard,” says Aulie. “Showing improvement everyday I think is big for a young guy like me.”
As the Heat roster begins to get pieced together, Aulie is getting a chance to practice against pro players on a consistent basis and is beginning to see how much the Junior game differs from the pro game.
“Everything’s quicker, with the puck and without the puck and little things are amped up a lot more,” he says. “Guys are faster, stronger and smarter and do things with pace, so it’s a big difference.”
Last year, Aulie collected 33 points in 58 games for the Wheat Kings but he isn’t anticipating putting up those kinds of numbers in the pros just yet as his focus in his first year will be primarily on keeping pucks out of his own net.
“We got lots of guys on this team that can score goals and if [the defenceman] can get pucks up to them they can do that.”
Heat head coach Jim Playfair is impressed by what he’s seen so far from Aulie and is anticipating that he will make a smooth transition to the pro ranks both on and off the ice.
“There’s a whole package that goes with [playing pro]. Living by yourself, the banking, the meals – so the off-ice habits have to be in place. Then there’s the daily grind of the season and travel so there’s a lot more to it then just the practice and game part of it and that’s where you’ll see a player like Keith Aulie do a really good job because he’s a mature boy.”
HEAT NOTES
The Heat are hitting the airwaves. The team announced a deal with Country 107.1 FM in Abbotsford to broadcast Heat games. Former Vancouver Giants broadcaster Dave Sheldon will be the play-by-play commentator while Sportsnet Pacific’s bureau chief Craig MacEwen will serve as colour commentator for home games. The first Heat broadcast is opening night, Oct. 9, against the San Antonio Rampage.
The Heat will play an exhibition game Sept. 30 against the UBC Thunderbirds at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Proceeds from the game will go to minor hockey coach Rick Sidoni who is battling throat cancer. |