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Calgary Flames prospect Lucas Ciona thinks there’s loads to be taught from his previous good friend and teammate, Matt Rempe.
The 2 performed collectively on a pair completely different stops in junior, each within the AJHL with the Spruce Grove Saints after which with the Seattle Thunderbirds within the WHL.
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They’re very completely different gamers, to make certain.
And when Ciona appears on the huge New York Rangers ahead, it’s not as if he thinks he ought to attempt to replicate the hard-hitting, drop-the-gloves-with-anybody model that Rempe brings to the ice.
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However there are classes he’s realized from Rempe’s journey.
“It’s taking your identification,” the Calgary Wranglers ahead defined. “That’s the most important factor about making the transfer to professional hockey. You’ve received to know your identification and also you’ve received to come back in and use your identification to your benefit.
“I imply, for him, his identification is he’s going to be large and onerous on the forecheck and he’s going to face up for anyone and get up for himself always and get his workforce going. So 100%, everyone can take one thing from him. Essentially the most expert man on the ice can take one thing from him. You’ve received to search out your identification and use it to your benefit.”
Ciona and Rempe first performed collectively briefly within the AJHL with the Saints again in 2018-19 after which spent the following couple of COVID-interrupted seasons with the Thunderbirds.
They’re good mates and Ciona says they’ve received plans to satisfy up this summer season as soon as their professional seasons are out of the best way.
That could be some time away for Rempe, whose Rangers had probably the most factors within the NHL as of Saturday morning and are primed for a deep run within the playoffs.
The 21-year-old Calgarian has change into a people hero in New York whose star energy appears to have transcended nicely past the standard hockey bubble. He was the catalyst for a line brawl between the Rangers and New Jersey Devils just a few weeks in the past that has been considered thousands and thousands of instances on YouTube. His old-school willingness to struggle anybody, anyplace is a throwback to the times of yore.
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And it’s completely no shock for Ciona.
“That man works, I bear in mind attending to the rink early and he’d already be there on the boxing bag or boxing with certainly one of our coaches,” Ciona mentioned. “He simply has a piece ethic and he’s simply been getting higher each day, for him to do this is not any shock in any respect.
“It’s superior, he’s a superb buddy of mine, we performed loads collectively. Tremendous good dude and he’s labored his a– off, he’s labored actually onerous to get to the place he’s. For him to do this and have the success he’s having, it’s not the on a regular basis route that everyone else has taken. He’s doing it a distinct style, nevertheless it’s unbelievable to look at.”
Ciona remains to be discovering his means as a professional and his first yr has had some stops and begins. That’s true of a number of hockey gamers who went on to have nice careers, in fact. There’s a studying curve going from junior to the AHL, similar to there’s when guys make the soar to the NHL.
In 55 video games this season, Ciona has 4 targets and two assists.
He needs extra and is intent on embracing the grind that’s required to get there.
“It’s been difficult, that’s for certain,” Ciona mentioned. “There’s been a number of highs and lows and it’s sort of simply engaged on getting higher each day and produce a superb angle to work and get higher.
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“I knew I used to be going to come back in and sort of must grind and work for it. It’s no shock and I haven’t been stunned by all of it yr, nevertheless it’s simply getting higher each day. All you are able to do is have a superb angle about it and present up and work.”
Sooner or later, Ciona helps to observe in Rempe’s footsteps and set up himself as an on a regular basis NHL participant.
He noticed the work that Rempe put in to get there and is decided to do the identical.
He gained’t be dropping the gloves with the NHL’s hardest fighters. No less than that’s not the plan.
However was that all the time Rempe’s recreation? Ciona would know higher than most.
“Oh yeah, however he’s 6-foot-9, 260 (Ib.) No person needs to the touch him while you’re within the WHL,” mentioned Ciona, who’s listed at 6-foot-2, 220 lb. “He had a pair a years when he ran via a pair guys or ran via a goalie. He was all the time that man, however not everyone would go him. Now, he’s received free rein to do no matter.”
daustin@postmedia.com
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