The talented Mr. Mirasty

Page 19

The nomadic 18-year-old Jon Mirasty has finally come home to Meadow Lake, for a while.

Last hockey season he played in the southern part of the province for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Kindersley Klippers. Last fall, he went to the Prince Albert Raiders in the Western Hockey League, and recently was traded to the Washington State-based Tri-City Americans.

"I was kind of shocked," said Mirasty. "In a way, there were two sides. One side, I was disappointed and kind of choked to leave where I had made a home, and then on the other half, it was kind of something new and exciting that would happen. I was leaving for a better team in the standings . . . it turned out to be a better opportunity to play."

The American's head coach, Al Tuer, said the 5'10" Mirasty is a tough kid.

"He plays hard and he's a bit of a momentum-changer in a game. That's why we were interested in him. We got him, and [discovered] a pretty intelligent player. We ended up playing him on the third line, and he's really responsible in his own end. He's just a guy we could trust out there in the last five minutes of the game, it seems. Once we got him, we were pleasantly surprised that he was a better player than we thought."

With some of his players injured, the door was opened to showcase Mirasty's abundant skill, said Tuer.

"He's a pretty effective player for us."

Mirasty's experience had led to comparisons between the Eastern and Western divisions in the WHL.

"I find that the Western division's a lot less physical," said Mirasty. "It's more finesse hockey, where in Prince Albert, in the Eastern division, I find that it's more of a physical game, rougher. I fought a lot more when I was in the East. . . In the West, it's kind of hard to get guys to go. Even a lot of the tough guys aren't as tough as in the East division."

But when the time does come for a scrap, Coach Tuer knows Mirasty will answer the call.

"He's a momentum guy. When he gets into a fight with a guy on the opposition, win or lose-I haven't seen him lose-but win or lose, he'll create momentum for your team.

"He's smaller, and the fans get on his side. He creates a lot of energy for your team. He's got good timing as well, when he decided to get involved with an opposition player. He'll do it if we're down a goal or need a spark. He's got good timing that way, and not very many players do. He fights when it's best for the hockey team, and not just when it's best for himself."

Now that the American's hockey season is over, Mirasty is spending his time at home on his father's farm in Meadow Lake, Sask.

"I had a bunch of little cousins that play hockey, so I just went out and kind of helped them out. They're still skating around."

After having played so hard for both of his teams this season, Mirasty's on-ice action has caught the attention of a few NHL scouts. "They just said keep playing my role, and doing what I do. Also, they don't want me to change my game, and they want me to try and get a few points on the board."

Mirasty is working on improving on his natural talent.

"I want to be, not more fighting-physical, but be more of a crusher and banger, try to do some more hitting and try and get a little bit more finesse."

He said his off-season routine will include "hitting the gym hard, and doing a lot of running. I'll be working on my conditioning, and go to camp in the best shape I can be in."