Rookie coach Brandon Prust, London Knights prospects have Nationals surging

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Brandon Prust already went through a first major test as a new coach.

The London Nationals won just two of their first seven games and were stalling offensively against Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League foes.

“Don’t panic too quickly,” the 40-year-old former NHLer and Knights legend said. “The boys were getting frustrated. It happens when you’re losing and you’re expected to win. You start turning on each other. We had to make sure they were sticking together. We’ve got a good group of guys, the dressing room is pretty tight and they all like each other.

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“The message was continue to show up and work. That’s all you can do and things will turn around.”

It’s happened. The Nats have won six straight and are among the highest-scoring teams in Junior B hockey.

“I felt early in the year, we were playing really well and out-chancing other teams,” Prust said. “We just couldn’t get the puck in the net. We knew once they started going in, we would be alright. We spent a lot of time working on drills for going hard to the net, tipping pucks and going for rebounds. The players shoot before and after practice to get confidence in their shots.

“It seemed to work.”

A handful of Knights prospects have been a big part of the success.

Essex native Eddie Hickson, a seventh-round OHL pick, has 16 points in 13 games to lead the team as a rookie. Fellow 16-year-old Caleb Mitchell has five goals and 11 points in 11 games as a defenceman.

Goaltender Finn Wilson is 3-0 with a 1.93 goals against average and .934 save percentage since his arrival.

“When I talk to Dale and Mark (Hunter), I tell them they got something good there with Eddie,” Prust said. “He’s a smart player. He doesn’t try to make the impossible play. He stays within his limitations and plays like a veteran.”

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The Knights like his high hockey IQ and on-ice vision.

“He’s the type of player you would want on your line,” Knights associate GM Rob Simpson said. “He’s not going to try to beat guys one-on-one. He wants to do it as a unit.”

Mitchell, a second-rounder last spring, is a strong skater who has some Erik Karlsson elements to his game. Wilson has done well in what is now a three-goalie rotation with Hayden Sabourin and Finnish stopper Casimir Weckstrom.

“It’s not the ideal situation,” Prust said. “The way you look at it, we have three of the best goalies in the league right now. It’s not a terrible problem to have but we want to get things sorted out. It’s not always fair to have three going. They’re all working hard and ready for whenever they’re going in.”

Former Sarnia Legionnaires forward Anthony Tudino has heated up and leads the team with nine goals. A lot of players are starting to thrive in Prust’s system.

“We’re not a huge run-and-gun team,” the coach said. “We want to play defence first and create offence off that.”

The Nats will try to keep the streak rolling against Fort Erie Wednesday, 7 p.m. at Western Fair. They are already close on the heels of Western Conference leaders St. Marys and Stratford.

“It’s pretty tight and the important thing is don’t focus on other teams very much,” Prust said. “It’s an attitude thing. Keep your head down, work and all of a sudden, we’re a few points out of first. Worry about ourselves and continue to learn.”

rpyette@postmedia.com

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