EVERETT — Clayton Cumiskey wants to follow in the steps of his older brother.
He’s hoping his move to Everett is just what his career needed to change course and move in that direction.
The Everett Silvertips’ newest player is looking forward to a fresh start in Everett, and he eventually wants to follow his brother’s path to the NHL.
“Hopefully,” said Cumiskey, whose brother Kyle was a WHL standout who now plays for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. “I think that’s what everyone is trying to do here.”
The Tips acquired Cumiskey, a 19-year-old forward, in a trade with Edmonton on Monday, sending right wing Cameron Abney to the Oil Kings in exchange. Cumiskey made his Everett debut in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss at Tri-City.
“I think he’s a pretty smart player,” said Everett coach Craig Hartsburg’s of his first impression of Cumiskey. “He understands positioning and all that, and he does skate pretty good. I think once he gets comfortable he’ll be a guy who helps put pressure on people and be a good, solid player for us.”
Cumiskey’s numbers were modest during his two-plus seasons with the Oil Kings. In 153 games he tallied 18 goals and 33 assists. This season he had one goal and 11 assists in 23 games.
But coming to Everett may be just what the Abbotsford, B.C., native needed. In his first game with the Tips, Cumiskey skated at left wing on a line with overagers Shane Harper and Chris Langkow. Harper and Langkow currently rank first and fifth on the team in scoring, respectively, so if Cumiskey remains on that line he should receive ample opportunities to produce.
“It’s awesome to get to play with some older skill guys who have been putting up points the past few years,” Cumiskey said. “I’m excited about that for sure.”
It’s the type of opportunity that didn’t come often for Cumiskey in Edmonton, a situation that was the source of frustration. Indeed, the entire Oil Kings team has struggled. Edmonton, in its third season since rejoining the league as an expansion franchise in 2007-08, was supposed to break through and be a legitimate playoff team. Instead, the team has gone backwards. Edmonton is 10-20-4-5 and morale among the team has dipped.
“For me, things weren’t going great,” Cumiskey said. “Everybody was kind of getting down in the dumps. We were all just kind of mailing it in, so it’s good to get to a new place.
“Sometimes I got a chance to show what I can do,” added Cumiskey, who despite the issues described himself as shocked at news of the trade. “I’d get time on the power play, but then they’d take me off in a couple games, so I never felt like I got much of an opportunity there. It’s nice to have a clean start, hopefully it goes well.”
That clean start may include a regular spot next to Harper and Langkow. The Tips have shuffled through numerous wingers on that line, searching for the right fit. In Cumiskey, a speedy player who specializes in tracking down pucks and getting it to his skilled teammates, Everett may have found the answer.
However, it’s not a lock Cumiskey will remain in that spot. Cumiskey is a versatile player who can play any of the three forward spots — he even played about 10 games on defense last season — and Hartsburg is open to experimenting to find Cumiskey’s best role with the team.
“We may keep him with Langkow and Harper, but he talked today like he feels real comfortable playing at center ice, too, so we have the option to use him at both,” Hartsburg said. “To him it doesn’t matter where he plays, but we may try him at center at some point.”
Either way, Cumiskey is just looking forward to getting his chance.
Slap shots
Tips left wing Dan Iwanski will not play tonight against Saskatoon. Iwanski suffered a knee injury during the first period of Tuesday’s game and did not return. The extent of the injury is still to be determined. … Everett prospect Tyler Giebel is in town and practicing with the team. Giebel, a 16-year-old forward who was Everett’s second-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, is having a good season for the Regina Pat Canadians of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, with whom he has 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) in 27 games.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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