EVERETT — Aaron Irving had a mission from the moment he arrived at Xfinity Arena following an early January trade with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
That mission was to seek out the Everett Silvertips coaching staff and deliver this message: that the No. 1 trait he brings to the organization is his compete-level.
“I give him high praise for that,” said Tips assistant coach Mitch Love, who coaches the defense.
‘Compete-level’ is a somewhat esoteric phrase in hockey parlance that includes grit, hard work and willingness to battle for positioning and for the puck with little regard for possible physical pain. It is a common phrase used by Silvertips players and coaches, and the message the organization was hoping to hear from its newest defenseman.
“In watching him play and talking to the people in Edmonton who have worked with him, we got exactly what we thought we were getting,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine said. “The kid has high, high character, (is) very, very competitive, shoots the puck hard and everything we described to you in getting him here is exactly what he is. There have been no surprises. It’s all been very positive.”
Constantine frequently mentions it takes three-to-eight weeks for new players coming in to grasp Everett’s system. Irving has now been here for three weeks and has appeared in eight games for the U.S. Division-leading Silvertips (30-6-7-2, 69 points), who play host to the Portland Winterhawks at 7:35 p.m. Friday at Xfinity Arena.
“I think the personalities are in place and the players are in place to hopefully make a long run and a championship run,” Irving said. “The coaching staff and the management have done a great job in making sure the pieces of the puzzle are in the right place and it’s just on us now with executing the game plan each and every night.”
Irving knows whereof he speaks. He played on Edmonton’s 2014 Memorial Cup-winning team when he tallied nine goals and 21 assists in 63 regular-season games, and was a sixth-round pick by the Nashville Predators.
That Edmonton team was a high-scoring juggernaut that finished third in the league in goals scored and averaged better than four per game. This year’s Everett squad is a respectable 11th in scoring with an average of 3.4 goals per game, but allows just 2.16 on the defensive end.
“It’s similar, but it’s not similar at the same time,” Irving said. “I think this is a(n Everett) team that buys into a system a lot more than that (Edmonton) team did in years past. But that team, and this team will admit, that that team had a lot more offensive power in it. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I think it’s something we can embrace as a team and kind of bringing that character, and that is going to be our driver going into the playoffs.”
Irving had a supporting role on that championship team that differed from the job he was performing this season. A native of Edmonton, Irving was the rebuilding Oil Kings’ captain and their leading scorer with 14 goals and 29 assists when he was traded.
It took Irving until his seventh game to register his first point with the Tips, which he did last Saturday with a pair of assists in Everett’s 4-2 win at Tri-City. Everett takes offense wherever it can find it, and has benefited from the contributions of blueliners Noah Juulsen (nine goals, 12 assists) and Kevin Davis (six goals, 36 assists).
“That’s a part of my game that has kind of blossomed this year and it’s something that I’m proud of, and it’s something I want to carry into this team,” Irving said. “But at the same time I’ve really focused this past while on solidifying my importance on the back end. This is a team that prides itself on its defensive play so that was my first priority coming to this team.”
The Silvertips are 5-1-1-2 since Irving joined one of the deepest defensive units in the WHL. Irving immediately got a taste of Everett’s U.S. Division rivalries with four games against Seattle, two against Spokane and one against Tri-City in his short tenure.
“Every game is competitive and the crowd is always in it,” Irving said. “I think that makes for some good hockey and it keeps us on our toes each and every game.”
The Tips will need it. Friday’s game is the first of seven they will play in the next nine days. By the time it’s over Everett could be much closer to clinching a division title or in a fight to hold off the rest of the division.
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.
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