EVERETT — Ty Mappin came to Everett Silvertips camp this year looking to earn a roster spot.
He also arrived with some bragging rights over three of his fellow roster hopefuls.
Mappin is one of four Everett prospects who participated in the Telus Cup in April, and his team’s victory is something he can lord over his potential Everett teammates.
“Not that much,” Mappin responded when asked if he ever rubs it in. “I try to stay as humble as possible, because you’re going to be playing with them someday.”
Dawson Leedahl had a slightly different take: “He likes to pull out his ring and stuff, but that’s about it.”
The Telus Cup is the midget level version of the Memorial Cup. The five regional midget champions (ages 15-17) from across Canada, along with the host team, compete in a round robin, which then leads to a knockout stage that determines the national champion. This year’s tournament took place in Leduc, Alberta.
Mappin’s Red Deer (Alberta) Optimist Rebels won this year’s title, beating Quebec’s Phenix du College Esther-Blondin 6-5 in double overtime in the championship. Mappin, a 16-year-old center who was Everett’s first-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, registered an assist in the title contest, in which Red Deer rallied from a 5-1 third-period deficit to force overtime.
“It was pretty exciting, going into double overtime,” Mappin said. “It was close the whole way — I guess after the second it wasn’t very close. We brought it back and made it a good game.
“It was just being committed, not giving up on one another, and we just rallied back,” Mappin added about the key to Red Deer’s comeback. “I guess the five-minute power play (during which the Optimist Rebels scored three goals) helped us quite a bit, too.”
Mappin was joined at the tournament by three other Everett prospects, forwards Leedahl and Carson Stadnyk and defenseman Cole MacDonald. The 17-year-old Stadnyk and 16-year-old Leedahl played for the Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) Contacts, who took the bronze medal. The 17-year-old MacDonald turned out for the host Leduc Oil Kings, who reached the semifinals.
“It’s cool,” Leedahl said about four Everett prospects playing at the tournament. “It’s not very often people get to say they played in the Telus Cup and there’s lots on this team, so it’s good.”
It’s uncommon for the Tips to be represented by one prospect at the Telus Cup, let alone four. And Everett’s prospects didn’t just take part, they were impact performers as well.
Mappin’s team not only won, but Mappin finished as the team’s joint top scorer with nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games. The nine points tied him for 10th at the tournament in scoring.
Leedahl finished tied for sixth in scoring with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games. He also led the tournament in penalty minutes with 36.
Stadnyk tied for 16th in scoring with seven points (two goals, five assists) in seven games.
MacDonald tied for third in scoring among defensemen with five points (three goals, two assists) in seven contests.
“I had a real good tournament, one of the best tournaments I’ve ever played in my life,” MacDonald said. “Everything was going right, lucky bounces.”
All four attended past Everett training camps, meaning there were familiar faces on the opposing benches.
“We liked to joke around with a few of the guys when we were on the ice,” Leedahl said.
But now these four are looking to move beyond the midget level and make the jump to the Silvertips. They are among the 35 players who remain on the roster as the Tips head into preseason games, and they hope their experience at the Telus Cup provides an edge.
“It was pretty exciting,” Mappin said of his Telus Cup experience. “I’ve never been at that high of a level before. It helped a lot and hopefully it will show out here for me.”
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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