EVERETT – Who is that little guy out there on the ice?
Kevin Nortz / The Herald
You know, the one who looks like he got lost on his way to a Pee-Wee game.
The one who, when pinned up against the boards by a defenseman, disappears completely.
The one who, despite a stature more appropriate for a stick boy than a player, absorbs every hit and still pops straight up every time he gets knocked to the ice.
No, Everett Silvertips forward Zach Dailey may not look like he belongs in the Western Hockey League. But early in his career he’s proving that size doesn’t matter.
“I don’t really feel like I’m smaller,” Dailey said. “I don’t get pushed around too much, and in the battles in the corners I’m just about the same as anyone else.”
Dailey, generously listed at 5-foot-6 and 155 pounds, is currently the smallest player in the WHL. At 15 years, 10 months old, he’s also the youngest player in the league. Had he been born two weeks later he wouldn’t even be eligible to play this season.
But Dailey’s impact has been far greater than his mass. Eleven games into his WHL career he’s already making significant contributions to a team that’s flying high in first place in its division. A continuous bundle of energy, Dailey has registered three assists, has a +2 plus/minus rating, and is now playing on one of Everett’s top two lines.
“He’s very young and he’s obviously not a very big kid,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “But he really doesn’t play that way. He’s fast, so he gets on pucks, and he’s very willing to play physical. He’s had some of our better hits during the year where he knocks people a lot bigger than him off the puck. He’s been very dedicated and very studious in trying to learn what we’re doing, so we’ve been very happy.”
Said Dailey: “I definitely have to make sure I’m working as hard or harder than everyone else. It’s harder being small, but I can’t be scared of anyone. I have to play like I’m 6-2.”
Dailey was born in San Diego, but was adopted by a family in Alaska, where he spent the first 11 years of his life and learned the game of hockey. When he was 11 his family moved to Edmonton, Alberta, to aid in his hockey development, and he impressed enough for the Silvertips to take him with their third-round selection in the 2004 Bantam Draft.
But Dailey suffered a setback. At the beginning of last season Dailey suffered a broken hand on a slash. However, not realizing his hand was broken, he played the entire season, registering nine goals and 16 assists in 35 games for the Midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings.
Dailey finally found out the hand was broken in April, had surgery in May, and when preseason training camp came around he still hadn’t fully recovered. As a result, Dailey was unable to participate during most of the preseason and was concerned he might not make the team.
“I was definitely worried,” Dailey said. “I wanted to play as soon as possible and when I did start playing I wanted to prove I was ready to be in this league.”
Dailey needn’t have worried. Constantine knew what he was capable of.
“We had him in practice last year and although he only stayed with us about a week, we saw enough to know there would be a role for him,” Constantine said. “I couldn’t have predicted what role, but when we saw his speed and playmaking last year we were pretty comfortable knowing he’d be a part of our team.”
Dailey’s original role came on Everett’s fourth line where, alongside fellow diminutive rookies Shane Harper and Ryan Sawka, he helped form a pesky trio that despite its lack of size and experience was able to cause opponents fits.
Then last Sunday Everett’s captain and leading goal scorer Torrie Wheat suffered a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for two months. The Tips needed someone to fill in on the right on the prolific line with Peter Mueller and Karel Hromas, so Constantine called upon Dailey.
“We think he’s a good complement to Peter and Karel, who are bigger players,” Constantine explained. “Dailey’s smaller, but he adds that speed and that sometimes opens up ice for those other guys.”
Dailey looked right at home playing with Mueller and Hromas in Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over Portland. He set up one scoring chance and nearly scored a goal of his own on a partial breakaway.
“Those are some really big shoes to fill,” Dailey said about filling in for Wheat. “I have to work my hardest to try to fill those shoes.
“There’s definitely a lot more room in the corners,” Dailey added about playing with Mueller and Hromas. “They work their stuff and there’s a lot more room for me to move around.”
Dailey continues to be a target of opposing defensemen, who have visions of sending Dailey’s small frame flying through the air.
“Everyone wants to hit the little guys,” Dailey said.
But Dailey’s showing that even the little guys can get the job done.
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