Justin Hickman ready to lead the T-Birds once again

Thunderbirds captain Justin Hickman was in town last week watching the team wrap up its exhibition season against the Everett Silvertips. That’s not where he was supposed to be.

Hickman was slated to be in Penticton, British Columbia skating with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets rookie team in the Young Stars camp. Unfortunately, Hickman suffered an upper body injury on the last day of practice and was not able to compete with the Jets. Not being able to showcase yourself in front of NHL coaches and scouts is definitely a disappointment, but Hickman is not letting it stop him from moving forward this season.

“I’m excited,” the Kelowna native said. “I think with the good group of young guys we have, we can have a fun year. There’s a lot of guys who have big years coming up, myself included, so as a team we’re going to gel together and I think we have a good chance of doing some damage this year. Guys want to win and want to be successful.”

Even with this current injury there is still a chance that Hickman will get to show what he can do for the Jets. The T-Birds are still waiting to see if the Jets will invite Hickman to their American Hockey League camp when his injury heals.

The T-Birds have five 20-year-olds on their roster as they prepare for the season opener. They can only keep three of those players and there has been a great deal of speculation as to which three will be selected. The general consensus has been that Hickman, the team’s captain, was the one lock. General manager Russ Farwell probably won’t say that directly yet, but he does stress how big Hickman is for the team.

“Hickman’s an important guy for us,” Farwell said. “I think he’s going to have a dominant year in junior if he’s back … He’s become a real threat to score.”

Last season Hickman did score. He notched a career-high in goals (22), assists (24) and points (46) and by year’s end was playing on Seattle’s top line. Once he’s back in the lineup he will slot back onto a line with Mathew Barzal and Ryan Gropp. Hickman is a good fit for the two high-skill players who are entering their draft year. With his physical presence on the ice, he can clear space and cause havoc in front of the net.

Hickman enjoys skating with Barzal and Gropp.

“It’s fun,” he said. “It’s really fun, they both have big years ahead of them and I’m excited for them. I think the bottom line is that we have a lot of fun out there together. With them there’s always a good chance to score a goal and that makes the game more exciting.”

The three of them have a tremendous amount of chemistry and it stands that they will all benefit from each other. That can result in high draft spots for Barzal and Gropp and the potential of a pro contract for Hickman. Getting a pro contract would be an accomplishment for Hickman. He is entering his fifth year with the Thunderbirds and is the only player on the roster to play on the team prior to head coach Steve Konowalchuk’s arrival.

That means he has seen the team go from a struggling club to a winner.

“It’s been cool to be part of the change over here,” Hickman said. “As a young guy you’re coming in and trying to feel everything out. Losing games was tough when you’re young especially and now I’m trying to pave the way for other young guys coming in. It’s a new culture and we win here and that’s the way it goes.”

Hickman is a big part of that new culture and last year he was selected to be the team’s captain. Every team sport has a captain, but for hockey, the captain is more important. The captain is the leader on the ice, in the dressing room and everywhere off the ice. He’s the guy that the other players look to when things aren’t going well. Not everyone can handle the job, but Hickman is thriving in it.

“It was a big honor,” he said of being named captain. “Coming into my fourth year last year I thought I’ve been here a while and just getting the chance to wear the ‘C’ on the jersey I’ve been throwing on the last few years definitely means a lot.”

There are many different styles of leadership that can be effective in hockey. Seattle’s previous captain, Luke Lockhart, was more of the quiet leader who led by example rather than vocally. Hickman also sets a good example for the team – he also won’t shy away from saying what needs to be said.

“Locks is a great guy, he’s still one of my really good friends,” Hickman said of his former teammate. “Whichever way you do it, it’s leading by example and I’m bit more of a vocal guy than Locks was but both work.”

With four WHL seasons already under his belt, Hickman realizes that he plays an important role with the younger players. That role has perhaps never been as important as it will this year when Seattle ices one of the youngest rosters in the WHL. Those young players have a captain who has been where they are and knows what it takes to be successful in the WHL.

“Getting them through the transition of coming from minor hockey and living at home to going to school somewhere else, playing hockey here, the compete level,” he said of his role with the younger players. “Just that whole transition, the faster they can get through that, the faster we can become a better team and win more games.”

Hickman has seen a lot over his time in Seattle and says he’s learned a great deal about what it takes.

“I just think you’ve got to take it day by day, you can’t look at the end of the road or cutting any corners,” he said. “Whether you’re 16-years-old in the league or a 20-year-old, you’re coming to the rink and doing something you love to do, so make sure it counts.”

There is a lot of stake during every hockey season and this year is no different for the team or for Hickman. He has the chance to be part of a team that has the potential to go far and to hopefully sign a pro contract. For his part, Hickman says he has goals this year but that they might not actually have to do with actually scoring goals.

“I set goals for myself personally,” Hickman said. “I try to stay away from the point totals. It’s always good to have a general number in your head, whatever it may be, but when I was younger I used to drive myself crazy thinking I needed ‘this many’ points. Now it’s just focus on the other things and the points will come.”

The points will come for Justin Hickman and the Thunderbirds are hoping that wins will follow for him and his teammates.

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