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Zach Poirier hopes being an offensive force awakened last week is a hint at what's to
come.
A 17-year-old forward with NHL draft potential is expected to rack up a decent amount
of points, even if he is more of a 200-foot player like Poirier. Goals were far and few
between for Poirier until last week, when he scored in consecutive games for the first
time this season and delivered his first OHL multi-goal game with the late third-period
equalizer and overtime winner in last Friday's 2-1 home win against the Niagara
IceDogs.
To make sure that's not an anomaly, Poirier plans to find ice wherever he can get it
during his holiday break at home in Mountain.
“For me, it's just about playing around,” Poirier, who went into the break with six goals
and 10 points across 32 games. “Hopefully I'll be able to go on the pond and just be
relaxing, playing hockey and being carefree ... I just want to have some fun with the
game and hopefully that will get my mindset back to where I am putting pucks in the
net.
“I want to show the first half didn't reflect my whole skill set,” the 5-foot-11, 191-pound
Poirier added. “I want to prove some people wrong and put the puck in the net and put
up some points.”
Poirier's stat line belies his value to Battalion head coach Stan Butler, who also included
him on Canada's under-18 team for the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Poirier's
intangibles were well-illustrated by him playing his way on to the roster at the selection
camp before filling an unsung role for a gold medal-winning Team Canada.
“At the Ivan Hlinka, he basically was a perfect 13 forward,” Butler said. “He never
complained, he could play a couple positions. It went well for him.”
Butler added that Poirier is taking one for the team by being the No. 3 centre.
Zach Poirier hopes being an offensive force awakened last week is a hint at what's to
come.“I think he's a right winger but we're playing him at centre, because we're so thin
at centre. In fairness to Zach, that has hurt him in the sense that he's probably playing
out of position. Overall, Zach is doing fine – he's killing penalties, he's doing good
things.”
For Poirier, wearing the Maple Leaf in a tournament chock-full of NHL draft prospects
has helped him set the bar personally. It also tapped into his team-first attitude.
th
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“I was kind of like a motivational guy and whenever injuries popped up I would take a
spot,” he said. “When you're in that role you have to be really positive. You can't let your
team get down.
“Getting to be there gave me a lot of motivation, knowing there are opportunities out
there like the world junior,” Poirier added. “Right now, it's about just moving forward
with North Bay.”
Presently, that involves being part of a North Bay team that is now younger than it was
in September due to injuries and trades for the future. Fortunately for all concerned,
Poirier's minor midget season two winters ago with the Upper Canada Cyclones, was an
exercise is helping a team punch above its weight. His progress that season led to the
Battalion taking him No. 14 overall in the OHL priority selection draft.
“It was one day I think I saw a light go on with Zach when we talked about the fact that
he was a leader, and he was looked up as a leader of the team,” recalled Gregg
Kennedy, Poirier's midger coach. “Not just in production, but in what he said and how
he carried himself. I think there was a sense of pride and a sense of responsibility: 'I
need to carry myself accordingly.'
“The playoff series that we had, we took a highly ranked Ottawa 67's team to seven
games and Zach had 17 points. He completely dominated Will Bitten [currently the Flint
Firebirds' leading scorer], because he took it upon himself.”
While he's counting on more goals after Christmas, Poirier also knows what often
counts as much with NHL scouts. So he's happy to fill a need by manning the middle for
a Battalion team that has nine rookies, and could be even younger after the OHL trade
deadline.
“The more flexible you are as a player, the more coachable you can be,” he said. “So I
think it's good that they've got me on centre. It shows he [Butler] thinks he can put me
wherever he needs me. It's good to get that.”
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