Did you know?
• Camas’ Trevor Cheek, who turns 18 in December, is a rookie forward for the WHL’s Calgary Hitman. He has one assist through five games.
• Brian Cheek, Trevor’s dad, was an assistant coach with the Fort Vancouver Pioneers. Trevor practiced with the Pioneers as a 14-year-old while playing with the Tri-City Junior Americans on weekends.
• The WHL had 43 players selected in June’s NHL Draft, including eight Winterhawks.
PORTLAND — Trevor Cheek wasn’t about to look up.
As he skated off the Memorial Coliseum ice on Wednesday at the end of the Calgary Hitmen’s 5-1 win over the Portland Winterhawks, the 17-year-old from Camas kept his skates moving and his gaze straight ahead.
Yes, the rookie Hitman heard the shouts of support from 90 or so friends and family.
Did you know?
• Camas' Trevor Cheek, who turns 18 in December, is a rookie forward for the WHL's Calgary Hitman. He has one assist through five games.
• Brian Cheek, Trevor's dad, was an assistant coach with the Fort Vancouver Pioneers. Trevor practiced with the Pioneers as a 14-year-old while playing with the Tri-City Junior Americans on weekends.
• The WHL had 43 players selected in June's NHL Draft, including eight Winterhawks.
“I didn’t want to flaunt it in front of everyone,” Cheek said, “but it was nice to hear them all the whole game.”
Wednesday’s game was Cheek’s fifth in the Western Hockey League, and the only time this season that his Hitmen will visit Portland. It wasn’t just another game.
Of course, for a rookie in the league that is a premier platform for players with National Hockey League dreams, there is no such thing as a routine game.
The only American on the defending WHL champion Hitmen, Cheek has already experienced the spotlight of media and fans in Calgary who are curious about the power forward.
“It’s as little nerve-racking,” Cheek said. “They let you know when you’re not doing well. I’m still trying to win over the fans.”
A versatile 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward, Cheek has no goals and one assist through five games. His best scoring chances on Wednesday came on a deflected shot on the power play, and a couple of shots from the high slot. He is playing on the third-line, and seeing some time on the power play.
Mike Williamson, the former Winterhawks defenseman and coach who is in his second season as the head coach in Calgary, believes Cheek has all the ingredients to become an impact player. For that to happen, Cheek will need to play at top speed every time he’s on the ice.
“Trevor’s got an incredible kill set,” Williamson said. “He’s got a big frame. He skates well. He’s got good vision, soft hands and a big-time shot.
“The sky’s the limit with him.”
Williamson paused after that statement to caution that pinning the word “potential” upon a young player can become a burden if a player doesn’t quickly start to show progress toward his and his team’s expectations.
“It’s a big jump from where he was to the Western Hockey League,” Williamson said. “He’s still adjusting. He’s got to really work at learning to play at a higher pace, and move his feet and do those little things.
“If he’s able to do that, he could be a premier player in this league in the next year, but he’s got to work on that.”
It is the kind of challenge Cheek has faced before. Two winters ago, as a 15-year-old, he joined the P.F. Chang’s traveling team in Phoenix, Ariz. Last season, he played for P.F. Chang’s under-18 team, starting the season on the fourth line and finishing as its top scorer.
Hockey is in Cheek’s blood. His grandfather Dennis — who was among the 90-or-so supporters at the Coliseum on Wednesday — played alongside some of Quebec’s hockey legends. Though Dennis Cheek never made the NHL, he was active in establishing a hockey base in the Los Angeles area.
To take this shot at a hockey career, Trevor gave up baseball. He was selected to The Columbian’s All-Region baseball team as a Camas sophomore. He did not play for the Papermakers as they advanced to the state finals last spring, remaining in Arizona to train with his hockey coaches.
Prior to last season, Cheek participated in the Winterhawks training camp. But Portland’s roster is loaded with 1992-born forwards, so Cheek returned to Phoenix. Calgary general manager Kelly Kisio saw Cheek play for P.F. Changs and recruited him.
The pace of the game in the WHL was the first thing Cheek noticed when he arrived at Calgary’s training camp.
“When I get the puck in the offensive zone, I’m used to being able to hold onto it and maybe make one more move before I shoot it,” Cheek said. “Here, you’ve got to shoot it right away or make a pass, make a play a lot quicker than I’m used to.”
Cheek is, of course, eager to score his first WHL goal. It would have been extra special had it happened on Wednesday against the Winterhawks. But perhaps it will come this week as the Hitmen make stops at Everett, Seattle, Tri-Cities and Spokane — games his family will attend.
“It’s probably the happiest I’ll ever be after a win with no points,” Cheek joked after Wednesday’s game. “The win felt great.”
If that first goal doesn’t happen in the state of Washington, perhaps it will come before the rabid Calgary fans.
“The home opener in the Saddledome was pretty crazy,” Cheek said. Playing in front of all those (9,200) fans, and seeing how passionate they are for the team. It’s pretty nuts.”
The 90 or so Trevor Cheek fans at Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday did their best to make themselves heard. Cheek appreciated the support, but he wasn’t about to look up into the stands. As he headed off the ice, he kept his skates moving and his eyes forward — which he understands is the only way he’ll meet the high expectations of fans, coaches and himself.
