As the Mission City Outlaws return to the ice for the 2024/2025 season, growth is the goal for new head coach Derek Doucette.
The current version of the Outlaws is young with 11 rookies on the roster. The team doesn’t have any 20-year-old players, compared to the top teams who have as many as seven.
“My expectation is just teaching them – having them grow individually and as a team – grow one per cent every practice and have that little bit of an improvement because they are so young, and there's a lot of kids that never played junior hockey before,” Doucette said.
The Outlaws' head coach highlighted forward Cooper Crowe as a player to watch for a breakout this season.
In over 80 games in the PJHL, Crowe has tallied 18 goals and 20 assists – including nine goals for the Outlaws last season.
“He's likely our most skilled player as a forward and he has a desire to play … BC Hockey League or WHL and he has the skill set – he just needs to improve on the defensive side of the puck,” Doucette said.
To succeed, Doucette says the Outlaws will need to play as a unit with a structured gameplan and a focus on detail.
“We don't have a real offensively skilled team. Our team is one where the whole needs to be greater than the sum of the parts,” he said.
As the Outlaws match up against bigger, stronger and more skilled teams, Doucette worries about the confidence of his young players.
The defending champion Ridge Meadows Flames downed the Outlaws 14-2 at Mission Leisure Centre in the season opener on Sept. 7.
The Flames had 10 players record multiple points in the contest with Owen Nutland’s four goals and one assist leading the way. The Outlaws were overwhelmed with shots throughout the evening, with the Flames firing 68 on goal to Mission’s 18.
“That can really hurt a young player's confidence. Just having to be on the ice shift after shift and having bigger, stronger, more talented, skilled players just come at you and you're constantly just trying to defend, and your sole goal is to get off the ice before the other team scores the goal – that's tough. That's tough on the players' confidence,” Doucette said.
Mission got on the scoreboard with a goal from Sam Takahashi on an assist from Peter Butler in the second period and Colton Collard added another for Mission in the third period with Rylan Elson providing the helper.
Samuel Snyder started between the pipes for Mission and faced 35 shots before Carter Greenway subbed in during the second period and faced 33 shots for the remainder of the game.
In the next game, the Outlaws outshot the Langley Trappers in the first period but conceded a pair of goals just 10 seconds apart to trail 2-0 heading into the second.
Despite goals from Liam Van Der Hoeven and Daniel Schmidt, Mission fell to Langley 7-2.
The Outlaws returned to Mission Leisure Centre on Saturday (Sept. 14) for a match-up with the Port Coquitlam Trailblazers.
The Trailblazers opened the scoring near the seven minute mark but an unassisted goal from Tyson Segarty provided a quick reply for Mission.
Schmidt buried his second of the year on the power play later in the period to provide the Outlaws with their first lead of the season.
However, Derek Leroux evened the score three minutes later and Lucas Baxter pushed Port Coquitlam back in front with another goal before the buzzer sounded for the end of the first.
A four-goal second period from the Trailblazers would ensure a 7-4 victory, despite third period goals from Ashton Holbech and Van Der Hoeven for Mission.
The Outlaws will have a rematch with the Langley Trappers at Mission Leisure Centre on Saturday (Sept. 21) at 6:45 p.m.
