Raiders’ Big 3 ready to take next step

When the Prince Albert Raiders selected three players in the first two rounds of the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft, they knew they had the franchise's future pillars.

Defenceman Brendan Guhle was selected third overall,  goaltender Nick McBride at the 23rd overall position, and forward Matteo Gennaro was 41st overall.

“When we were looking at that draft class, and after we took a defenceman early in the draft, we were adamant about taking a goalie with our second pick,” said Raiders general manager Bruno Campese in a statement. “When it came to the third pick, the top player we had ranked, regardless of position, was Gennaro.”

“Looking back we were very fortunate to have been able to select very talented players all at different positions that will form the foundation of our team moving forward.”

All three had strong rookie showings in the WHL debut season, as the Raiders were the only team in the Eastern Conference to have three 16-year-old players suit up for the 2014 WHL Playoffs.

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McBride posted a 12-7-1-1 record in net, with a 2.95 goals against average and .908 save percentage, including a 6-1 record in the month of March, and winning the tiebreaker game to push the Raiders into a playoff spot.

“The team brought me in really well. I felt I had a good year and had the opportunity at the end of the year to really show what I could do,” said McBride in a statement.

Guhle appeared in 51 games for the green and gold, recording 10 assists and saving his best for last, scoring his first WHL goal in his first playoff game against Edmonton.

Like McBride, Guhle played his best hockey down the stretch, receiving a bigger role when veteran defenceman Graeme Craig was injured.

“I prepared like I never really had before. I wanted to give our team the best chance to make playoffs and I wanted to do well in playoffs. I was given an opportunity when Craig got hurt and saw my chance. It worked out well for me.”

Gennaro burst onto the scene with two goals and two assists in his first three games in the league, including being named the first star in his first game at the Art Hauser Centre. He went on to finish the season with five goals and 10 assists in 60 games.

“I have been training quite a bit, I have been going to my facility five times a week,” said Gennaro in a statement. “I feel like [my training program] helps me become quicker with my speed while adding to my strength. I get on the ice once a week as well to keep my skills sharp, so I feel I will be coming into camp quite prepared.”

When it comes to goals for their second season, the three share similar sentiments of expanding their roles on the team and helping produce another playoff berth.

“My next step is to taking the majority of the workload. My goal is to win as many games as I can for the team,” McBride said about having the chance to take over as the starting goaltender for the Raiders, in a statement.

While Guhle hopes he can imitate his late season success in the new season, he said “I’m just going to keep doing what I was doing at the end last year and give one hundred percent every practice. I really hope to make playoffs, so that’s my biggest goal.”

“I have lots of goals for myself this year. I am going to try my best to produce as much as I can offensively and be an important go-to guy for PA this year,” said Gennaro about his chance to move up in the lineup this season, in a statement.

Whatever challenges and pressures the new season may bring, the three are grateful to be able to go through it together.

“We always see each other and are around each other in class and stuff,” McBride said in a statement. “We know what each other are going through and we think the same, so it’s really nice.”

Gennaro relished the opportunity to have two other guys going through the same experience, something that is rare in the WHL.

“It was really helpful. There were lots of time where you go through the rough times or walls in your season. It was nice to have those two with me, it’s easy to relate with them about it.”

“It’s awesome, we are all different positions so we all contribute at different parts of the ice,” added Guhle on the dynamic they developed. “We all get along well and are very excited for this year.”

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