By Jeff D'Andrea

Captain Curt reflects on the Raiders’ first 10 games

Oct 19, 2017 | 3:00 PM

According to Prince Albert Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid, Curtis Miske showed leadership the day he was acquired in a trade from the Spokane Chiefs on Jan. 2.  

Miske was named as the 41^st captain in Raiders history as a result heading into this season on Sept. 5 and will end his WHL career wearing the ‘C’ with the green and gold.

Although Miske has been counted on to lead and help an otherwise young roster, that doesn’t mean he isn’t growing himself. For Miske, this is the first time he’s been captain since his peewee and bantam days and is settling into the role.

“I think it’s good. I’ve got a lot of good resources to help me out with teammates and coaches,” Miske said. “For me, I’ve never been a captain in this league before. It’s just a learning process but I’m really excited to do it.”

One of the biggest adjustments Miske had to deal with are the added responsibilities captains assume. It hasn’t necessarily affect his point total, as Miske has eight points in the Raiders first 10 games of the season. He’s spent most of it on the second line, on the left wing beside fellow 20-year-old Devon Skoleski and veteran Sean Montgomery.

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“It’s good. It’s a little bit of added pressure but it’s a little on the mental side,” Miske said. “It’s definitely an honour. I’m happy to be out there and I think I’m developing as a leader.

“I think it’s just more knowing of what situations to speak up and when to hold guys accountable and things like that, but also when to keep it positive and show encouragement.”

When asked to evaluate the Raiders’ first 10 games of the season in which his team went 3-4-3, Miske is rightly focused on the last four games. All three of the Raiders’ overtime defeats came in that stretch, which is leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

“We’re hanging in there in every game, but those three overtime losses kind of hurt us a bit,” Miske said. “We need those extra points. But I mean, we’re doing a lot of good things. We just need to work out our kinks, but it’s looking good for us.”

The Raiders have not played their biggest rivals, the Saskatoon Blades yet in the season. Their first match up will be on Saturday at the Art Hauser Centre. This is the longest the Raiders and Blades have had to wait to play each other since the 2007-08 level, when they didn’t meet until Nov. 23.

“It’s got to be good,” Miske said. “We’re coming off a tough schedule, with four [games] in five [nights] but we’ve got a couple days [of] rest. Division games are always important to take those two points so we really need it.”

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW