Reece Vitelli. (Mark Peterson Media)

By Jeff D’Andrea

Raiders Hockey

Playoff experience is rare nowadays, but Raiders overagers have plenty

Apr 21, 2022 | 11:55 AM

They may be the defending WHL champions, but the Prince Albert Raiders are heading into the post-season with almost none of their team having playoff experience. It is kind of hard to play in the post-season when there isn’t one, which has been case for the last two seasons due to obvious reasons.

But the Raiders still boast a pair of guys with ample experience in their overagers; captain Reece Vitelli and assistant captain Remy Aquilon.

Vitelli has the most experience, as he went to the finals in his rookie season with the Everett Silvertips in the 2018 playoffs. Vitelli played in 22 playoff games then, and another 10 the following year.

Vitelli’s overage partner in Remy Aquilon also has some playoff experience. He played 15 games with the Victoria Royals, 10 in 2018 and another five in 2019. Ozzy Wiesblatt was of course a part of the 2019 WHL Championship, but he has been shutdown due to injury.

Like the Raiders have done all season, they will lean on Vitelli to share his experience and knowledge to the rest of the team. Vitelli said the trick to succeeding in the playoffs is to embrace the intensity of the playoffs while still keeping keen attention to detail.

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“Whenever you get a chance to play in the playoffs, it’s always fun. I know there’s a lot of guys on our team that haven’t, so I’m just excited for them to get that experience,” Vitelli said. “Playoffs is a whole new ballgame. Every single play matters, every play you make can change the game, for the good or the bad.”

Although the rest of the Raiders’ team have yet to officially play a post-season hockey game at the Western Hockey League level, they kind of have. The Raiders put it upon themselves to get into playoff mode for the past 18 games, something that Raider forward Carson Latimer said could help the team this series.

“We’ve had the playoff mindset here for the past 18 games. We’ve been playing well structurally and playing as a team, and that’s how we’re going to be successful. I think that mindset we’ve had in the last little bit is going to help us in the playoffs.”

Games 1 and 2 will be in Winnipeg on Friday and Saturday at the Wayne Fleming Arena, with Games 3 and 4 being played at the Art Hauser Centre. Regardless of where the games are, Vitelli will have tons of people cheering for him. Vitelli hails from Winnipeg, and will have a good section of family and friends there to support him.

“It’s cool to play the playoffs in your hometown. I’ll have a lot of friends and family to play in front of. It should be really fun.”

Catch all of the action on CKBI with voice of the Raiders Rob Mahon. All games in Winnipeg will start at 6 p.m. Saskatchewan time, with all Raider home games starting at 7 p.m.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW