With the Winterhawks and the hottest player in major-junior

The first thing that crosses your mind when you see Portland Winterhawks’ left wing Brendan Leipsic in street clothes is that there must be some mistake.

This is one of the Western Hockey League’s most physical players? A guy that hits anything that moves?

It is, proving once again that it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

Leipsic is generously listed at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, huge by Marty Standish standards (Standish was 5-6, maybe 5-7) but perhaps too small for the NHL, where big, bruising defensemen roam the ice like great white sharks, their eyes getting big when they see a diminutive winger with his head down.

Forget all that.

This kid is fearless. He’s stronger than he looks, he’s always one of the fastest players in the ice, and he’s blessed with an NHL-caliber scoring touch.

After putting up 58 points in his 17-year-old season, leaving bruise marks in virtually every enemy arena, Leipsic is absolutely tearing it up right now on offense.

He’s riding a 16-game point streak (17-22-39 during that span) on a line that includes Nic Petan and Ty Rattie. He is the WHL’s No. 4 scorer (20-25-45) and he’s on pace to bag 50 goals.

A third-round NHL pick last year by the Nashville Predators, Leipsic is making the argument that he might be more than just “a checker with some offensive upside’’ in The Show.

Meanwhile, the Hawks – ranked No. 2 in all of major-junior this week – are sizzling, too.

Portland has won seven straight games, 19 of its last 20, and carries a 12-game home ice streak into Friday’s Tri-City game.

The size thing? Leipsic, just named the WHL’s Player of the Month, has heard similar comments for virtually all of his hockey life, from the time he was 12 years old in Winnipeg, playing like a guy who would later be described as “a pit bull on skates’’ because of his aggressiveness and his tenacity.

“I bet there’s concerns about that, but I really don’t care about that stuff. I think I can make it to the NHL and that’s all that really matters,’’ Leipsic said of the “size issue’’ after the first-place Hawks (23-4-1-0) had finished practice at the MC.

Travis Green, the team’s head coach during Mike Johnston’s controversial year-long suspension, spent 14-plus years in the NHL and he thinks Leipsic can make it.

“Oh, I think so for sure,’’ said Green. “I mean, there’s guys that are his size in the NHL. The one thing that they all have common is their will, and their compete, and their drive. … to be that size you have to have a lot of different attributes, different characteristics and he definitely has that part of the game.’’

Rattie, a St. Louis NHL pick who is one of the Winterhawks’ all-time scoring leaders, said he hasn’t seen many WHL players go on the tear Leipsic is on. He’s in the kind of zone where everything that comes off his stick looks like a goal.

“It’s rare,’’ said Rattie. “He’s going good right now. Confidence is a huge part of the game of hockey and he’s got a lot of it.’’

Hockey players can be as superstitious as other athletes, and Leipsic has made sure to keep the same pre-game routine during his point streak.

His dad’s in on this, too. Greg Leipsic sends his son the exact same text message before every game, (“Have a great game!’’) and doesn’t dare change it.

Greg Leipsic, who was at practice Thursday, said he can’t remember Brendan being in this kind of zone before.

“Maybe when he was about 9 or 10 years old. I don’t recall a streak like this, and we’ve watched every game. … he’s playing with two great players, and that’s obviously helping him big-time.’’

Those who follow the team closely have noticed a difference in Brendan Leipsic.

He isn’t trying to be overly physical and he’s using more of his offensive talents.

That is no accident. Johnston sat Leipsic down after he came back from a concussion and told him he had to make some changes. “Mike called me into his office,’’ said Leipsic.

Let Green explain. “(Brendan’s) a physical guy, but he’s got to pick his spots better. He can’t take on the world every game. And I think he’s done a good job of that. He still gets a lot of hits a game but it’s not living and dying by the sword any more. He’s kind of picking his spots. He brings so much to the table that he can’t just be worried about getting hits.’’

Green thinks Leipsic might have hurt his chances to be selected for Canada’s World Juniors team by trying to be a tough guy.

Leipsic wasn’t invited to the selection camp – kind of a burn considering he’s one of the WHL’s top players - and he can use that as motivation.

“It’s a good way to put fuel to the fire,’’ said Rattie. “Show people they were wrong. Play like you belong there.’’

The Leipsic offensive explosion this season doesn’t surprise the Hawks’ coaching staff.

“He’s got high, high-end skill,’’ said Green. “I think over the last couple years, he was such an aggressive player before. He wowed people with his hunger, his drive, his hitting, and I think they overlooked his skill. Maybe it was because we had some really high-end guys that played in front of him.’’

Maybe no one expected 20 goals in his first 25 games, but the Hawks’ brass expected a lot of them. “We knew that this year would be a year where he should be able to break out offensively because his role would get bigger on our team,’’ said Green. “Give him credit, he prepared hard all summer and worked hard and he’s taken the ball and run with it.’’

Said Rattie, “people know that he has a physical presence and he’s not scared of anybody. But obviously focusing a little bit more on his offensive game has done wonders for him.’’

Don’t get the wrong idea. Leipsic will still light people up given half the chance. “The crowd loves it when I get big hits,’’ he said. “I played football growing up (he choose hockey over football in the ninth grade) so I’ve always liked to play physical.’’

Greg Leipsic said Brendan is “even-keeled’’ and not likely to go on Twitter and tell the world how great he is. “He doesn’t get up,’’ said Greg Leipsic, “and he doesn’t get down. I called him (Tuesday night) after he scored four goals (in a 7-5 comeback win over Everett) and he was pretty ho-hum about it. I think he may get that from me, because his mother’s more excitable.’’

Brendan’s mother was a gymnast who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. “She’s the athlete in the family,’’ said Greg Leipsic of his wife, who was Kathleen Finnegan during her time on the Canadian National team.

Asked to describe Brendan’s personality, Green smiles and says, “he’s a pistol. He’s one of those guys, he loves the game, he loves to be in the locker room. He’s a tough guy to play against. In the room he can be a jokester. Very upbeat, very positive. He just brings a sense of .. .don’t know if excitement is the right word, but he’s always upbeat every day. He’s a good player to have around that way.’’

Because he is a smallish player and Hawks' fans love him, comparisons to one of the most popular Hawks of all time, Standish, are in order. Standish was a beloved right wing and all-time Portland fan favorite. (

on Standish's retirement)

“I don’t know Marty, but I’ve heard that,’’ said Green. “They both played with a lot of drive, a lot of energy. It’s hard not to like a guy a lot when he competes hard and I think as a coach and as a teammate the first thing you ask from a guy is leave it on the ice and bring everything you have. And if you do that you’re never really going to be too mad at a player. They’re going to make mistakes and if it’s honest mistakes you can live with that. If it’s lack of effort well then, most coaches and even teammates will have a problem with that.’’

“I’ve been told our games are similar,’’ said Leipsic. “I’ve never seen (Standish) play but I’ve heard of him.’’

Leipsic said he wants to use his 18-year-old season to prove the doubters wrong, and to improve his skill set so the NHL exects in Nashville sit up and take notice. “Just getting bigger and stronger. Keep playing smart like I am. I’m gonna have to play an energy role in the NHL and hopefully contribute offensively,’’ he says of what he needs to improve.

“Getting faster. The NHL has the fastest guys in the world and I don’t think you can be too good a skater playing hockey. Some of the little things, being better defensively, getting on the penalty kill more often is something I’d like to do also.’’

Notes:

Can Portland rally around the WHL penalties? “Absolutely,’’ said Leipsic. “Mike would give up anything to be behind the bench right now. We all know that. But I think we’ve got a great team here right now and obviously we can use it as motivation. Get in the Finals and show the league that this didn’t really affect the players, that we can block out all the distractions and battle through anything.’’ … is he upset that Johnston’s reputation has been tarnished by the WHL? “I don’t think it will hurt his reputation at all, to be honest,’’ said Leipsic. “I think everybody knows how great a coach he is, and how great of a leader and general manager. He’s a great guy. Ever since I came to Portland he’s worked with me and made me the player that I am today. … I owe a lot to these guys (Johnston, Green, Kyle Gustafson) for getting me where I am right now.’’

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Paul Buker