Taylor Hall says Flames fans are going to like what they see in former Windsor teammate Greg Nemisz.
PENTICTON B.C. -- They had the time of their young lives together, winning back-to-back Memorial Cups and etching their names into junior hockey history. It was the kind of teenage hockey run that will bring Cam Fowler, Greg Nemisz and Taylor Hall back for reunions ‘til they’re old and grey.
The fork in the road has arrived, however, for the three Windsor Spitfires. This week they found themselves spread all over the South Okanagan Events Centre, each with a dressing room stall but in separate rooms spread out across two arenas.
And the distance between will only grow over these next few weeks, as the trio head to NHL camps in Anaheim, Calgary and Edmonton with the very real possibility that each will begin his professional career this fall, leaving junior hockey and the Spits in the rearview mirror for good.
“We had a great junior run there, but all of us are excited to take the next step,” said Nemisz, a Calgary first-rounder in 2008 (25th overall) who is eligible now to turn pro. The rangy centre everyone calls Nemo is likely slated for a roster spot in Abbotsford, B.C.
“It’s an interesting process,” said Fowler, the big, skilled D-man selected 12th overall by Anaheim this June. “When you play with somebody, you form a bond with them. Next thing you know, you’re competing against each other, both trying to reach your goal, make your dream come true of playing in the NHL.
“If me and Nemo meet up in a corner, we’re definitely going to battle it out.”
More likely however, is that Fowler and Hall will be the ones meeting up in a corner at Rexall Place or the Honda Center in Anaheim.
As 18-year-olds, neither is eligible for minor pro this season. Hall is certain to stick with the rebuilding Edmonton Oilers, while Fowler, who makes an awfully nice depth defenceman on the Ducks blue-line with a $900,000 entry-level base salary, has an excellent chance of making the NHL in his first try.
As for Nemisz, he’s on his own at Calgary’s camp this weekend, no longer surrounded by the best collection of junior teammates in the country.
It happens to every player who leaves the nest. We know how good the team was in Windsor -- now we find out about each individual.
“You’re playing with men now, on a day-to-day basis. It’s bigger, stronger, faster,” Nemisz said before his rookie Flames and the Vancouver Canucks closed out the inaugural Young Stars rookie tournament here in the Okanagan. “And I think we’re all ready for that. We had four long years in junior, accomplished everything you can. We haven’t had a chance to look back -- we’re all really excited about where we’re headed.”
For Nemisz, turning pro means getting out from under the Hall hype in Windsor. Fans in Calgary are going to want to know what this power forward brings to the table, how he’s going to stand out among a crop of Flames prospects that could stand some fleshing out.
You may not want to hear it from the top prospect of your hated rival, Flames fan, but Hall says you’re going to like this Nemo guy.
“He’s a player who, along with a lot of players on our (Windsor) team, kind of got overshadowed. Some players stole the spotlight and maybe they didn’t get the recognition they deserve,” Hall said. “He was a very deserving first-round selection. You see the way he plays, especially in pressure-packed games. He should be in the NHL in a couple of years.”
“Nemo definitely has a lot to offer,” Fowler said. “But Taylor said it right: We had a lot of superstars on that team. Some of those guys who had that hard-working game like Nemo does, kind of got overshadowed.
“When it comes right down to it though, Nemo is a first-round pick in the NHL. He was huge in our success in Windsor -- he really meant a lot to us. He’ll be able to contribute to Calgary the same way he did for us. Working hard, but mixing a lot of skill in there too.”
If he makes it, and every scout tells you Nemisz has an excellent chance at a long NHL career, he’ll find himself on the other end of another battle -- The Battle of Alberta -- with Hall.
“That’s awesome,” he gushed. “We’re really good friends, but it’s the Battle of Alberta. So we’re going to have to hate each other on the ice.”
Mark Spector is the lead columnist for sportsnet.ca.
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