DAY 2 of Circle K Classic: Edge powered by stars Luke Huska, Ashton McCann

Just like pretty much every kid at the Circle K Classic, Edge School star Luke Huska is dreaming of one day playing in the big leagues.

But — ideally — with a tiny caveat.

“I don’t know if I want to play for my dad,” said the son of Ryan Huska, head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. “He might be tough on me.”

“Honestly …” chipped in Ashton McCann, young Huska’s Edge teammate. “I’d love to play for his dad.”

Given how Huska and McCann are trending in hockey, that could well happen for the two Edge talents.

Both are players to watch at the Circle K Classic, teaming up so far to set the school’s under-18 prep squad off on the right foot — with a 2-0 start — at the annual holiday tournament.

And their next steps seem solid, too, with both pencilled in to be future teammates of the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos.

“Yeah … that would be OK — he’s an alright guy,” said Huska, with a wry smile, of McCann. “You know … I like him a little bit. So it should be fun playing with him in Swift Current.”

“I agree — I think it’d be lots of fun,” added McCann, just moments after scoring three goals in the Edge’s Day 1 5-3 win over South Dakota’s Sioux Falls Power at 7 Chiefs Sportsplex. “I think Luke and I have a little bit of chemistry together, and I think we can really use that in the future.”

Related

What to watch on Day 3

See Monday’s Day 3 schedule for game times and locations …

• A morning match could decide the winner of Pool 4 after both the Northern Alberta Xtreme — a pre-tourney contender for this year’s title — and B.C.’s Cariboo Cougars square off.
• In the Pool of Death — Pool 2 — the co-host Calgary Buffaloes meet B.C.’s Rink Kelowna likely to decide which side earns the top spot of that division in what amounts to a key early afternoon affair.
• Same goes for the right to advance from atop Pool 7, when the co-host Calgary UPP Flames face off against B.C.’s Thompson Blazers in a late-afternoon contest.
• And the game of the day goes Monday night with the St. Albert Raiders to play Huska, McCann and explosive Edge in pivotal Pool 6 action at 7 Chiefs (6:45 p.m.).

What about Huska, McCann & Edge?

The chemistry is, indeed, evident with Huska and McCann — the two top scorers of Edge in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

In their opening contest Saturday, McCann zipped home three goals, including the game-winning one-timer on a pretty power-play pass from Huska.

Huska also helped put the locals on the board with a smart little pass out of crease traffic to teammate Remy Koch for the game’s first goal against the Power.

And each added an assist in Sunday’s Day 2 morning win — 5-2 — over Saskatchewan’s Warman Wildcats at Max Bell Centre.

“Primarily, I’m more of a passer and he’s more of a shooter,” said Huska, with the CSSHL season’s stats — a team-high 15 goals for McCann and an Edge-best 21 assists for Huska — bearing that out. “Our games kind of work well together, I think.”

“I think we both make plays,” agreed McCann. “We both can put the puck in the net make the plays.

“And I think, for sure, we can take that to the next level,” continued McCann. “Obviously, it’s gonna be a little harder with less time to space stuff like that in juniors. But I think your true self shines through, whatever level you’re at.”

Edge head coach Adam Stuart, in his first year as lead man of the U18 prep squad, believes they will shine together in Swift Current.

In particular, he’s seen McCann blossom into a top talent after being a late bantam draft pick — 10th round, in fact — by the Broncos.

“Ashton is a cool story,” said Stuart, of the 16-year-old. “He’s signed with Swift Current — not a lot of 10th rounders do that. And he’s already got games with them under his belt, so he’ll be playing with them next year. And now, he is heating up — I think he’s fifth in (CSSHL) scoring.

“And Luke is a very smart centreman — his dad probably helps him with that. He’s a very intelligent player. You can see it from the bench — he’s always thinking two or three steps ahead of everybody and puts the puck into good areas for guys.

“So those are kind of our two offensive drivers.”

But it’s not just Huska, 15, and McCann clicking for Edge.

The coach loves the depth of his team — Charlie Toban and Eric Wagman each collected three points in Sunday’s triumph — and considers goaltender Carsten Leyerzaph, from Breda, Netherlands, the best of the sports school league.

“I joke around with our staff that we’re kind of like the ’04 Flames,” Stuart said. “We have a really good goalie like (Miikka) Kiprusoff, we have kind of an Iggy type (in McCann), Luke is a very creative cerebral passer — maybe like a Craig Conroy — and after that, it’s by committee.

“We have some other guys who are kind of flying under the radar that are really good 200-foot players,” continued Stuart. “We are a four-line, hard-working team. We genuinely need all 20 guys to buy in or it’s going to be tough for us.”

So far, so good for Edge, who are proving to be a contender for the title at this year’s Circle K Classic.

They came into the tourney with an 11-6-3 record from CSSHL action and a second-best rating among sport school teams by highly respected MYHockeyRankings.com.

“We’re here to win,” Stuart said. “I think every team here is excited because (reigning two-time champ) Shattuck-St. Mary’s isn’t here, so it’s a year that anybody can win.”

“For sure we can win it — I really like our team,” agreed Huska. “We played some of the top teams that are in this tournament, and we’ve won. We beat them. We had some tight games, so I really like our chances.”

“Yeah … I completely agree,” added McCann. “I think it’s anybody’s tournament. I mean … it’s whoever can string seven games together. And we can do that.”

Sunday’s Day 2 results

Morning

Sioux Falls Power 1, St. Albert Raiders 6
Vancouver NE Chiefs 3, South Alberta Hockey Academy 2
Warman Wildcats 2, Edge School 5
Calgary Northstars 3, Lake Forest Academy 4

Afternoon

Okotoks Bowmark Oilers v. Chicago Mission
Thompson Blazers v. Phoenix Jr. Coyotes
CIHA vs. Okanagan Rockets
Calgary UPP Flames v. OHA Edmonton

Late afternoon

Team Maryland v. Cariboo Cougars
Red Deer Chiefs v. Prairie Hockey Academy
Calgary Royals v. Northern Alberta Xtreme
Edmonton Jr. Oilers Blue v. St. Louis Blues

Evening

Rink Kelowna v. Team Illinois
Fort Saskatchewan Rangers v. Shawnigan Lake School
Calgary Buffaloes v. Moose Jaw Warriors
Regina Pat Canadians v. Burnaby Winter Club

Monday’s Day 3 schedule

Morning

Prairie Hockey Academy v. St. Louis Blues, Max Bell 2, 10 a.m.
Northern Alberta Xtreme v. Cariboo Cougars, 7 Chiefs 2, 10 a.m.
Edmonton Jr. Oilers Blue v. Red Deer Chiefs, Max Bell 1, 10:30 a.m.
Team Maryland v. Calgary Royals, 7 Chiefs 1, 10:30 a.m.

Afternoon

Shawnigan Lake School v. Burnaby Winter Club, Max Bell 2, 12:45 p.m.
Moose Jaw Warriors v. Team Illinois, 7 Chiefs 2, 12:45 p.m.
Regina Pat Canadians v. Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, Max Bell 1, 1:15 p.m.
Rink Kelowna v. Calgary Buffaloes, 7 Chiefs 1, 1:15 p.m.

Late afternoon

OHA Edmonton v. Phoenix Jr. Coyotes, Max Bell 2, 3:30 p.m.
Okotoks Bowmark Oilers v. CIHA, 7 Chiefs 2, 3:30 p.m.
Thompson Blazers v. Calgary UPP Flames, Max Bell 1, 4 p.m.
Chicago Mission v. Okanagan Rockets, 7 Chiefs 1, 4 p.m.

Evening

South Alberta Hockey Academy v. Lake Forest Academy, Max Bell 2, 6:15 p.m.
Sioux Falls Power v. Warman Wildcats, 7 Chiefs 2, 6:15 p.m.
Vancouver NE Chiefs v. Calgary Northstars, Max Bell 1, 6:45 p.m.
St. Albert Raiders v. Edge School, 7 Chiefs 1, 6:45 p.m.

tsaelhof@postmedia.com

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