Claimed:Irish Eyes Are Smiling

[kincaid 35]

You don't normally think of Ireland as being a hockey hotbed. There hasn't been a professional hockey player from Ireland in over 50 years! There have been only 5 Irish-born players who ever laced them up in the NHL. The most famous was Jim McFadden, who won the Calder Trophy for top rookie in 1948, scoring 100 goals in his career.

 

 Irish Hockey Legend Jim McFadden

 

But the Emerald Isle is back on the hockey map, marginally, at least!

 

Forward Kez Kincaid is a 19 year old out of Dublin, who is playing his first full season in the VHLM league for the Turku Outlaws. He was a waiver wire pickup last season for the powerhouse Bratislava Watchmen, and got his first taste of pro hockey anchoring the fourth line to the eventual championship.

 

 Kincaid in action with Bratislava

 

So how does a young Irish kid find his way onto skates anyway? Kincaid explains:

 

 

When I was a lad, my father did business with a gentleman from Canada. He had built a mini ice rink for his own
children, so they would have a place to play while they were in Ireland. A lot of us from the neighborhood would
go and hang out there rather than go to school, and I found that I really enjoyed it. There aren't many youth
teams in Dublin, but there are a few, and I ended up playing with one of them in an organized league, and I never
really looked back!

 

Kincaid was a top player in the youth league, enough so that when a national under-18 team was put together for an international tournament, he was selected to play for them at the tender age of 17. The team did not fare that well, but he was able to play again the next year, and this time he was the team's leading scorer as they went all the way to the finals, but sadly lost that game and took home the silver medal.

 

 

                                  Kincaid playing for Irish National U18 Team

 

His performance in this tournament was noticed by scouts from the VHLM, and he was invited to join the league. While he was not a featured player for Bratislava, his attitude and desire to win were evident enough that the Cologne Express drafted him 20th overall in the VHL draft. Then, at the VHLM draft, the Turku Outlaws took a chance on him and made him their 16th overall pick.

 

Lacing them up for Turku this season, he has shown much improvement over last year. Playing on the third line, he has been almost a point per game player over the first 15 games. When asked what the difference between this year and last year is, Kez replied:

 

 

"What I got a taste of last year was that this league is a lot tougher than back home, and if I wanted to be
successful I was going to have to work a lot harder. I've really worked with the trainers on improving my
skating and shooting, and I know I have a lot more to improve as the season goes on."

 

 

                                         Kincaid scores his first goal for Turku

 

Whether or not Kincaid makes it to the big show with Cologne is still to be determined, but for now the hopes and dreams of young Irish hockey players all across the country are a little bit brighter, seeing one of their own given the opportunity to make hockey a career.

[NotAVHLM-GM 1,858]

Nice article Hope you will do well Kez

[diamond_ace 3,112]

Hey Kez: Smiles are made with the mouth, not the eyes (and yes, I know the saying, but the saying is wrong)

[Guest Svoboda_3]

Content: 3/3

580 words. This was a nice, quaint article with Irish hockey as the main focus. I thought the flow was excellent and the story was great as well. I really think you have been a nice addition to the Outlaws and I really think that if you continue on this path, creating stuff like this, there is no reason why you can't be successful. You've worked hard when I have seen.

Grammar: 2/2

That was basically it.

 

VHL/VHLM draft = VHL/VHLM Draft

 

Appearance: 1/1

Nothing glamorous, but it gets the job done.

Overall: 6/6

Edited March 23, 2014 by Svoboda_3

[Guest]

Claimed