Malcolm Genge wants to see how he stacks up in a hockey environment where the pace is quicker than anything he’s seen at home.
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He believes he found that in the Maritime Hockey League as a rookie with the Pictou County Weeks Crushers based out of New Glasgow, N. S.
Genge, a 17-year-old native of Anchor Point, could have played his third and final season with the Western Kings of the Newfoundland and Labrador major midget hockey league, but he felt the timing was right for him to see if he could hold his own in a higher brand of hockey.
“It’s just at a higher level and it’s going make me develop to get to a better hockey player and a better young man I guess,” Genge said while travelling to New Glasgow earlier this week.
Genge admits it’s going to take a few games to adjust to the quick pace, but he believes he’s fitting in nicely with his new teammates and likes how the team is looking in the early going.
The six-foot-two, 230-pound defenceman is a physical presence on the ice and he’s one of the bigger defenders among the 12 guys listed on the Crushers 2018-2019 roster.
Genge is a steady stay-at-home defenceman who takes pride in making life miserable for opposing forwards, but he’s a smooth skater who doesn’t mind being an offensive threat with long rushes up the ice when there is an opening.
“Take care of my own end first and jump in on the play when it comes,” he said.
He’s excited about getting his first game under his belt with the season opener scheduled for Sept. 13 and he’s happy to have a familiar face join him on the journey as former Kings teammate Brayden Ryan is also suiting up with the Crushers this year.
“My main goal is to do the best I can to help the team win games, and support the team in any decisions they make,” he said.
