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Sports Oakville Beaver By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2010 31 Strong rookie OHL season has Alderson getting noticed Taking that next step will be up to Alderson, according to MacQueen. "He has the potential to be a pretty dominant playWhen Brandon Alderson arrived for his second er," the coach said. "He's got a really good shot and he's Ontario Hockey League training camp last fall, Sarnia got great speed coming off the wing. The knock on him Sting coach and general manager Dave MacQueen was consistency. It can't be a case where he wows you admits the Oakville native wasn't one of the players he with his speed one night and you need a program to was counting on to help rebuild the team. find him the next." "I remembered him," MacQueen said, "but not to Alderson has improved in that regard. He scored the the point where I thought he was going game-winning goal -- breaking a thirdto play for us or have the potential to be "He has all the tools period tie in a 3-2 win over Erie -- in a pro. But it was evident he was bigger to be a pro. There is just his second OHL game. In fact, he and faster." scored three game winners in his first considerable interest Even Alderson wasn't counting on 10 contests, but was held without a suiting up for the Sting. He was still in him. Where he goes point in the other seven. planning on playing for the Oakville is up to him." In contrast, he had points in seven of Blades and hoping to attract NCAA 11 of Sarnia's games in December, liftscholarship offers. But he felt far more Sarnia Sting coach/GM ing his season totals to 10 goals and comfortable than he did in his first Dave MacQueen seven assists. training camp and impressed the coachBut the consistency MacQueen wants ing staff with his skating ability. to see is not stat related. Rather, it's seeing Alderson use "Coming in under the radar helped," Alderson said. his 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame more to his advantage. "I didn't put any pressure on myself." "We don't expect him to fight, but we want him to Instead of playing junior with the Blades last season play a little more physical. He's got to go into the hard -- save for one game in which he had a goal and an areas a little more consistently." assist -- he played major midget, helping the Oakville MacQueen said he has tried to bring Alderson along Rangers come within one win of the Ontario Hockey slowly, playing him in situations where he could succeed Federation championship. before elevating him to one of the Sting's top two lines. But when the 17-year-old returned to Sarnia for the Alderson said those first two months helped him second time, he met with MacQueen, who asked adjust to the speed of the game as well as learn the finer Alderson what he wanted to do in life. points of defensive hockey, something that wasn't as "Ultimately, I want to be a hockey player," he told much of his game in midget. the coach. "You're used to being top dog (in minor hockey), MacQueen convinced Alderson that Sarnia was the but overall awareness is a big issue on how you play," best place to achieve that goal. And four months later, Alderson said. "(Associate coach) Greg Walters told me, it's hard to argue with the decision. `You have to make us want to play you.'" Alderson is ranked 167th among North American MacQueen said continuing to build strength over skaters for this year's NHL draft. While that certainly the coming summer will be critical to Alderson's develdoesn't guarantee that he'll hear his name called out in opment as will the ability to deliver on a game-to-game June in Los Angeles, making the OHL was no sure and even shift-by-shift basis. thing either. Selected in the sixth round by Sarnia, he "He has all the tools to be a pro," he said. "There is is one of only five of the 20 players taken in that round considerable interest in him. Where he goes is up to to crack an OHL lineup. him." PHOTO COURTESY METCALFE PHOTOGRAPHY / SARNIA STING CREATING A BUZZ: Sarnia Sting forward Brandon Alderson has surprised his coaches with his play as a rookie in the Ontario Hockey League. Professional scouts have also been impressed, ranking him 167th among North American skaters for this year's NHL draft.