Lucas Punkari
It’s been an interesting journey in the world of junior hockey for Emo native Jameson Shortreed of late.
But after being away from Rainy River District for the last year or so, the 19-year-old goalie is back where he started—returning to his roots to ply his trade with the Fort Frances Lakers.
“It’s certainly nice to be at home instead of being shipped around all over the place,” Shortreed noted.
“When you go to somewhere that is new, you don’t know the town or the guys all that well and it takes a while to settle back down,” he explained.
“Being back home and knowing some of the guys that are here in the roster is a good thing, and it’s something that is very comfortable to help settle in.”
Having started his junior hockey career with the Lakers from 2009-11, where he earned the SIJHL’s goalie- and rookie-of-the-year honours for the 2009-10 campaign, Shortreed moved to Alexandria, Minn. to play for the Alexandria Blizzard of the NAHL.
Compiling a 7-5-2-1 record and a 3.14 GAA in his first season, Shortreed was set to return to the Blizzard this year, who had moved to Brookings, S.D.
“I had made the team down in Brookings, but they ended up bringing in four goalies and they weren’t sure what they were going to do at that point,” he recalled.
“So I ended up getting traded to the Drumheller Dragons in the AJHL, and the team got off to a pretty rocky start.
“I was let go after they brought in two goalies from the WHL,” added Shortreed, who sported a 3.97 GAA in five games for the Dragons.
With Shortreed suddenly on the market, Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan made a deal for the netminder last Wednesday, with the Dragons receiving a player development fee in exchange for his rights.
“We’ve always kept an eye on Jameson after he left our program and went to Alexandria last year, and we knew that he was playing in Drumheller this year,” Strachan noted.
“The opportunity came last week to get his playing rights and we spoke with both Jameson and the Dragons to make it happen, and we were pleased to get a goalie that is familiar with us and the league,” he added.
“I just figured I might as well be back home,” Shortreed reasoned.
“I’m familiar with Wayne and all of the coaches here, and they always put forth a good program so I’m excited to be back,” he enthused.
Shortreed made his debut in the Lakers’ lineup last Thursday night at the Ice For Kids Arena, turning aside 35 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Iron Rangers.
“If what he did tonight [Thursday] is any indication, I think we are in good hands here,” Strachan said after the game.
“And I see a pretty good battle between Jameson and Tanner [Hamilton] for the number-one position.
“What we want to see out of him is some leadership, as he is in his fourth year in junior hockey, and we just need him to be Jameson Shortreed,” Strachan added.
“I don’t think he needs to think that he has to carry the team on his back or be the guy that we need to look for to have success.
“We just want him to play his game,” he stressed.
With Shortreed joining forces with a second-year netminder in Hamilton, who won the SIJHL’s player-of-the-week award earlier this month, the Lakers now have a talented tandem between the pipes that arguably can steal a game on any given night.
“I think it’s going to be a good battle between us,” Shortreed said.
“We can be the best 1-2 tandem in the league with no matter who’s going in there,” he noted.
“And we are also a solid team in the back end, which is something we can build off of going forward.”
After a successful return to the Lakers’ lineup, Shortreed is hoping to build off of his strong start for the rest of the campaign, especially after his adventurous start to the 2012/13 season.
“I just want to play my game and continue to do what I do best,” he remarked.
“I didn’t have the best start in Alberta, and I kind of got away from that, so I just need to stay focused and not stray away from what I do best,” he stressed.
