The offensive might of the Okotoks Bisons has been given a mid-season jolt.
Seeking out the proper work-play balance brought former Calgary Jr. A Canuck Michael Janz from the Max Bell Centre to Murray Arena where he’s quickly found a fit on and off the ice with the Heritage Junior Hockey League squad.
“Going into my 20-year-old year it was a little rocky of a start for the Canucks,” he said. “I made a decision to move forward, to start working full time and move forward for preparing for school next year.”
“(This league) allows a lot of guys to work full time and progress in their personal lives while being able to play competitive hockey.”
Janz, a Calgary Royals minor hockey product, registered 14 goals and 38 points over two full seasons with the Canucks. He opened the 2015-16 campaign with Calgary, under new head coach Jay Pylypuik, with three points in 15 games.
“I have to thank the Canucks for both years I was there and this year as well,” he said. “They really helped me to develop and grow as a player. I’ll be forever thankful for those years and those teammates I got the chance to play with.”
His new teammates aren’t completely new to the Calgarian. Janz listed Aiden Geiger, Spencer Barlow-Lakusta and Mark McLeod as friends of his prior to joining the herd.
“Okotoks was a great fit because it’s close to home for me. It’s a great team and I’ve loved the change,” said Janz, who lives in the South of Calgary. “I have a bunch of friends in this league, especially on the Bisons, so I knew what I was getting into.
“I watched (the Bisons) play before and skated with them in the summer for a little bit.”
Through eight games, the five-foot-eleven centre has six goals and 12 points playing primarily on a line with Geiger and Connor Tudor.
“You want to get a good first impression out there and want to show you can contribute to your team,” Janz said. “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my linemates because they’ve been making it easy for me out there. A lot of easy goals in front of the net.”
Playing an offensive role is a nice change-up from the energy forward status he had in Jr. A.
“With Canucks it was more of a hard-working, veteran leadership role, lead by example with work ethic,” he said. “This new opportunity gives me a chance to be a little more offensive and go for those risky opportunities a little more.”
The offence is a welcome addition to the Okotoks ranks.
Though the Bisons own the second best goals against numbers in the league, the team ranks just sixth in goals for and is void of a player in the top-25 in individual league scoring.
Janz’ 1.5 points-per-game are tops on the team.
“He’s definitely an offensive forward that has some great agility and it allows for him to either be a playmaker or from a finishing standpoint put us on the scoreboard,” said Bisons general manager Jay McFarlane.
“That was a great addition to our offensive threat and he seems to be fitting in nice.”
