"Bluelines" is written by Ranjan Rupal, the play-by-play voice, and Greg Theberge, a former Memorial Cup winner and Washington Capitals defenseman and hockey analyst for The OHL Tonight on CogecoTV.
Reliable. Dependable. Accountable.
These are the three words used by CogecoTV hockey analyst Greg Theberge to describe rugged North Bay Battalion right winger Mathew Santos.
In a season where headlines have been dominated by Mike Amadio and Cam Dineen, the fact that Santos is putting up career numbers has flown beneath the radar.
But there it is. With 18 goals and 29 assists in 45 games heading into tonight’s game against the Ottawa 67’s, Santos has emerged as the team’s second leading scorer, and is on a heady pace to eclipse 70 points, this despite a glacial start to the season in which he recorded a couple of assists over his first seven games. Put into perspective, achieving the 70-point plateau would have made Santos the team’s leading scorer on the memorable 2013-14 club, four points ahead of the revered Barclay Goodrow.
But putting aside all scientific calculators, the real value of Santos to this year’s club is in the intangibles. As Theberge pointed out: his reliability, dependability and accountability. They’ve always been Santos’ trademarks. The fact that he’s scoring in bunches is much needed gravy for a young club, and one need only look at his goal against Niagara on Saturday night to understand that Santos’ game has reached new heights: no panic, plenty of patience and a lethal finish.
“The speed and strength of his skating has greatly improved, along with his shot, and release point, which are really above OHL standards right now,” commented Theberge. “He was always a good player without the puck, and now his hockey IQ has really improved so we’re seeing his offensive creativity with the puck.”
Santos takes his recent success in stride.
“I’m definitely happy about the offensive side of things this year, it was something I worked on in the summer and I’m glad that it’s coming through this year,” he said.
His contributions are not lost on the people who know him best, like the team’s offensive coach John Dean.
“This year he’s bringing production, and I know he’ll be happy to hear me say that,” remarked Dean. “There’s a lot of skill there that people don’t realize. Everyone knows he’s a workhorse, his work ethic’s great. As a coach, he’s fun to be around in the room, and other guys enjoy being around him. He’s a character kid.”
Up until this season, Santos was known primarily for mucking and grinding, for being able to establish a relentless cycle down low, and for popping unsuspecting defensemen with an occasional quick shoulder. As part of the famed Jarvis-Lewis-Santos energy line during the Bobby Orr Trophy-winning season, it would have been easy to permanently typecast him as a valuable role player, while leaving offensive responsibilities to up and comers like Brett McKenzie and Zach Poirier. But having spent some time around the club, you’d often hear whispers that Santos possessed a pair of slick mitts, and that his time was coming.
“When you compete the way he does, good things are going to happen,” explained Dean. “People forget, and we tell the young guys around here that Mathew Santos played 3rd and 4th line for two years before he finally got this opportunity, and he’s made the most of it. So it’s nice to show the young guys that here’s a guy who’s worked his butt off his whole career, and now he’s reaping the rewards.”
Predictably Santos remains modest when asked if he felt the weight of expectations of being a role model for future generations of Battalion players.
“I am honoured that the coaching staff feels that way about me,” said Santos. “I remember when I was a rookie, I looked up to the older guys and now I’m happy that I could be that guy that the younger Troops look up to.”
