ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The experience he gained in a playoff run last season that culminated with a Western Hockey League championship for Giorgio Estephan should help the Newfoundland Growlers’ forward in his first professional post-season appearance that starts tonight.
The expansion Growlers are set to clash with the Brampton Beast in their first-ever ECHL Kelly Cup playoff series, a best-of-seven North Division semifinal that opens 7 o’clock tonight at Mile One Centre.
Newfoundland (43-21-8) is the top seed in the North. Brampton (36-29-7) is seeded fourth.
Last season, the 22-year-old Estephan helped the Swift Current Broncos win the WHL championship and advance to the Memorial Cup.
Estephan, who hails from Edmonton, was a key trade-deadline addition by the Broncos from the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
While Swift Current came up short in the Memorial Cup (the Broncos lost all three of their games), the squad put it together in the WHL playoffs, winning the first- and second-round playoff series which both went the full seven games, and finishing things off with a pair of series wins, which needed six games apiece.
“We had some tough games where we had to dig deeper and work harder,” Estephan said of last year’s junior playoffs, following a Growlers’ Thursday morning skate. “For sure, there were a lot of things I learned last spring, and that experience is definitely going to help me this season.
“Once you’ve been through it, you learn how to play physical, learn how to play with speed, how to play when you’re down a goal or up a goal. Things are different in the playoffs, so I think I can take a lot out of last year’s championship and apply it to this season.
“Playoffs,” he continued, “are a tough time, which means everyone has to dig down. It gets a lot more tougher, a lot grittier, especially in this league compared to the WHL. Guys are older, bigger and faster. You have to get past all that and be mentally strong for yourself and your teammates to be able to come back the next night.”
Over five seasons in the WHL, all in Lethbridge with the exception of his stint in Swift Current last year, Estephan averaged exactly a point-per-game through the regular season and playoffs (376 points in 376 games).
He didn’t skip a beat at the start of his first season of pro hockey, scoring nine goals and assisting on nine others through 16 games, resulting in a callup to the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies (drafted in 2015 in the sixth round by the Buffalo Sabres, Estephan never did sign with Buffalo, instead agreeing to an AHL contract with the Marlies following his junior career).
His quick start this season helped land him a spot in the ECHL’s All-Star Classic in Toledo, Ohio.
However, Estephan tapered off in the second half of the season, managing only two goals in his final 22 games.
In the last two games of the regular season, last Saturday and Sunday in Worcester, Mass. and Portland Me., Estephan registered four points (1-3).
“Once you’ve been through it, you learn how to play physical, learn how to play with speed, how to play when you’re down a goal or up a goal. Things are different in the playoffs, so I think I can take a lot out of last year’s championship and apply it to this season." — Giorgio Estephan
“I don’t want to look at numbers and all that,” said Growlers coach John Snowden. “I want to see a compete level, and the opportunities he’s getting.
“He’s competing really hard, he’s getting himself into good areas to get good scoring chances. We’re happy in those departments. He’s generating chances right now.”
The Growlers’ recorded 43 wins during the regular season, third-most in the ECHL, and were stellar at Mile One with 24-10-2 record.
Newfoundland was third in the ECHL with 3.58 goals per game, and fifth in the goals against department, allowing 2.88 per game.
Estephan was fifth in team scoring with 20 goals and 31 assists in 69 games. Zach O’Brien, who was named to the ECHL’s second all-star team and received the league’s Sportsmanship Award, led Newfoundland with 28 goals and 40 assists in 50 games.
“Every player is looking for that,” Snowden said of Estephan’s four-point weekend last weekend. “You know how it is, it’s a snowball effect. You get one point, you get two, and then it’s three.
“I think that opportunity allowed him to start building his game moving into the playoffs. I think it was good for him and good for us. When Gio’s going real well, we’re going real well as a group."
North Division semifinal schedule
Game 1, 7 p.m., today, at Mile One Centre
Game 2, 7 p.m., Saturday, at Mile One Centre
Game 3, 7:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday, at Brampton
Game 4, 7:15 p.m. EDT Thursday, at Brampton
Game 5, 4 p.m. EDT Saturday, April 20, at Brampton (if necessary)
Game 6, 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at Mile One Centre (if necessary)
Game 7, 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, at Mile One Centre (if necessary)
Playoff rosters
Newfoundland Growlers
20-player active roster
- Eric Levine, G; Michael Garteig, G
- Ilya Nekolenko, D; Sam Jardine, D; Adam Pardy, D; Garrett Johnston, D; Alex Gudbranson, D; Evan Neugold, D; James Melindy, D
- Marcus Power, F; J.J. Piccinich, F; Matt Bradley, F; Todd Skirving, F; Zach O'Brien, F; Brady Ferguson, F; Josh Kestner, F; Derian Plouffe, F; Giorgio Estephan, F; Scott Pooley, F; Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, F
Reserve List
- None
Playoff-eligible, but on AHL recall
- Kyle Cumiskey, D; Griffen Molino, F; Hudson Elynuik, F; Kristians Rubins, D; Eamon McAdam, G; Ryan Moore, F; Gabriel Gagne, F
Brampton Beast
20-player active roster
- Jake Paterson, G; Etienne Marcoux, G
- Jake Ringuette, D; Jonathan Racine, D; Jordan Henry, D; Austin McEneny, D; Mike Folkes, D; Chase Golightly, D; Chris Martenet, D
- Aaron Luchuk, F; Daniel Ciampini F; Anthony Beauregard, F; Nathan Todd, F; David Vallorani, F; David Pacan, F; Dan Leavens, F; Jackson Leef, F; Artur Tyanulin, F; Boston Leier, F; Francois Beauchemin, F
Reserve List
- Bo Pieper, F; Brandon Marino, F
Playoff-eligible, but on AHL recall
- Matt Petgrave, D
