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Josh Filmon’s family legacy carries some body weight on the provincial basketball scene.
His dad, Gregg, and uncle, David, have been both equally all-star hoopsters for the duration of their university professions in the 1980s and ’90s.
3 decades previously, grandfather Gary (of course, the former premier of Manitoba) was section of 3 consecutive provincial high university championship teams at Sisler Significant College.
Class OF ‘22
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Prospect: left-winger Josh Filmon
Hometown: Winnipeg
Measurables: 6-2, 160 pounds
2021-22 crew: Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
WHL Potential customers Draft: Selected 67th overall in 2019
NHL Central Scouting: Rated 38th amid North American skaters (up from 51st at mid-time)
Quotable: “I’m not likely to Montreal (for the NHL Draft),” claimed Filmon. “My system is to continue to be below with my family and my close mates. I assume I’ll try out and make that day as as soothing and worry-free of charge as probable.”
Inexplicably, Josh is not a basketball man. Not even near.
Hockey has been the 18-calendar year-previous Winnipegger’s sport of decision for the previous ten years or so, and that is a superior detail, too. Clean from his very first comprehensive year with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, Filmon’s constant increase in stature as a professional prospect is anticipated to end result in his range early on the next day of next week’s NHL Draft in Montreal.
Following scoring 23 plans and 45 factors in 67 games with the Broncos in 2021-22, the lanky Filmon was rated 38th amongst North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Becoming named upon to log huge minutes for a non-playoff crew was a obstacle.
“That is section of the splendor of participating in in Swift is we ended up suitable in the middle of a rebuild,” reported Filmon before this 7 days. “We type of experienced our main of young men from my draft course arrive in this calendar year and form of began the new generation of Swift Latest Broncos. I think I was fortuitous in that situation than I possibly got much more possibility that it’s possible I would have, say if I experienced absent to Winnipeg or Kamloops or Edmonton.”
Swift Recent is brimming with youthful talent and Filmon is component of that amazing mix.
The Broncos could have as many as 7 gamers drafted next week with defencemen Owen Pickering and Rayan Bettahar, forwards Filmon, Josh Davies, Connor Hvidston and Mathew Ward and goaltender Reid Dyck all ranked by Central Scouting.
Swift Existing head coach Devan Praught predicted continual advancement from Filmon dependent on a credible start out in the Regina hub a year previously and Filmon shipped. Now, Praught’s eager to see what he can accomplish when he’s extra physically mature player — even though at 6-2, he scarcely guidelines the scales at 160 pounds.
“He receives rewarded when he will get to individuals rough places mainly because his skill set takes in excess of — he has some separation velocity, he’s a terrific skater and as he obtained much better, his shot genuinely became a menace as properly applying his decrease entire body far more in his release,” said Praught, who strategies to shift Filmon from left wing to centre in 2022-23. “I indicate, we seriously come to feel we’re just scratching the surface with him.”
As a WHL rookie, Filmon dressed for 17 online games and scored 2 times.
“I imagine the most effective way to master is from accomplishing it and failing,” reported Filmon. “That was the wonderful piece about enjoying my 17 video games in the course of the COVID season (in 2020-21) — we weren’t a wonderful staff standings-smart and we were being seriously young, but we just got to understand from undertaking it.”
During the off-year, he tested himself through routines at the Rink Coaching Centre from fellow WHLers these types of as Pickering, Denton Mateychuk, Carson Lambos, Conor Geekie, Eric Alarie and Conner Roulette and his self esteem was increasing when the common year began.
“I’d say each individual quarter of the year I variety of felt myself receiving extra relaxed, taking on larger roles and participating in versus bigger, superior players,” mentioned Filmon. “The draft is just sort of a snapshot of wherever this age team is now and realistically there’s not much too lots of men in this draft class — or in any draft course basically — that are ready to play in the NHL the following 12 months. It’s a lot more of like two, three or for some fellas, a four-yr strategy.”
Even so, hockey doesn’t take in Filmon’s off-season. This summer season, he’s taking part in shortstop 5 or 6 occasions a week for the identical Winnipeg South Wolves U18 baseball group he assisted to a provincial championship a yr in the past.
His oldest brother, Adam, was an outfielder at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. The youngest, Brady, is also a promising hockey participant.
Gregg Filmon, who excelled at point guard for the College of Manitoba Bisons, is wonderful with basketball skipping a technology in his loved ones.
“My (more mature) boys truly have a physique for basketball and volleyball,” claimed Gregg, who operates an expense administration corporation as president of Worth Associates Investments. “They both equally have lengthy arms, extensive legs, (leap) perfectly and operate properly. So they definitely could have been basketball and volleyball guys, but in Canada, when you are participating in elite hockey from the time you’re 7, 8 many years aged, (when) courtroom sporting activities seriously commence up, you are kind of 5 yrs into it presently down the path for hockey. I believe it is just that basic.”
Gregg and his spouse Leanna, who also has a potent athletic qualifications, have generally encouraged participation in sports.
“We truly feel as a spouse and children really strongly about the youngsters taking part in numerous sports,” said Gregg. “We’re hardly ever heading to explain to them what to do. They liked hockey, beloved baseball and (Josh) loves golfing, and they’ll enjoy anything. So it’s all fantastic.”
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @sawa14