Print
Email Story
James Gasseau is always on the lookout for quality hockey players, even when they are playing against his team.
Austin Mayton of Richland caught Gasseau's eye at the Pacific District tournament in Seattle when Gasseau's L.A. Selects faced Mayton's West Coast Kent Valley Elite team.
Mayton's play impressed Gasseau enough to earn him an invitation to play for the Nike-Bauer Western Selects 96 in a pair of upcoming tournaments.
"I keep my eyes open on players at that level," said Gasseau, whose L.A. team won the district tournament and won the bronze medal at the national tournament. "We just don't see those teams that often. It was the first time I had seen Austin play. There were some good players at the district tournament, and Austin was one of them. It will be a good experience for him to play with kids from different areas. I think Austin will have a good time."
Mayton's first tournament with the Western Selects starts Thursday and runs through May 3 at the Pro Hockey Spring Shootout in Toronto. He will follow that up with a trip to Chicago for the Nike-Bauer Regional from May 29-31.
Mayton, 13, is a seventh-grader at Chief Joseph Middle School. This last season with his Kent team, the 5-foot-8, 130-pound crafty forward averaged a goal a game (no official stats were kept, according to coach Mike Anderson). He skated on a line with Dylan Gambrell of Kent, who also was invited to play for the Western Selects.
"He is a great all-around player and can dominate a game with his size," Anderson said of Mayton. "He is a physical kid and he did a great job of getting noticed by L.A. at district. We are happy for him and Dylan."
The Maytons are on the hook for the tournament fee of $595, which covers the cost of the jersey, socks, team jacket and hat. On top of that, they also will have to pay all of their own travel expenses, which the family is happy to pay.
"My wife (Christine) and I and my in-laws (Ned and Mary Anne Hutchins) are very proud of Austin and we are more excited about this than he shows," said Austin's dad, Kevin. "We are very much behind his hockey career. The travel and money are not a concern. He's very talented, and if this is his dream, we will support him."
Gasseau knows the tournaments can be a financial drain, and many of the invitations are declined.
"We send invitations out and try to include players from all over," Gasseau said. "We try to make it a true West team. Some can't afford it, some kids just need time off, and we understand that."
The players for the Western Selects will meet in Toronto, then later Chicago. There will be no practice time before the tournaments because of the distance between players and the expense of trying to get them together.
"Once they come together, it doesn't take them long to get used to each other," Gasseau said. "They are good tournaments and we will have the opportunity to play against high-level European teams. It will be a good experience for all of them."
The tournaments also will be an opportunity for the players to showcase their talents. They may be 13 years old, but 2010 will be their draft year for the Western Hockey League, which has taken a shine to the California market.
"For years, California has been doing very well with the WHL," Gasseau said. "The last two years, they come in the spring for an evaluation camp and they have drafted players. This season some '96s (players born in 1996) will get a look, and next fall will be a bigger year for them.
"It goes fast, but they are entering a time when the WHL is an option, as is college. I think Austin could get a look next year. He plays hard, has skill and he was the leader on that (Kent) team."
Mayton will return to Kent in the fall to play for the West Coast bantam team, and has hopes of catching the attention of a WHL team.
"That's one of my goals. That and the NHL," said the quiet teen, who lets his play speak for him. "I'm a good passer, I have a good shot, I understand the game and I skate pretty good."
