His birthday could not have come at a worst time of year. Actually there are five other days that might have been a worse scenerio, but the point is that a hockey player born on December 26th feels some pain.
Josh Lingard is considered an 18-year-old in Canada having been born in 2000, however if that date was a mere five days later he would be considered a full year younger. Interestingly enough, fellow Panthers' mate Fraser Auchterlonie's birthday falls on exactly the same day - albeit, he is a year younger - making them a pair of Boxing Day babies.
Lingard had a great 2017/18 season for a 17-year-old rookie, but now he wants to be considered one of the top-end forwards in the VIJHL and he has every tool in his tool box to do just that. He is skilled and fast and is considered a playmaking centre who can also put the puck in the net. He competes hard every shift and plays a 200 ft. game. He is not shy about being involved in battles, is willing to go to the dirty parts of the ice and can score highlight reel or greasy goals due to his skill and courage.
Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations, Brad Tippett on Lingard, "Josh is one of those two-way players who are a dream to coaches because they can dominate in a multitude of areas. He won’t take the league by surprise this year and I’m sure he will see a lot of the opposition’s top defensive centers and their shut down pair of defenseman. As with other players we have discussed, I have tried to draw a comparison to a popular NHL player in terms of style and for Josh it would be Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Black Hawks. He has a quiet demeanor and lets his play speak for itself. However, there were a couple of times last season where the fire inside erupted and he showed a little more “Mark Messier”. He is another one of those guys who is always ready to go. As a coach I sometimes like to play him two short shifts in the first couple of minutes of the game and get him into that “I’m on a mission tonight” mode. Josh is highly skilled and possesses a solid hockey sense."
The 6', 180 lbs. centreman is most likely the only player in the VIJHL to have been born in Johannesburg, South Africa. His family moved to Canada when he was 18 months old and the slick forward now has dual citizenship. He graduated from Stelly's Secondary School in June with Honours and is currently logging hours in the Grocery Department at Thrifty's in Sidney when he is not putting pucks in the net for the Panthers.
"I think I have a good hockey IQ and can read the ice well," said Lingard. "I have confidence in my abilities and want to continue to develop and grow both as a hockey player and as a person. My long-term goal is to play hockey at the highest level I can and possibly earn an NCAA Div.1 scholarship."
As well as being the Top Scorer on the Peninsula Panthers last season, Lingard was also also named as a co-recipient of the Most Sportsmanlike Player Award at the Panthers Awards Dinner at the end of the Regular Season last February. He finished 3rd in VIJHL rookie scoring and was 15th overall on the VIJHL point parade. Lingard was selected and played in the League's 2018 Prospects Game last January in Campbell River.
"Josh was out in Port Alberni at their main camp and by all accounts, was really strong while there," said Pete Zubersky. "Josh and his parents Carla and Eugene sat down this summer with our Head Coach Brad Tippett and me and I thought that we all had a real open and honest conversation over a coffee. We all want the best for Josh and I believe that is a blessing for him to be back with our Club to start the year. He is going to play in the BCHL next season or earlier and he now has to go out and want to be the best player on the ice every single day. He has to be the most committed player in the gym every day. If he stays healthy, great things will happen for him; we all want that outcome. I watched him practice yesterday and he was a man on a mission. When he came off the ice I told him what a great practice he had and he responded as to how much fun he had. This story several years down the road is going to have a great ending."
Josh and his mates will host the Victoria Cougars at 7:30 pm on Friday night in what will be their last tuneup before the Regular season opens the following week. And fans would be well advised to keep a close eye on the Panthers #1 Centre as he races up and down the sheet looking to put pucks in the net.
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