Wort returns Lean and Mean and with a Purpose

September 5th, 2020
North Saanich, B.C.

The 2019/20 season was a fantastic one for the Peninsula Panthers.  They were in 1st place for most of the season and then dispatched the Westshore Wolves in five games in their 1st Round Best-of-7 series.  While involved in Round 2 with their most heated rival Victoria Cougars, the Worldwide Pandemic hit and hit with a vengeance and on March 11, 2020 the clock abruptly stopped ticking.  The season was over and the World shut down.  2020 will be the year that we will all want to forget - but never will.  It will be a talking point for as long as we are all on this planet. 

Twenty-year-old forward Tanner Wort was one of the Panthers caught completely off guard last March as he was in the midst of his best season of hockey in his career.  Wort was voted the VIJHL MVP, albeit, linemates Josh Lingard and Riley Braun also received some votes around the League.  And the skilled sniper with the softest hands in the VIJHL went on an offensive tear from start to finish and ran away with the Top Scorer Award in the League.  And Wort along with his two linemates were all named to the VIJHL All-Star Team and dominated in a game against the Pacific Junior Hockey League back last January.

This time around Wort is back and looking for the one award that has eluded him since he was signed by the Panthers as a wide-eyed 17-year-old, a League Championship and a trip to the Cyclone Taylor Championship Tournament.  He reported to camp in the best shape of his life after physically working hard in the Construction Industry in Kelowna this past summer.

"Last year was an amazing year for our team, I think we really developed as a group and found that winning mentality within our room," explained Wort.

 "Having such a successful season last year has brought me a good level of confidence and I feel as if it will help me moving forward this season.  We have the group of guys to do it all, the mentality is to end the year with title.  Being able to play with Lingard and Braun again is a dream come true, they are the best linemates I could imagine having. The chemistry we have created over the past 4-5 years is next level and it can only get better this upcoming season.  I’ve been at camp for 3 weeks now and I have seen lots of skill from the young guys we have out there, things are looking bright for the future.  Although the season will look a little different this year due to the pandemic, I am grateful that we have the chance to play. I've been counting down the sleeps to the first puck drop."

"I have always got a real kick out of Worty," explained GM Pete Zubersky.  "He is a smart kid both on and off the ice.  He seems to have things figured out and I have thought that since I met him five years ago.  He has so much talent and I have never seen a player who loves to score as much as he does.  But the one play that says the most to me happened a couple of years ago in a playoff game against the Campbell River Storm right here at the Panorama.  We were winning the game by a goal late and they had the puck in our end pressing for the equalizer.  Their net was empty and they were putting on the pressure.  The puck went back to the right point and the defenceman wound up to blast the puck.  Wort was playing the left side and dove in front of the shot sending it into the neutral zone and giving us the win.  Scoring feels good.  Taking a slapshot on the foot or anywhere for that matter does not.  But the best feeling, better than any other feeling in the game, is the feeling that a team gets when they win together and that night he willed us to a win.  Wort wants to win and we have a number of veterans in our room that want to win.  I think the new guys we have brought in do as well and that is going to make for a great season."

Head Coach Brad Tippett had his own thought of the left winger.  "When Tanner first came to the Panthers his ability to score was never in doubt. He is one of those hockey ghosts who knows just when to arrive in the right spot at the right time. Opponents know who he is and that they should be covering him. Somehow he goes invisible and then just appears in position to finish off another goal. He did that when he came up as an AP and has just kept doing it –and he does it at very crucial times in the game. Many of his goals come in the last few minutes of the game.
 
What I am most proud of with Tanner is he has become a 200 foot player. He has learned how to check and has developed into a good penalty-killer. Riley Braun and Tanner both decided to master the way professional players take the puck on the wall. It sets them apart from the majority of players and makes them dependable in crucial situations. It is rare that one of your top scorers is also one of your best shot blockers. His commitment to get himself in top physical shape says a lot about his commitment."