Yorkton Harvest alumni Damon Severson has blossomed into an elite two-way defenceman with the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Hockey League.
The 6-foot-2, 198-pounder has taken huge strides in his game in his third season with the Rockets this year, racking up eight goals, 44 points, and 64 penalty minutes throughout 60 contests.
"My confidence is up right now," says Severson, who was drafted 60th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2012 NHL entry draft. "I'm not rushing plays and have some patience with the puck. My teammates also have made things easier for me. They have been playing great and finishing a lot of plays."
"We are really happy with how Damon has panned out," adds Kelowna general manager Bruce Hamilton. "He makes an impact at both ends of the ice and has been one of our best players."
Severson's uncanny success has somewhat been a surprise. Neither the 18 year old nor the Rockets could have predicted his steep development arc after Kelowna drafted him 192nd overall in the 2009 WHL bantam draft.
"Back when I was drafted, I didn't really know what to expect," says Severson. "I just knew I had to work hard to get anywhere in hockey. And that is what I've done. But I couldn't have expected to be a second-round pick and putting the points up that I am with the Rockets."
"With your late-round picks in the draft, it is hard to tell where they'll go in hockey. We got a steal in Damon," notes Hamilton.
The Rockets general manager went on to add that Severson was drafted late in the draft partially because he wasn't playing in Saskatchewan's AA bantam league.
"A lot of teams missed him because he wasn't playing on a AA team," he says. "Our scouting staff seen him and his size really got our attention."
Following the bantam draft, Severson suited up for the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League's Harvest, potting nine goals and 34 points in 44 games in 2009-10. The Melville, Sask., native credits the strong development program in Yorkton to his current success in the Dub.
"The coaches helped me grow a lot in my year with the Harvest," says Severson. "I worked on my skating and just keeping my game simple. I had a lot of fun in Yorkton. It was nice to play on a AAA team close to home."
With the Rockets sitting atop the B.C. Division in the WHL's Western Conference with a 42-15-3-1 record, Severson hopes he can help lead his squad to an Ed Chynoweth Cup.
"We've really been clicking lately," says Severson. "Our team has come together and have been scoring a lot of goals. I definitely think we can win it all. We have what it takes."
Hamilton also believes the Rockets can make it to the MasterCard Memorial Cup, which is held in Saskatoon. But he knows it's a long way to the top in major junior puck.
"We got a lot of teams to go through, but we think we have a really good team," he says. "We have a great group of guys and our goal is always to win. We will have to be at our best to beat a team like the (first-place) Portland Winterhawks, though."
Knowing it will be tough to make the Devils as a 19 year old, Severson has his sights set on suiting up for Team Canada in the world junior championship if returns to Kelowna for a fourth season.
"A big goal is to make Team Canada if I'm not in the NHL," says Severson. "It would be a dream come true. So if I'm in Kelowna, I'm going to work hard to get off to a good start and try to get Hockey Canada to notice me."
