There should be no surprise, really.

 

A highly touted player coming out of the Western Hockey League (with now team-mate Shane Doan's Kamloops Blazers), Scottie Upshall has begun to round into form and make people take notice of him. The opposition has all season - both in terms of his Phoenix Coyotes and the 26-year-old Upshall's presence that is allowing him to get into traffic areas and become dangerous more often. 

 

Case in point against the visiting Predators, in which Upshall tied the game 2-2 at 4:02 of the third period. With an admirable and infectious enthusiasm, he sealed the win with his second and third of the game (his first career hat-trick, a 'natural', video here) over his original NHL club Thursday night. When asked in the post-game press conference to comment on Upshall's goal-scoring, coach Dave Tippett chided, "I enjoyed watching it, very nice... 'Uppy' gave us that spark tonight."

 

Upshall was traded early in 2007 to the Predators as part of the package of draft picks and prospects that landed Peter Forsberg in Nashville. A serious knee injury derailed Upshall's budding career in 2003 (happening against his current club, the Phoenix Coyotes). Nashville sought the quick franchise fix of bringing in the Hall-of-Fame-bound Forsberg to solidify the lineup and sell tickets. Philadelphia jumped, hauling in key prospects Upshall and Ryan Parent with two draft choices (later helping to secure Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen's negotiating rights via trade). With the Flyers up against the cap, Philadelphia swapped their 2011 second-round draft pick and Upshall for tough-guy Dan Carcillo.

 

With a fire and dedication that has not been smothered but overshadowed on the Flyers, Upshall has blossomed at times with opportunity in the deserts of Phoenix, Arizona. Credit the Coyotes for bringing in character and shipping out some quality players to build a team that can spell respect. Faceoffs were addressed by trading disruptor Olli Jokinen for Matthew Lombardi. Free agents fortified the lineup when the over-taxed kids (read: Kyle Turris, Viktor Tikhonov, Jonas Ahnelov, Mikkel Boedker, etc.) were sent to the minors to develop out of the spotlight, creating a closer-knit group, and the spectacular goaltending of Ilya Bryzgalovhas produced a Western Conference contender. Upshall has taken the initiative to thrive under these conditions, using his size and forechecking to cause havoc; while displaying the offensive acumen that drives team through the playoffs with secondary scoring.

 

Consistency has been an issue for Upshall, a native of Fort McMurray, Alberta, in terms of scoring but no one has ever had a concern about his desire. Just finding the right fit was imperative and it seems that the structure brought in by Tippett and his staff has allowed Upshall to focus. Though he has been playing well on a grinding line sometimes with Lauri Korpikoski, the former 6th overall selection of the Predators has shown that his skills set can mesh with elite offensive players such as Doan and Ed Jovanovski, while complimenting support players such as Lombardi and key Coyote, Martin Hanzal.

 

Upshall is a competitor that is starting to see his confidence ascend as his play rises to the occasion. His four game-winning goals leads the team, as do his 17 markers, only one of which was scored on the powerplay. What Upshall brings to a line is opportunity on every shift, no matter who he is playing with. Heating up for the stretch drive (13 points in his last 12 games), the Coyotes sit in the playoff picture at fourth in the conference; they would do well to ride Upshall's influence.

 

He is certainly comfortable in the desert. "It's your building and you have to take advantage of the comfort of sleeping in your own bed and coming to the rink ready to play," Upshall commented on 22 December 2009 in the Ottawa Sun. "It's important that we stick to having great starts at home." Making $1.5M against the cap and providing the punch that he does, Upshall is making a case for being one of the most valuable players for Phoenix to re-sign. The Coyotes would do well to make sure that he remains in the desert and contributes to a team that can make a lot of noise, now and in the future.

 

 

22 January 2010

 

Robin Keith Thompson

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

Ottawa Sun article 22Dec 2009

http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?id=57983 - Upshall hat-trick

http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/gamevideo.htm?id=2009020752 - game video index including Tippett interview

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