When prospect Clarke Caswell joined Western Hockey League Swift Current (SK) after attending Kraken training camp in September, the 18-year-old was named captain. He fashions himself as a leader by example and the concept worked well in his first five games back as the Broncos reeled off a four-game win streak with the 18-year-old team notching a goal and seven assists during the span.
“For me, leading by example means you work the hardest on and off the ice,” said Caswell, who has 11 teammates who are aged 19 or 20. “I think it’s about the detail stuff – working on my nutrition, stretching after practice, doing activation beforehand. Just about rubbing off on the other guys in the room to create a getting-better attitude. Hopefully, it rubs off.”
So far that looks the be the case. Swift Current is 10-4 with Caswell wearing the “C,” good for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
“We're just a bunch of guys who have a family culture,” said Caswell. “Nobody thinks they're above each other. Everybody's kind of the same plain. We all want to play the same way, which has helped late in games, shutting down wins. Nobody's looking to get the extra goal. Our end goal is to win games and be ourselves every day.”
Over the last six weeks, Caswell has pushed out of his comfort zone to be more vocal: “Being a little bit quieter guy, when I do speak up, a lot of guys listen. I try to use that to my advantage and make sure what I'm saying is positive and guys need to listen to it.”
‘Very Poised and Hockey IQ Off the Charts’
Swift Current’s play-by-play radio announcer and community relations manager, Gino De Paoli, spends a lot of time with the team. He confirms Caswell is the player who initiates “rollouts [stretches] and cool-downs” that all of his younger teammates now perform.
“I saw Clarke play a lot the last two years [at age 16 and 17],” said De Paoli, who spent the last two seasons as the voice of WHL Medicine Hat. “He was clearly a good player [leading scorer last season with 26 goals and 51 assists for 77 points in 68 games, producing a point-per-game average in nine playoff games]. But he’s a different player now, higher level, especially after returning from Kraken camp. Very poised and his hockey IQ is off the charts. He’s a pass-first guy, that’s why Luke [Mistelbacher] is on an 11-game point streak with Clarke feeding him for one-timers. But lately, Clarke’s getting off that good shot of his too.”
To wit, Caswell scored the game-winning goal in a 4-2 victory last Saturday over Regina after setting up the over-ager, undrafted Mistelbacher for the game’s opening goal in the second of back-to-back games. In the past weekend’s Friday night road matchup at Lethbridge (AB), the Kraken 2024 fifth-rounder posted a five-point night with two goals and five assists in a 9-4 win. He is currently second in the WHL with 19 assists and ranks in the top 10 (tied with others for fifth-most) with his five goals making it 24 points in 14 games.
Caswell aligns with the description of playing with more poise: “Just being more confident with the puck and playing a bit more physical. Some guys in this league back down a little if they know they're gonna get hit. I am leaning in on my physicality and obviously being able to compete against guys like [Jamie] Oleksiak and [Brandon] Montour in camp. You feel more confident against a 6-foot-3 guy in the WHL.”
Caswell said his head coach, Taras McEwen and his staff have urged the young captain to shoot more: “That's one of the bigger areas I want to work on, getting more shots on the net even if it's not a great look, just trying to find a hole.”
More In-Season Objectives
Along with shooting more and closing out team victories as the first-line center who plays on top power play and penalty-kill units, Caswell exudes a pro mindset with his intention to gain strength during the season, take care of his body with proper nutrition, and improve his explosiveness and speed as a skater.
“The biggest thing for me with my skating is a lot of off-ice work, getting bigger physically, having more calorie intake, and adding workouts with heavy lifts in my gym routine this year,” said Caswell. “I am striving to be stronger physically at the end of the year than I was coming in. If I get that leg power going, my explosiveness, straight-line speed, crossovers, all that will come. With my dedication, it should get there soon ... I want to utilize that in games, being able to push defenders back, playing with more pace and speed.”
Making His Own Impression
During Kraken camp and the 2024 Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles, Caswell earned the trust of the Seattle and Coachella Valley coaching staffs, plus scouts confirmed the Manitoba native was consistently in the right spots in all zones. He is showing why Kraken GM Ron Francis traded sixth and seventh-round picks to Florida to move up and select the 5-foot-11, 170-pound center in the fifth round of this past summer’s NHL draft.
When drafted, it was understandable that media members pointed out that Caswell and Seattle’s first-round pick, Berkly Catton, befriended each other during springtime youth hockey. Currently, the two pals are high among top WHL scorers with Caswell ahead of his buddy by a couple of points entering weekend play.
