It’s been well over five months since the COVID-19 Pandemic forced the MJHL to shut down in the middle of the post-season with no return in sight.
For Jack Einarson and his Virden Oil Capitals, they were getting set for a pivotal game in their first round playoff series against the Winkler Flyers when it all came to an end. At the time, Virden held a 2-1 series lead and had set themselves up in a great position ahead of game four on home ice.
“It was crazy, we were getting ready to play game four and we got a text from our coach that we had a meeting at the rink right away, so it came to a stop quick that day,” shared Oil Capitals veteran, Jack Einarson. “It was pretty tough being right in middle of playoffs, we had to pack up and go home the next day.”
“I’ve just been working at the golf course, been golfing a lot and going to the gym. I’ve been trying to get back into the gym as much as possible this summer.”
When Einarson returns to the Southwest corner of the province in September, he’ll take to the ice for his fourth full season in the league. It’s something that’s been in the back of his mind since the abrupt ending to last season.
“I’m really excited to get the season going. From the unfortunate end to last year not getting any closure, I’m just excited to get back with the guys to the rink and to get the season going. I’m a really competitive guy when it comes to winning, it’s really great coming to the rink everyday and being with the guys.”
The 20-year-old forward saw another increase in point production last season, hitting the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career. Einarson also earned a spot on the 2020 MJHL | SJHL Showcase roster along with six of his Oil Caps’ teammates.
“I think it’s one hundred percent confidence,” Einarson shared of his personal success last season. “Over the years in Virden I’ve got more comfortable with more minutes in different situations. My confidence has gone up and that helped a lot last season.”
“We’re going to be a good team this year, we have a lot of returning guys so we’re looking to be one of the top teams. I think we’re going to do some interesting things this year. I’ve been looking forward to it all summer,” Einarson concluded.
In his first three seasons with Virden, Einarson and his Oil Capitals made the organizations first trip to the league final in 2017-18 during his rookie campaign, and have since followed that up with two straight trips to the postseason.
