Van De Velde shows Wayway as junior leader

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This article was published 06/02/2011 (5363 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WAYWAYSEECAPPO — Paul Van De Velde’s popularity on the Waywayseecappo First Nation is affirmed in a post-game autograph request from a young female fan.

"Can you sign my face?" the Grade 4 student asked Van De Velde after he scored a goal and an assist last Sunday to help the Waywayseecappo Wolverines defeat the Dauphin Kings5-3 in a Manitoba Junior Hockey League game.

In his final year of junior hockey, Van De Velde is the face of a franchise that is making noise beyond the Wayway reserve. The Wolverines took a seven-game winning streak into last night’s home game against the Winnipeg Saints, and Van De Velde led his team with 62 points after 50 games.

"I had a slow start to the season and it’s been picking up lots with the play of our team, as well as different line combinations," said the former Brandon Wheat King from Mariapolis. "It’s been good for the last couple of months.

"I’m glad to be one of the guys on the team counted on to be offensive now. The last couple of years, I was in more of a grinding role. That’s not really my style, I don’t think. I love being a guy that is looked upon here to produce offence."

Van De Velde, an alternate captain who turned 21 last month, is in his second season back with the MJHL team. He previously played in the Western Hockey League with the Wheat Kings and the Everett Silvertips. His teammates in Wayway include former Wheat Kings defenceman Stephane Robidoux.

"We all get along pretty well," Van De Velde said of the Wolverines, who are billeted off the reserve, mostly in nearby Russell.

"It’s quiet (in Wayway) most of the time. But we have a great group of guys and we’re all having fun, so that’s the main thing."

Wayway has climbed the Sher-Wood Division standings in recent weeks and is vying for higher positioning in the playoff picture.

"If we can keep this up, we’re happy," said Van De Velde, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound centre who also plays wing on occasion. "We’re confident that we have the team that we want right now."

The Wolverines gained confidence with Sunday’s win over a reputable Dauphin team and they followed up with back-to-back victories over the OCN Blizzard. Van De Velde scored the overtime winner in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory and he assisted on Josh Daley’s deciding goal in Thursday’s 3-2 win.

With just months remaining in his junior career, Van De Velde is preparing for the next phase of his life. University hockey appears to be his next chapter.

"I’m hoping to play in the CIS next year," he said. "I’ve been talking to a couple of teams, and hopefully that follows through and I can have a good summer (of training). It’ll be good for me."

The storied University of Toronto Varsity Blues are among the CIS schools showing interest in Van De Velde, a finalist for the MJHL player of the month for January.

In his MJHL travels, Van De Velde has run into familiar faces like former Wheat Kings teammate Jesse Sinatynski, an 18-year-old forward with Dauphin.

"I gave him a few chirps and he didn’t like that too much and he chirped me back," Van De Velde said of his clashes with Sinatynski in Sunday’s game.

"I played with Sinner in Brandon and we were pretty good buddies there, too. We’re not too good of buddies on the ice, I’ll tell ya that much.

"But it’s fun to play against guys that you know and that you played with and against. It’s fun for everybody."

The fun seems to extend to the children outside the Wayway dressing room, carrying hockey sticks and waiting for autographs.