Shmyr stepping up for Wheat Kings

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This article was published 18/02/2015 (4135 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Braylon Shmyr is feeling like his old self again.

Shmyr was a scorer every step of the way in minor hockey, prompting the Brandon Wheat Kings to draft him with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 Western Hockey League bantam draft, and, after taking some time to learn the ropes, the 17-year-old from Calgary is beginning to show off his talent at the WHL level as well.

Playing with current Kelowna Rockets sensation Nick Merkley on the Calgary Bisons, Shmyr scored 38 goals and 69 points in only 33 games in his final season of bantam hockey, then built momentum throughout his only year of midget, finishing with 29 points in 28 games. His rookie season in the WHL yielded only nine points in 34 games, but Shmyr is getting more ice time and producing more this season, having notched 15 goals and 29 points 52 games.

“A lot more confident, that’s how I feel now compared to last year,” the lightning-quick 5-foot-9, 163-pound left-winger said. “I just feel more like myself than I did last year.”

Typically a fourth-liner as a rookie and early this season, Shmyr got some looks on a line with Tim McGauley in the first half of the campaign and has found himself frequently skating with the Wheat Kings scoring leader in the second half. Since the break, Shmyr has produced 10 goals and eight assists in 22 games and, after going +1 in the first half, he’s +15 in the second half.

“Tim is an excellent, excellent hockey player,” Shmyr said. “I definitely learned a lot from him and we definitely gained some chemistry together and we’ve been playing pretty well together.”

Wheat Kings head coach and general manager Kelly McCrimmon is quick to give Shmyr his share of the credit for his recent performance as well.

“I think that we’ve gone from seeing glimpses of what the future holds for Braylon to seeing his performance be more consistent as he gains confidence,” said McCrimmon, whose Wheat Kings are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for first overall in the WHL with a 43-9-4-2 record. “He’s had a good opportunity to play in our top nine forwards; since the Christmas break, he’s been there most of the time, and I think that has allowed him to really take another step development-wise and allowed him to gain confidence.”

Shmyr admits it was difficult at first to take on a lesser role with the Wheat Kings after being a major player on his teams in the past. But he saw a tremendously deep group of forwards around him and told himself that if he worked hard and kept focused his chances would come.

“Everyone on this team is a first-line player,” he said. “Everyone on this team is an exceptional player. I just see myself fitting in with this team perfectly.”

ONE-TIMERS: The Wheat Kings did not practise on Tuesday after playing on Sunday and Monday. Brandon will visit the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday and the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday, then will be at home for eight of its last 12 games … The Wheat Kings are making plans for their Pink the Rink cancer fundraiser, set for Feb. 28, when they will wear pink jerseys for their home game against the Kootenay Ice. Most of the jerseys will be auctioned off, including D Reid Gow’s sweater during the CKLQ broadcast of Friday’s game in Prince Albert, Sask., and RW Jayce Hawryluk’s jersey on 94.7 Star FM Radio on Feb. 26 … Wheat Kings prospect Bradly Goethals of the Eastman Selects is the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League player of the week. Goethals had four goals and two assists as the Selects closed out the regular season with a pair of wins, finishing the campaign with 32 goals and 23 assists in 40 games.

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