Iorio enjoys time as a Wheat King

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This article was published 29/04/2022 (1236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Vincent Iorio is going to miss a lot about being a Brandon Wheat King.

The 19-year-old defenceman will almost certainly graduate to a spot in the Washington Capitals organization next season and has a good sense of what he and overagers Chad Nychuk, Ethan Kruger and Marcus Kallionkieli are leaving behind.

The sadness is also tinged with the regret of the two cancelled Western Hockey League post-seasons in 2020 and 2021 and life in the Regina hub last spring.

“The run we went on in the bubble was great but there are certain things you wish you could have had,” Iorio said. “Obviously playoffs those two years — I think we would have made two deep runs — and that’s what we’re gearing up to. It’s little things like going out to eat with some of the guys, spending time with the guys whether it’s at my house playing pool, playing poker or even playing ping pong here at the rink.

“You take it for granted quite a bit, and now that it’s coming to a close for Kruger, Chuck and Kallionkieli, you really get a perspective on how quick things go and how fast it flies by.”

The outgoing right-handed shot from Coquitlam, B.C., certainly started his WHL career as a youngster. With a Nov. 14 birthday, he played for two months at age 15 in his 16-year-old season.

Fortunately for him, he joined rookie blue-liners Nychuk, Neithan Salame and Jonny Lambos, all of whom were a year older.

“It was amazing,” Iorio said. “It made things so much easier. As a young player, you lack confidence a bit and you go through ups and downs. The four of us went through a bunch of ups and downs, especially in our first year. It was really good to spend it with them.

“You learn so much and you grow so much as you get older in this league. The four of us have been successful with what we’ve done. I know for me personally, it’s been very good, and I can tell you for a fact the other three are very happy and just fine with what they’re doing.”

Nychuk is finishing up his fine career with the Wheat Kings, while Lambos landed with the Everett Silvertips and Salame with the Regina Pats.

As this season progressed, Iorio and Nychuk were put together on the top pairing. Iorio enjoys it.

“We’ve been D partners for a little bit now,” Iorio said. “Chuck and I have just been buddies for a while. We fight, we argue and we agree with each other, and that’s what makes us better. We always compete against each other and push each other.”

Wheat Kings head coach Don MacGillivray has certainly been thankful for the pairing, which shared the award as the team’s top defenceman. He said it was anticipated the duo would make a major impact this season, and they’ve delivered.

“He’s a guy we expected to do that,” MacGillivray said of Iorio. “He’s probably our best guy on the penalty kill. He moves the puck really well, he’s had a good season. We’ve expected Nychuk and Iorio to carry the bulk of the load from both the offensive side of things but also the defensive side of things.

“They get the hard matchups every night but they also proved offence for us and get pucks moving to our forwards. I think both guys have had exceptional seasons and that’s why both were given the top defenceman for our team because even though they play together, they have different roles.

“Chuck is the first guy out on the power play, Vin is the first guy out on the penalty kill.”

A big part of the responsibility for Iorio is playing more than he’s accustomed to earlier in his career. But with the graduation of former captain Braden Schneider to the New York Rangers and the loss of the overagers Salame and Lambos, Brandon’s young defensive corps needed the top pairing to step up.

“Chuck and I play quite a few minutes a night and we’re expected to,” Iorio said. “We’re older guys on the team now and we’ve learned from a lot of the older guys in the past, guys like Schneids and Dom Schmiemann, Zach Wytinck. All these moments and all these times of preparation over the course of our careers have led us to this moment and we just have to take it and roll with it.”

Now six-foot-three and 200 pounds, Iorio was selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft by Washington last July.

He responded this season by setting personal career highs in every major category with 11 goals, 33 assists, 44 points, 49 penalty minutes and 60 games played. He tied his career-best plus-minus of 14.

In his four-year WHL regular-season career, he has 21 goals, 61 assists, 82 points, 116 penalty minutes and a plus-minus of 24 in 191 games.

“It’s evolved a lot,” Iorio said. “My confidence for sure has grown. My skating ability, awareness, my poise, my IQ, has just reached another level. Obviously, I still have a long ways to go but I’m progressing each year and getting better in the gym in the off-season and training on the ice and really making sure you treat your body well and prepare like you’re playing professional hockey every day.

“That’s what my mindset has been the past couple of years.”

In the team’s Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Red Deer Rebels, Iorio scored in Friday’s 3-1 loss and also has an assist and a plus-minus of 1, which is remarkable for someone matching up against the other team’s top line. Brandon has been outscored 13-9 in the series.

Iorio said after what the league has experienced the last two years, he was thankful this season was finished, even with some major hiccups along the way.

The hardest part was losing two potential playoff runs with teams built for success.

“Nothing has been normal since COVID but we’re very thankful that we had a full season, a full 68 games,” Iorio said. “There’s been a lot of uncertainty with COVID, and especially with the bubble, we were very thankful for that. If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t think we would be playing 68 games this year. Looking back, it’s been a blessing.”

It’s not the only one.

Iorio spent his entire carer billeting with the Thorpes, Carrie, Jay and their son Ty, who was traded from the Wheat Kings to the Vancouver Giants last summer.

The two former teammates were very close, and Iorio has certainly come to appreciate his billet parents as well.

“Carrie is pretty much my second mom and Jay is pretty much my second dad,” Iorio said. “It’s fantastic. I know I’m biased but they are by far the best billets in the league. Great people, and Thorpey (Ty) is a great person too. I know he’s doing very well down in Vancouver.

“It’s little things. Coming home and Carrie asking what I want for food and just little game nights and stuff like that. It’s something that you have to experience growing up. Not having my parents around every single day, it’s almost like they’re my new parents. I’m very appreciative of that and I know we’re going to have a longtime friendship with them.”

The outgoing teenager has taken on a leadership role this season as well, currently taking recent callup Charlie Elick under his wing as they live together with the Thorpes. While getting drafted has given him a laser focus on what he needs to do to achieve future success, it hasn’t fundamentally changed a happy person.

“I’ve grown and matured a lot,” Iorio said. “I’ve spent four important years of my young adolescence here and I’ve grown a lot. I still laugh a ton but you mature and learn different things as you get older. It’s definitely helped.”

For a guy who attended Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota and also considered the college route, Iorio is grateful Brandon picked him in the second round of the 2017 draft. The 27th overall pick that Brandon used to take him came in the 2016 trade deadline deal that also brought Mitch Wheaton and Schael Higson from the Saskatoon Blades for Braylon Shmyr and Colton Waltz.

Iorio is also happy with the choice he made on May 31, 2018 when he and Nolan Ritchie signed with the Wheat Kings.

“Brandon has been huge for me and my family,” Iorio said. “Signing with the team and not having been here before was a little nerve-racking at the time but I just have to thank Carrie and Jay, my billets, and my parents as well for supporting me. The whole staff here in Brandon has done an excellent job over the past four years and this is what I call home now.

“I’ll miss it greatly.”

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