Bjarnason’s unusual path leads to Nashville

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This article was published 27/06/2023 (1064 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Carson Bjarnason’s incredible journey is nearing another destination.

The 17-year-old Brandon Wheat Kings goaltender from Carberry, who went unselected in the 2020 Western Hockey League draft, will hear his name called at the National Hockey League draft in Nashville on Wednesday or Thursday.

While it’s been an unlikely trip, Bjarnason said it’s tough for him to reflect on everything that’s happened.

“I’m the one living it so it’s not like I can sit back and stare at all my big accomplishments or whatever you want to call them,” said Bjarnason, who turns 18 on Friday. “It’s what I do and it’s part of my life now and part of my identity and who I am.

“For me, as long as I stay the way I am and stay humble and give back to my community and respect all those people who respect me, that’s the biggest thing for me. That will keep me grounded and keep me the same kid I was coming into camp.”

Scouts say he was passed over in the WHL draft because he was a bit undersized, but a massive growth spurt that summer led to Brandon listing him the next fall.

The camp he referenced was the Wheat Kings main camp in 2021 when Bjarnason, who was 16 at the time, came in and absolutely stole the backup job from an older goaltender, Nick Jones.

In earning the chance to serve behind former starter Ethan Kruger, he became the first full-time, 16-year-old Wheat Kings goaltender since 1990.

“He’s a competitor,” Brandon general manager Marty Murray said. “He’s an outstanding young man and an outstanding teammate. I love the story of Carson, being undrafted, and I think that really lit a fire under him. It showed what kind of competitor he is.

“That’s been driving him the last couple of years to put himself in the position he’s in today.”

In 23 games in his rookie season, many of which came early when Kruger was injured and the team was struggling to dress 18 healthy players, Bjarnason posted a 4.00 goals-against average and .882 save percentage.

He then earned a spot with Team Canada and won a gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2022.

With Kruger’s graduation, the six-foot-four, 180-pound Bjarnason took over as starting goaltender at age 17 last season.

He was virtually unbeatable early in the season, with a .945 save percentage through nine appearances, and was named the league’s goalie of the week in mid-October.

But Bjarnason admitted load management was a concern as the season went on. In the previous three years, he appeared in a combined 44 games with the Southwest under-15 AAA Cougars at age 14, the Rink Hockey Academy at 15 and the Wheat Kings at age 16.

Last season, he played 47 games, and suffered a minor hip flexor pull from overuse after a hard weekend and a week of practice.

He didn’t play between Feb. 25 and March 10, his longest absence of the season, and ultimately posted a 3.08 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

“The coaches said they didn’t know how much they wanted to play me but sometimes they felt they had to,” said Bjarnason, who lived in Gillam until age five, when his family moved to Carberry. “Looking at the bright side, it’s nice knowing you have their trust and knowing you’re their guy. It’s something to work on this summer for sure, growing and developing.

“… It definitely takes a toll on your body but it’s something to learn from.”

Even after Murray took over behind the bench in late November when Don MacGillivray was dismissed, Bjarnason’s workload didn’t diminish, and he appreciated the vote of confidence.

But he said it was ultimately a tough year, with the team missing the post-season by eight points.

“I’m a team-first guy for sure all the time so not seeing that happen was unfortunate but it was an exciting year with draft year and being able to turn into that starter role and have both coaches throughout the year trust me and let me do my thing was big for me,” Bjarnason said. “You obviously take some things and stuff you need to do better and things that you do well to take into the next season. It was definitely a learning experience.”

After the season, he earned a spot with Team Canada again, making six appearances at the IIHF U18 World Championship in Switzerland, going 4-2-0-0 with a 3.51 goals-against average and an .849 save percentage.

Canada ultimately earned bronze in the tournament after a tough start that saw them shellacked 8-0 by Sweden in a game Bjarnason started and surrendered five goals before being pulled.

“It was really cool,” Bjarnason said of the experience. “It’s Switzerland, so it’s a pretty sweet spot. It was a tough first game for sure but it was over with and then I was able to bounce back. I just wanted to prove I could play over the course of the tournament and give my team a chance to win.”

Beyond his performance on the ice, it’s that mental toughness that impresses Murray. Goalies have a well-earned reputation for being a little quirky, but Murray said Bjarnason is just another player in the room until it’s time to get ready.

“If you sit back and watch him on a game day or approaching a big game, you can see his demeanour change,” Murray said. “To me, that shows what kind of competitor he is. He’s a different person on game day where you can tell he’s locked in and working on his gear. It’s fun to see a kid switch into beast mode from one day to the next.”

While Bjarnason acknowledges he has continued to fine-tune details of his game to get better, he thinks the greater improvement has actually come off the ice. He has worked hard to enhance the mental side of his game and said it has paid dividends.

“It’s nice to have more techniques and add more tools to your toolbox but for me it’s definitely been on the mental side of my game,” Bjarnason said. “It’s obviously physical but when you believe in your ability and have belief in what you can do, it definitely helps a lot. It’s like 90 per cent mental as a goalie. It really is.

“That’s something I had to come to terms with and learn. I’m growing with myself as a person and making sure I’m staying on track. Your brain is a muscle, so you have to train it just as much if not more than everything else.”

Since it was his NHL draft year, it was a muscle pressed into overdrive as he tried not to think too much about what lay ahead. But he added it’s impossible to completely ignore.

“You can’t not think about it,” Bjarnason said. “You want to do well for yourself, but in the grand scheme of things, once the team has success, you’ll have success too.

“ … It was more or less not looking at things people said about me, and the rankings and stuff. I never looked at that throughout the year but obviously you know it’s your draft year and you see your name up there the odd time.

“It’s just grounding yourself. I have friends away from the rink who help out with that and I think that’s important too.”

Another thing that made it difficult to set aside was the fact that he spoke to scouts after nearly every game all season, which is a common occurrence for highly touted prospects as NHL teams try to get some insight into the teenagers.

That extended to Zoom sessions, phone calls and texts.

He also attended the annual combine in Buffalo, N.Y., which took place from June 4 to 10 and included 106 prospects. It included the usual battery of physical testing and Bjarnason had meetings with 28 of the 32 teams.

“You’re giving teams the most information you can about yourself,” Bjarnason said. “I’m not trying to prove to them that I’m a good kid off the ice, I’m just letting them know who I am and that I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

He had one day entirely devoted to meetings — he had 12 booked — and admitted it was a bit weird initially to walk into a room filled with an organization’s hockey staff and field their questions.

On the physical side, he said he was above average in most tests, and tied for third in the functional movement screen that assesses a player’s mobility and stability with seven tests.

On Monday, he headed down to Nashville with his family, including mother Becky and father Clarence and could be facing more interviews. Other than that, he plans on lying low, relaxing and enjoying the experience as much as he can.

The first round of the draft will be held on Wednesday, with rounds two to seven taking place on Thursday.

Soon he’ll be embarking on an even bigger journey.

“It’s a business trip, and then it starts all over again,” Bjarnason said. “This really is a beginning and the work doesn’t stop.”

ICINGS: The Wheat Kings will open their four-game pre-season with a home-and-home set against the Regina Pats on Sept. 8 at the Brandt Centre and Sept. 9 at Westoba Place at 7 p.m. They finish up with a home-and-home series with the Moose Jaw Warriors, with the game in Brandon set for Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. All 46 pre-season games around the league take place between Sept. 5 to 17 … Brandon’s regular season home opener is on Sept. 22 when the Pats come to town for a 7 p.m. matchup.

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