WHL NOTEBOOK: Eastyn Mannix finds way back to WHL

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This article was published 13/02/2024 (583 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Eastyn Mannix’s Western Hockey League career may not have gone exactly as planned, but that hasn’t diminished the joy he’s taken from the experience.

The 18-year-old defenceman, who now skates with the Edmonton Oil Kings, spent his first full season with the Brandon Wheat Kings after being drafted by the club in the fourth round of the WHL bantam draft with the 79th overall selection in 2020.

“The most important thing is I’ve had a lot of support along the way,” Mannix said. “If I would have drawn it up when I was 14 and got drafted, I would have said I wanted to play five years with the Wheat Kings, but it didn’t pan out that way. I’m really glad I was able to experience the ups and downs of it with a lot of good guys and a lot of good (billets) and good teammates. I’m really grateful for that.”

After playing two games as a callup during the 2021-22 season, Mannix saw action in just 25 games last season as a frequent healthy scratch on the blue-line.

When he wasn’t in the lineup in this season’s opener on Sept. 22, he wondered if it might be the end of his journey in Brandon.

“I had a discussion with my agent about whether it was a good decision for me to stay here and he had a discussion with (head coach and general manager) Marty (Murray) and director of player personnel) Chris (Moulton),” Mannix said. “I don’t know what was said in their conversation, but I think they came to an agreement.

“It was kind of a shock to me because I didn’t expect it to happen so fast. The next day we were getting ready to go to Moose Jaw and I was playing PlayStation NHL and hanging around with Charlie (Elick) and Marty pulled me aside and took me into his office.”

Mannix said Murray told him he didn’t want him wasting his junior career not playing in Brandon, and when the Wheat Kings couldn’t find a trade partner, they released him.

Mannix, who is an incredibly personable and good-natured teenager, billeted in Brandon with Rick and Amber Woychyshyn and their children Alyssa and Mason. He found it painful to say goodbye after more than a year in their home.

“That was awful,” Mannix said. “They have two little kids, a boy and a girl, and they’re some of the best people I’ve ever known. I’m the youngest of three children in my family, so I know how important it is to be able to look up to an older sibling, and for them I was their big brother. That was really tough to have to leave them behind.”

Mannix quickly found a spot in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Whitecourt Wolverines, and made his debut on Sept. 28 in the league showcase.

“I started playing a lot of minutes there,” Mannix said. “I think one game I played 27 minutes, so it was a big change for me from my year with Brandon.”

He said restoring his confidence was nice, but said there was an even bigger impact.

“Just being able to explore my game,” Mannix said. “Sometimes when you’re only out there for five or six minutes, you might not see every situation in a game. Whether I’m playing in the D-zone for seven minutes a night or seeing the neutral zone or O-zone, sometimes it’s important to see every facet of the game and work in your own style.

“When you’re only playing a few minutes, you don’t get to experiment.”

He played 17 games in Whitecourt, earning a pair of assists and 10 penalty minutes.

The Wolverines gave him a night off in Camrose on Nov. 7, and he was going to order a coffee at the concession when he was approached by Oil Kings director of scouting Michael Chan.

The pair chatted, and Lajoie asked if he would be interested in a return to the WHL.

“I said ‘Yes, of course,’” Mannix said. “Being from Wainwright, Edmonton is only two hours away. I saw my fair share of Oil Kings games growing up and obviously being an Oilers fan, too, the Rogers Place building is the only place I ever dreamed of going to.That happened pretty quick.”

Within a week, he was back in major junior, and made his Edmonton debut on Nov. 15 against Regina, and two nights later was in the lineup as the Oil Kings travelled back to Brandon for a 5-2 Wheat Kings victory.

He quickly found a role with his new club.

“I think it’s just a simple shutdown defenceman game,” Mannix said. “Obviously, I got my first goal against the Wheat Kings the other night, but it’s not really expected of me to be on the scoresheet. It’s to keep the other teams off it and provide some consistent minutes moving pucks forward and just really playing a simple game.”

That goal, the first of Mannix’s major junior career, came in Edmonton’s 5-4 overtime victory on Jan. 28. With his team trailing 4-2 late in the second period, Winnipeg’s Gavin Hodnett spun around and put a pass on his stick, and from the top of the faceoff circle, Mannix leaned into a shot and beat Brandon goalie Ethan Eskit.

“If you look at the pictures, I forgot to take my mouth guard out, but I was smiling,” Mannix said. “I looked pretty silly, but it was honestly just pure joy. I went into that game hoping I could get that one, but you never really think it’s going to come true until it does.”

Mannix has kept in touch with some of his Brandon teammates — Matt Henry texted his congratulations after the game for the goal — and has spoken to guys like Roger McQueen and Carson Bjarnason.

“Obviously you’re not as close when you’re not on the same team as a guy, but I still keep in good relations with a lot of the guys,” Mannix said. “It was a good group. Anytime I get to see them is always a good time.”

In 28 games with the Oil Kings, the six-foot-three, 192-pound left-shooting defenceman has a goal, two assists, 13 penalty minutes and a plus-minus of -4.

While Mannix has two years of junior eligibility remaining, he is also a good student. He is strong in mathematics so he’s entertaining the idea of one day going into engineering or business. But that’s a decision for another day.

“I’m just enjoying my hockey career right now,” Mannix said. “That’s all I’m focused on. It’s not an opportunity a lot of people get so I’m going to make the most of it and work from there after that point.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — How many times in the Internet era has Brandon either scored 10 goals or been scored against 10 times in a single game in the playoffs?

• WEEKLY AWARDS — The player of the week is Kamloops Blazers forward Emmitt Finnie of Lethbridge, Alta. The 18-year-old Detroit Red Wings prospect led the league with seven goals and two assists in three games.

The goaltender of the week is 20-year-old Vancouver Giants netminder Brett Mirwald of Saskatoon, who earned the honour for the third time his season. He posted a 1.50 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in winning his two appearances last week.

The rookie of the week is six-foot-six Prince George Cougars forward Hunter Laing, who had three goals and an assist in two games. Laing, 17, who is ranked 108th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting Service, is from Kelowna, B.C.

• SIN BIN — Saskatoon Blades forward Easton Armstrong will sit for two games for a goaltender interference major and game misconduct versus the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday.

• PLAYOFF PICTURE — The Saskatoon Blades became the first team to clinch a playoff spot when they won on Saturday.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — Ben McCartney currently has two goals and 11 assists in 23 of the team’s 43 games with the American Hockey League’s Tucson Roadrunners while missing games due to injury and callups. The Macdonald product, who serves as an alternate captain with the Roadrunners, played two games with the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes during the 2021-22 season. He spent four campaigns with the Wheat Kings between 2017 and 2021. In 219 regular season and playoff games, he piled up 158 points, and he led the team in scoring in the Regina hub with 37 points in 24 games.

• THE WEEK AHEAD — Brandon heads to Moose Jaw for a rare Thursday game against the Warriors, and then hosts the Calgary Hitmen on Friday. Their next home game after is on Monday afternoon when they host the Saskatoon Blades at 2 p.m.

• ANSWER — It’s happened just twice.

— April 5, 2016 — Brandon 10, Edmonton 3 at Westoba Place: (Brandon won series 4-2).

— April 8, 2005 — Calgary 10, Brandon 1 at the Saddledome: (Brandon won series 4-3).