WHL NOTEBOOK: Dexter Whittle makes his way back

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This article was published 26/03/2024 (621 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dexter Whittle played in two Western Hockey League games in the last six months, and that makes his season a massive success.

The 19-year-old Virden product was the victim of a vicious hit in Everett’s season opener on Sept. 23 that knocked him out of the Silvertips’ lineup until the team’s final game of the season on Sunday.

It was six months to the day when he was injured, and Whittle received a warm ovation as he was announced in the starting lineup at Everett’s Angel of the Winds Arena. The sight of his teammates standing on the bench banging their sticks brought tears to his eyes as he stood by himself at the blue-line under the spotlight.

“I never thought I would get to play in a game in Everett again,” Whittle said. “I was super emotional during the starting lineup and didn’t have the best first shift for sure because I was so emotional. There were a lot of emotions in that first period.”

On Sept. 23, it was 10:41 into the second period when Royals forward Alex Edwards directed Whittle’s head into the boards from about three feet as the pair chased the puck. Whittle writhed on the ice and was taken to hospital as Edwards was assessed a rare intent-to-injure major and match penalty.

“I saw so many videos on social media that I feel like I’ve lived it twice now,” Whittle said. “I kind of remember the play. I definitely remember after the play looking at the bench hoping the trainer was already on his way out. I thought my back was broke for sure.

“Everything kind of went black for a second. I didn’t know it was my neck until I got to the training room and laid down on the table. I skated off, which I probably shouldn’t have, looking back at it. With the hit, I felt something in my upper back like a cross check and hit and then my head went down.”

The Royals forward was subsequently handed a 25-game suspension, and earned another eight-game suspension in February for a play against the Kamloops Blazers. Edwards sent Whittle a short apology on Instagram and then withdrew it a few hours later.

With the severity of the injury, athletic therapist Blake Draughon had Whittle moved to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, where he stayed in ICU for a couple of days.

A neurosurgeon diagnosed a substantial neck injury — he had injured his C6 and C7 to T1 vertebrae at the base of his neck — and the doctor recommended spinal fusion surgery, which would have ended his career.

“They told me I was lucky I was walking,” Whittle said. “Multiple neurosurgeons ended up telling me that. You definitely got lucky not being paralyzed.”

His parents Clifford and Alana George flew out to Everett, and they saw another neurosurgeon, who delivered a similar message. Instead of having the surgery, the family decided to wait and see if he could do some rehab to improve the situation.

Dexter couldn’t fly, so after he was released from hospital, they made the two-day drive home in his truck. He had a walker and was wearing a neck brace so getting around was difficult. The severity of the injury finally began to sink in on the highway.

“Honestly, it didn’t really hit me until the drive home,” Whittle said. “While I was here, I was kind of still in shock. When I had doctors telling me I’m lucky I’m walking, hockey wasn’t the first thing on my mind. It was life after that, but never being able to play again kind of hit me on the drive home.

“If I’m not playing hockey, I don’t know what I’m doing right now. Hockey is the biggest thing I do in my day-to-day life right now, so getting that taken away is kind of a shock at first.

“When you’re sitting at home for a couple of months doing nothing, it’s definitely tough but it built up my motivation to eventually come back and push as hard as I can.”

That started by seeking fresh input on the injury when they got back to Manitoba.

They visited a neurosurgeon in Winnipeg, who also wasn’t certain if he would ever play again, but said the collar would come off in January. That was a long time away because it limited his mobility.

He returned to Everett for a doctor’s appointment on Nov. 10 but they weren’t able to clear him for hockey, because the initial plan of attack was surgery. Through a family friend, on Nov. 30 they consulted with a fourth neurosurgeon, Dr. Tim Lindley in Alexandria, Minn. He examined the imaging and X-rays and gave a more hopeful diagnosis.

“He decided I was fully stable and that I could take off the neck brace and slowly start moving around,” Whittle said. “From that point on, it would be more beneficial to be moving around than staying in the brace and losing more muscle around the injury.

“He gave me the really good news that I could play again.”

He returned to Virden and started working with Bobbi Schram at Brandon’s Dynamic Physiotherapy.

“It was really hard,” said Whittle, whose family farms west of Virden. “Lots of it is mental. I couldn’t really hold my head up in lots of the positions, where you’re kind of nervous for your life after hockey at that point.

“We would be doing these little movements and my neck would be getting sore after the second rep. That was definitely discouraging at that point but Bobbi said it was a very unusual injury.”

He was feeling good enough to start skating in Virden in mid-December. While it was slow and easy, he felt really good and thought he might be able to play in January or February.

But he quickly realized he was nowhere near a return to the WHL, and Schram cautioned he needed to stick to the program.

“We had to read and react to my body, but we couldn’t rush the process,” Whittle said. “We had to take the steps.”

He was never alone during his recovery. Along with his family, he had far more support than he could have imagined.

He was besieged with messages, and a Spokane Chiefs fan even sent him a blanket she crocheted.

“It was absolutely crazy, the support and everyone reaching out,” Whittle said. “I really appreciated everyone who reached out. It really made a difference through the whole rehab process.”

That support exploded with the intervention of Shelly Hemmerling and Jackie Martel. The pair organized a campaign with the Everett booster club that sent supportive cards and letters from his teammates and fans every week.

“Sometimes my mom would come home from work with the post office with all the envelopes and I would get to open them,” Whittle said. “It was really nice, all the support from the guys definitely made things easier at home.”

His ties to Everett were deep.

The graduate of both the Yellowhead Chiefs (in U15), Southwest Cougars (in U18) programs was drafted by the Silvertips in the seventh round, 152nd overall in 2019. The five-foot-nine, 198-pound right-handed shot played in 46 games as a rookie in 2021-22, contributing two goals, seven assists, 46 penalty minutes and a plus-minus of 22. Last season, Whittle had 20 assists and 49 penalty minutes in 49 games.

In mid-January, he returned to Everett to continue his recovery around the team.

“I was still on Bobbi Schram’s programs and doing phone calls and Zoom meetings with her,” Whittle said. “The whole way, we went with Tim Lindley and Bobbi Schram, and the trainer here worked with them as well. We did everything based off their opinions and programs and ended up getting back way sooner than initially expected.

“I wasn’t supposed to play hockey again but I was really lucky every step of the way.”

He was fully cleared to play in late February, but the Everett coaching staff wanted to be absolutely sure he was ready.

Whittle took warmup in Everett’s game against the Kelowna Rockets on March 15, and then he was in the lineup in their 4-2 win over the Tri-City Americans on Sunday. He said he was a little nervous about his neck on Sunday, but never took a hard hit in the game.

If there were any concerns he might be a little timid after his injury, Whittle dispelled them quickly, with 10 penalty minutes in his return.

Impressively, even though he essentially missed the season, he still won the team’s community relations award for his work in the city.

At this point, he’s just thankful to be back.

“It was so nice to get out of that red non-contact jersey and finally just practise with the guys normally,” Whittle said. “I still think they’re pretty scared to hit me in practice but it’s nice normality now with practising with the guys. I feel healthy, and I finally get to focus on hockey and not my neck exercises.”

Whittle is an insightful person, and he’s learned from the experience.

He noted when professional athletes get injured on television, fans have no real insight into how hard it is to get back. Now he knows and is thankful for everyone who helped him along the way.

“The human body is capable of a lot more than you think,” Whittle said. “If you really work at something, it’s probably attainable. You really know who cares and reaches out to you and you realize all the support you have. Everyone reaching out was unbelievable.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — Which brothers have playoff overtime goals for Brandon? Which two players are tied with the most playoff overtime goals for the Wheat Kings since 1996? Who scored the latest in overtime for Brandon? Which Brandonites have scored overtime goals for the Wheat Kings?

• WEEKLY AWARDS — The player of the week is Moose Jaw Warriors forward Jagger Firkus who had five goals and three assists in two games to win the league’s scoring crown. A 19-year-old product of Irma, Alta., the Seattle Kraken prospect finished the season with 126 points.

The goaltender of the week is Saskatoon Blades netminder Evan Gardner, who earned the honour for a second time after winning both his starts with a 1.49 goals-against average, a .942 save percentage and a shutout. The 18-year-old goalie is from Fort St. John, B.C.

The rookie of the week is 16-year-old Calgary Hitmen defenceman Reese Hamilton of Whitewood, Sask., who had two goals and seven assists in three games.

• SIN BIN — Doogan Pederson of the Prince Albert Raiders received one game for a slew foot double minor against the Saskatoon Blades on Friday … Vancouver Giants forward Matthew Edwards received one game for earning his third game misconduct of the season against the Prince George Cougars last Wednesday.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — Brandon’s Lynden McCallum, 24, who was attending Brandon University while recuperating from shoulder surgery until recently and then practising with the Wheat Kings, is back in pro hockey. In 15 games with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, he has five goals and four assists with 10 penalty minutes.

• THE SERIES AHEAD — Brandon visits Moose Jaw on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. The series returns to Brandon’s Westoba Place for 7 o’clock games on Wednesday, April 3 and Thursday, April 4.

If necessary, Game 5 is in Moose Jaw on Saturday, April 6 at 8 p.m., and Game 6 is at Westoba Place on Sunday, April 7 at 6 p.m. Game 7 would be held on Tuesday, April 9 at 8 p.m.

• ANSWER — Since 1996, the brothers with OT goals for Brandon are John Quenneville in 2015 and 2016 and Peter in 2015.

John Quenneville and Tanner Kaspick are the two Wheat Kings with two OT playoff goals.

The Wheat Kings have two goals in double overtime, 21:32 into extra time by Jiri Jakes in 2002, and 28:58 into overtime by John Quenneville in 2015.

The Brandonites with OT playoff goals for the Wheat Kings are Tanner Kaspick (2015 and 2016), Tyler Coulter (2015), Matt Calvert (2009), Mark Derlago (2007) and Tyler Dittmer (2007). Travis Young of Souris also had one in 2002.

• THAT’S A WRAP — This is the final instalment of the WHL Notebook for the 2023-24 season as things heat up with the playoffs. Thanks to all the Westman players in the league who were so gracious with their time.