WHL NOTEBOOK: Simard paves unique path to WHL

Maden Simard’s path to the Western Hockey League is about as uncommon as it is remarkable.

The 18-year-old blue-liner, who is skating with the Calgary Hitmen, never earned a full-time spot with the under-18 AAA Brandon Wheat Kings. Instead, he played U17 and then made the jump to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Selkirk Steelers last season at age 17.

“It’s not giving up,” Simard said. “There are going to be some harder years than others, but if you just keep working towards it, and having a positive mindset helps too and not getting down on yourself. There are always going to be opportunities that open up.”

Simard, whose family includes father Darcy, mother Becky, sister Bryelle and brother Colby, also played baseball at a high level, was in basketball and volleyball in Grade 10 and also golfs a bit.

The left-shooting defenceman played with the U15 AAA Wheat Kings in the 2022-23 season with current WHLers Nolan Saunderson and Easten Turko, and then spent two seasons with the U17 Wheat Kings.

Simard served as captain of the U17s in 2024-25, contributing a remarkable 15 goals and 49 assists in 33 games to lead the team in scoring by 19 points from the back end. He also won the Winnipeg U17 AAA Hockey League scoring title.

It’s hard to overstate his dominance that season, which he said was a big one for his development.

“It was a good year,” Simard said. “We had tons of good players on the team who are still playing at the junior level and U18. They were a big help that year. We lost in the final but we had a good team that was able to help out. It was a pretty successful year.”

He was also called up for three games with the Steelers and four contests with the U18 Wheat Kings.

The season certainly served as a springboard for him.

After that incredible U17 campaign, he headed to Calgary to attend his first-ever WHL camp in the fall of 2025 and was quickly listed by the Hitmen. Still, he can’t imagine making the jump to the WHL from U17 without that MJHL year in the middle.

“I think that would have been a really tough jump,” Simard said. “I set a goal to hopefully make the MJ and set the Dub aside for that year.”

In his sole season in Selkirk with the Steelers, he had two goals, 17 assists and 18 penalty minutes.

The six-foot-two, 165-pound defenceman admitted it was a big jump.

“That was tough,” Simard said. “It was bigger and faster and a lot of bigger guys who are harder to play against. You get used to it after a bit and kind of have to adjust your game but I thought it went pretty well.”

But he still had his sights set one league higher.

While more older players are debuting in major junior at 18 and 19 after the NCAA altered its eligibility rules, it was still a big camp for Simard when he went to Calgary in August.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” Simard said. “There were tons of great players trying out. I just came out and had a mindset to make the team. I just worked my hardest at it every day. Lucky enough, I made a spot.”

“It’s unreal,” Simard added. “Being from Brandon and going to all the Wheat Kings games, ending up in the league you used to watch all the time, especially here in Calgary during the last year in the Saddledome, it’s crazy to think about. I still think about it every day.”

There was no point he was ever told he was staying: Instead, the players around kept going home until the Calgary blue-line was trimmed to eight.

The news he had officially signed with the club was released on Sept. 11.

With veteran Wyatt Pisarcyzk out week to week with a lower-body injury, Simard is one of three blue-liners rotating through two spots.

He said the team’s expectations for him are to play well in his own end.

“Just work your hardest every night, play strong defensively, and if an offensive opportunity opens up, try and create something, and being positive,” Simard said. “All the boys are great. It’s staying pumped up and ready to go all the time.”

“Obviously there are tons of great players on the team and in my first year, I have to adjust the game a little bit,” Simard added. “It’s a super tough league so it’s hard to create offence so I just try to keep the puck out of the net and be hard to play against.”

In 13 games with the Hitmen this season, Simard has one assist, no penalty minutes and a plus-minus of 0.

While the step from U17 to the MJHL was a big one, he faces another giant one this season.

For instance, he could suddenly be staring down Medicine Hat Tigers forward Liam Ruck — a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins — on a one-on-one rush.

“It’s unreal,” Simard said. “NHL prospects, just thinking about it is crazy. It’s really tough but you have to play as hard as you can every day and hopefully get a spot in the lineup.”

There has also been a tremendous transition off the ice for the teenager. He’s now living in Western Canada’s largest city, with Calgary boasting a population of more than 1.6 million people.

He said the year in Selkirk helped him adjust to being away from his family, and he had the additional benefit of great billets in both communities.

“It’s good,” Simard said. “It’s obviously a lot different than Brandon but I think I’ve adjusted pretty well.”

Hitmen players have to take mandatory university courses through Calgary’s St. Mary’s University. It’s a good stepping stone, because he would love to play college hockey one day if an opportunity presents itself.

Like that opportunity, two of the bigger nights of this season still lie in his future. Calgary visits Brandon on Jan. 23 and Feb. 13.

He’s already thinking about it.

“I’ve played there my whole life and watched the Wheat Kings growing up so I think it will be an unreal feeling,” Simard said. “Hopefully I’ll have some family and friends there coming to watch. It’s super exciting.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — How many of Wheat Kings who were drafted in the first round of the National Hockey League draft since 2000 can you name?

• MONTHLY AWARDS — The player of the month for September-October is 19-year-old Calgary Hitmen captain Carter Sanderson Pierre, S.D., who had 15 goals and seven assists in 12 games. He is a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect.

The top goaltender is Spokane Chiefs netminder Carter Esler of Okotoks, Alta., who turns later this month. He went 9-0-0-1 with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage.

The top rookie is 16-year-old Regina Pats forward Liam Pue of Langley, B.C., who had 11 goals and seven assists in 11 games.

• TRADE FRONT — Overage defenceman Josh Fluker of Boissevain was dealt with conditional fourth-round draft picks in 2027 and 2030 to the Saskatoon Blades last Wednesday for 19-year-old defenceman Isaac Poll of White City, Sask., and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2030.

• SIN BIN — Penticton Vees forward Tyler Deakos was given a one-game suspension for a goaltender interference major and game misconduct versus Tri-Cities on Friday.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — Former Wheat Kings forward Reid Duke, 30, is suiting up for Angers in the Ligue Magnus, which is the top division in France. In 12 games, he has two goals, four assists and 16 penalty minutes.

Duke made the jump to Europe in 2022-23 after toiling in the American Hockey League for five seasons in the Las Vegas Golden Knights system. He returned to play in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades last winter, putting up 35 points in 57 games.

The Calgary product played three seasons with the Wheat Kings after a trade from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and in 179 regular season games contributed 90 goals and 94 assists. In 31 playoff games, he had 28 points, including the overtime winner in Game 3 of the league final against the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2016.

• THE WEEK AHEAD — In their next action, the Wheat Kings visit the Regina Pats next Friday at 8 p.m. (CDT) and host the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday at 6 o’clock.

• ANSWER — In total, 24 Wheat Kings have been picked in the first round of the NHL draft, with 11 since 2000. They are (with position, year, NHL club and overall number of the pick):

— Roger McQueen (F, 2025, Anaheim, 10th).

— Nate Danielson (F, 2023, Detroit, 9th).

— Braden Schneider (D, 2020, New York, 19th).

— Ridly Greig (F, 2020, Ottawa, 28th).

— Nolan Patrick (F, 2017, Philadelphia, 2nd).

— Ivan Provorov (D, 2015, Philadelphia, 7th).

— John Quenneville (C, 2014, New Jersey, 30th).

— Ryan Pulock (D, 2013, NY Islanders, 15th).

— Brayden Schenn (C, 2009, Los Angeles, 5th).

— Scott Glennie (C, 2009, Dallas, 8th).

— Eric Fehr (R, 2003, Washington, 18th).