WHL NOTEBOOK: McGregor enjoys his WHL homecoming

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This article was published 05/11/2024 (581 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Josh McGregor won’t even pretend his first Western Hockey League game in Westoba Place was just another night at the office.

The 17-year-old defenceman is in his rookie season with the Swift Current Broncos, and his first WHL game against the Brandon Wheat Kings was a 4-3 shootout victory on Oct. 5 in front of 3,123 fans.

“That was awesome,” McGregor said. “I was a little kid watching the Wheat Kings, and I always wanted to play for Wheat Kings. That was my dream. Being in that building was just a surreal feeling, and then even being out in overtime, that was unreal too, and then we won the game in a shootout. It’s awesome to win at home and see the family after.”

The other special part of the game was playing against his longtime AAA Wheat Kings teammates Jaxon Jacobson, Brady Turko and Easton Odut. He had an especially good memory of facing the latter, who prides himself on getting under the skin of opponents.

“Me and Odie were in a net-front battle and he started squealing my name in my ear as we were battling and just being a goof,” McGregor said with a chuckle. “I can’t take him seriously on the ice sometimes.”

They are part of an unprecedented graduation of six players from the U18 Wheat Kings to the WHL in a single season.

The first time the Broncos played the Blades, McGregor and Colten Worthington had a picture taken together in warmup, and he’s also faced Everett Silvertips defenceman Kaeson Fisher.

McGregor’s path to the WHL certainly came with some twists and turns.

After posting 27 points in 31 games with the under-15 AAA Wheat Kings during the 2021-22 season, he wasn’t selected in the 2022 WHL draft.

With a jump to the U18 Wheat Kings potentially coming, McGregor opted instead to spend a season at the Rink Hockey Academy in Winnipeg, where he had 20 points and 38 penalty minutes in 28 regular season prep games.

The reason for the change was simple.

“I didn’t know how much ice time I would get on that (U18 Wheat Kings) team,” McGregor said. “My thing was ice time so I just wanted to try something different. I thought I would get more ice time on U16 Rink, which I think I did.”

He returned to Brandon last fall, and was on last season’s U18 Wheat Kings team that went 43-0-1-0 in the regular season and ended up losing in the national final.

He said the hothouse of excellence in the U15 and U18 Wheat Kings programs was good for his development.

“The chemistry was always there, and it’s easier to play when you’re winning,” McGregor said. “It really helped my offensive zone because for the half the game we were in the O-zone. It helped my creative mind, which is really good.”

After that season, he was taken in the second round, 25th overall, in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s draft of 16-year-old players by the Swan Valley Stampeders.

McGregor’s original aim was to play Division 1 college hockey in the United States and he was set to join the Niverville Nighthawks. But Broncos general manager Chad Leslie of Brandon had other plans for the six-foot-three, 173-pound defenceman, who shoots right.

McGregor officially signed a WHL contract just before camp started.

“He was all over me the entire summer to sign,” McGregor said. “He pretty much promised I would stay. At the start of the season I wasn’t sure but after a couple of games I started to feel good and knew I was probably staying.”

McGregor missed most of Broncos training camp when he strained his hip flexor on the ice during a power-skating session in Kelowna this summer when he overextended his leg. He was able to get into three pre-season games, however, and was able to find his footing.

“There was a little bit of pressure there because I hadn’t skated in a month so it felt a little weird,” McGregor said.

As a young defenceman, the skill and speed of the game in front of him is magnified. He said the biggest part of the transition is actually something else.

“Strength stands out for me,” McGregor said. “Guys are way stronger than U18. I don’t notice the speed difference that much, but that’s maybe because I’ve gotten way faster from U18. The first couple of games, for sure it was faster but I think I’ve settled in.

“Playing against NHL draft picks, they’re way more skilled. We played Moose Jaw and Brayden Yager had four points. I think he’s the best player I’ve ever played against.”

He said Spokane Chiefs star Berkly Catton is another example of the huge step up.

“The things he was doing with the puck were unbelievable to watch from the bench sometimes,” McGregor said. “When he’s out there, I’m just focusing on not to get dangled.”

One of the nice things about playing in Swift Current is the heavy Manitoba presence on the roster. The captain is Clarke Caswell of Brandon, while rookie forward Jack Clark of Wawanesa is also on the squad.

“It was awesome,” McGregor said. “You feel more comfortable around those guys, especially Clarke because he’s the captain and he knows everybody. Once you start hanging with Clarke and the other guys are around, you start to feel more comfortable with them too. You just settle in faster.”

On the blue-line, he said overager Eric Johnston of Regina has gone out of his way to help him. They played together earlier in the season but he’s skated the most lately with 18-year-old Czech defender Adam Král.

“I’m pretty happy with the start I’ve had,” McGregor said. “The first couple of games were a little rough but now I think I’m starting to get hold of it and do fairly well.”

He chats with his family — father Scott, mother Azeb and sister Hannah — about every other day as he grows accustomed to living away from home in another province. He said that’s also gone really well.

“It’s been pretty good for me,” McGregor said. “I think I got the best billets in Swift. They are (Owen) Pickering and (Conor) Geekie’s old billets so I lucked out pretty good on that. My family has been out quite a bit. I’ve seen them maybe five times already.”

McGregor has his own vehicle, which also helps him get around the community of 18,000. He lives about a 10-minute drive from the rink.

At the same time, the Grade 12 student is trying to wrap up his high school studies, which is a work in progress.

“It’s been alright because I haven’t missed a ton of school yet,” McGregor said. “I’m doing one in class, a math class, and then I have a couple online. It hasn’t been too challenging yet, but I can definitely see it getting more challenging as we go on the road more. We have played a lot of home games.”

On the ice, he hit a milestone on Oct. 26 during a 7-4 victory over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds.

The Broncos were up 1-0 on a first-period goal by Brady Birnie, and just 18 seconds later, McGregor was credited with his first goal, with assists credited to Král and Sawyer Dingman, the son of Wheat Kings legend Chris Dingman.

“We were in the O-zone and my D partner had the puck,” McGregor said. “He went D to D to me, and I started spreading the blue-line. The Seattle guy was pretty much in my shot lane but I just fired the puck anyways. It was kind of missing the net and then it went off a Seattle guy’s leg and in.”

“That was really cool,” he added. “It was against Scott Ratzlaff, the Team Canada goalie, so that was pretty cool too.”

In 14 games this season, McGregor has a goal, six assists, four penalty minutes and a plus-minus of +7. But he said his focus is on continuing to find his way as a WHL rookie.

“I’m not really too worried about points,” McGregor said. “It’s just show up to practice, work hard and keep getting better every day and stuff will come. That’s my mind set.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — Brandon netminder Carson Bjarnason posted a 33-save shutout victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday. Can you remember the last time a Wheat Kings goalie shut out the Tigers?

• WEEKLY AWARDS — The player of the week is 19-year-old Swift Current Broncos forward Brady Birnie of Regina after he scored four goals and added three assists in three games.

The goaltender of the week is the 19-year-old Bjarnason of Carberry after his shutout on Saturday against the Medicine Hat Tigers. His backup, Ethan Eskit, won the award on Sept. 30.

The rookie of the week is 18-year-old Tri-City Americans forward Gavin Garland of Clearwater, Fla., who posted two goals and three assists in three games to win the award for the second time this season.

• SIN BIN — Spokane Chiefs head coach Brad Lauer was fined $500 for a game misconduct he took on Saturday when his team was playing the Tri-City Americans.

• OWNERSHIP CHANGE — Tri-City announced Monday that former technology executive and longtime Washington resident Jon Sortland has purchased a majority ownership position in the team. The existing owners, general manager Bob Tory, head coach Stu Barnes and former Americans player and National Hockey League goalie Olaf Kolzig, will each retain minority ownership in the organization.

• TRADE FRONT — It was a busy week with eight deals around the WHL. Here’s the complete recap.

— On Oct. 31, Seattle acquired overage forward Kyren Gronick of Regina from Vancouver for an eighth-round pick in 2028.

— On Oct. 31, Regina acquired 17-year-old forward prospect Jace Egland of Eastend, Sask., from Wenatchee for an eighth-round pick in 2026.

— On Oct. 31, Wenatchee acquired 19-year-old defenceman Eastyn Mannix of Wainwright, Alta. — who is a former Wheat King — from Edmonton for an eighth-round pick in 2028.

— On Oct. 31, Prince George acquired 18-year-old defenceman Fraser Leonard of Cochrane, Alta., from Calgary for 18-year-old forward Drew Peterson of Milwaukee and a sixth-round pick in 2025.

— On Oct. 29, Tri-City acquired 19-year-old goalie Logan Cunningham of Sherwood Park, Alta., from Saskatoon for an eighth-round pick in 2025.

— On Oct. 29, Prince George acquired 19-year-old defensive prospect Nathan Tobey of Lantana, Texas, from Lethbridge for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2028.

— On Oct. 28, Saskatoon acquired 18-year-old goalie Ethan McCallum of Brandon from Medicine Hat for a fourth-round pick in 2027 and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2028.

— On Oct. 28, Prince Albert acquired 18-year-old defenceman Brandon Osborne of Maple Ridge, B.C., from Calgary for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025.

• WHL CUP — Alberta beat Manitoba 8-1 in the final to reclaim the championship in the four-province event. During the round-robin, Manitoba lost 4-3 to British Columbia, 5-2 to Alberta and 5-0 to Saskatchewan, but in the semifinals had a surprise 4-2 victory over B.C.

Wheat Kings prospect Chase Surkan of Regina had two assists in five games, while prospects Hudson Postnikoff of Saskatchewan and Easten Turko of McCreary were held without a point in five games. Goaltender Urijah Moosetail appeared in three games. Knox Burton (Prince Albert Raiders) of Brandon had a goal and Hudson Champagne (Tri-City) of Brandon was held without a point.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — Goalie Ethan Kruger of Sherwood Park, Alta., is now 23 and in his third season with the University of Alberta Golden Bears. In four appearances, he has a 3.00 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage this season. He tended the crease for Brandon for four seasons from 2018 to 2022, backing up Jiri Patera for two and serving as starter the other two. In total, he made 113 regular season appearances for Brandon with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, and had a .916 save percentage in six playoff games.

• BIRTHDAY BOYS — Taylor Cooper (Nov. 1, 1995), Ryan Diduck (Nov. 7, 1982), Ray Fraser (Nov. 3, 1980), Dan Hart (Nov. 4, 1965), Kevin Scott (Nov. 3, 1967), Paul Sutcliffe (Nov. 4, 1969).

• THE WEEK AHEAD — Brandon visits the Regina Pats at Brandt Centre on Friday and hosts the Prince Albert Raiders at Westoba Place on Saturday. Both games start at 7.

• ANSWER — Ethan Kruger made 32 saves on Nov. 19, 2019 in a 4-0 victory over Medicine Hat.

Brandon’s other shutouts over the Tigers in the Internet era are:

— Jordan Papirny, Nov. 1, 2014, 33 saves, 4-0 at Medicine Hat. (By coincidence, this was also the last 33-save shutout by a Brandon goalie.)

— Jordan Papirny, Feb. 25, 2015, 32 saves, 5-0.

— Jomar Cruz, Feb. 15, 1998, 25 saves, 8-0 at Medicine Hat.

— Jomar Cruz, March 1, 1998, 23 saves, 11-0.

— Brian Elder, Dec. 29, 1996, 28 saves, 4-0 at Medicine Hat.

• A PERSONAL NOTE — A loving farewell to my father, Steve Bergson, who died in Portage District General Hospital on Oct. 26 at age 82.

A member of the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Foundation’s outstanding volunteer in 1980, the former goalie for the Amaranth Falcons instilled an enduring affection for sports in his three kids, and is a big reason why I’m doing this job.

Perhaps most impressively, he somehow talked my mom into going to Milwaukee for their honeymoon in 1963 to watch Hank Aaron and the Braves.

Anyone interested in making a donation in memory of a real good man can send it to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada or the Heart and Stroke Foundation. He’ll be missed.