BWK TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW: Trio battling for jobs in goal

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This article was published 01/09/2022 (1367 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings have an abundance of promise in what will almost certainly be their youngest goaltending tandem in many years.

The 2005-born Carson Bjarnason, who became the Western Hockey League team’s first full-time 16-year-old netminder last season in more than three decades, will be challenged by goalies Nick Jones, a 2004-born netminder entering his 18-year-old season, and 2006-born Ethan Eskit.

Rookie camp begins today at J&G Homes Arena, with main camp starting on Saturday at Westoba Place. The annual intrasquad game is set for Monday at Westoba Place.

Director of hockey operations Chris Moulton said it’s up to the three youngsters to show they can pull it off after the graduation of former starter Ethan Kruger.

“We’re going to patiently see what happens,” Moulton said. “I could have traded for one. There were some 20-year-old goalies available and we just didn’t want to replace our twenties. There were a few 19s available, but we want Barney and Jones and Ethan Eskit to know that we want two of those guys to play for us. “I wouldn’t say it’s risk taking at all, but it shows that we’re willing to give them the opportunity and believe in them enough that we’ll let them run with it. It’s in their hands.”

The discussion has to begin with Bjarnason, an undrafted list player who came in and stole the job a year ago with his spectacular play at training camp. He then earned a spot with Team Canada and won a gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer.

“Barney did a great job for us last year,” Moulton said. “Ethan Kruger was out of the lineup a bunch of times last year and Barney had to go. This was an undrafted, unsigned goaltender who came into camp and earned a spot, and the next thing he’s starting a bunch of games in a row.

“Barney grew as a player and as a person. It was quite obvious, and I think Barney is going to be a special goaltender.”

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

The guy he appeared to take the job from was Jones, who returned to the Calgary Buffaloes in the highly competitive Alberta Elite Hockey League U18 AAA.

Instead of sulking about being sent home, Jones was spectacular, posting the league’s best goals-against average at 1.64, being named a first-team all-star, top goaltender and playoff MVP as his team won the league.

“We had anticipated that Nick Jones was going to be one of our goalies last year but he didn’t make it out of camp,” Moulton said. “We asked him to go back and be the best goalie he could be, and be dominant. Well, he went back and I thought he might have been the most dominant U18 goalie out there.

“Nick did everything we asked of him. That’s why when it came to moving forward, we want to give him an opportunity. We sent him home and asked him to do something, and he did it.

“Plus, whenever we needed somebody, he came in and played, and played well. I’m excited about Nick, he’s a heck of a goalie.”

Jones played two games with the Wheat Kings and five with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Camrose Kodiaks to round out his incredible season.

The third goalie in the equation this year is Eskit, who recently signed with the club.

He was sensational at prospects camp in May, but that wasn’t a surprise to Moulton. While the Wheat Kings didn’t select him until the sixth round in 2020, the scouting staff considered him one of the top goaltenders in the draft and he was Moulton’s favourite.

He dropped because there were some taller goaltenders available, which is the way the game has evolved in recent years.

“Ethan is a consummate professional who just keeps taking steps,” Moulton said. “Obviously he is 16 years old and it’s tough in the WHL to play at 16, but the one thing I know is that he’s going to come in and push both those guys for a spot. That’s fine with me.

“He has the ability to play, and is really close to playing now. We’re going to give him every opportunity to prove himself.”

Last season, he put up sensational numbers with the Yale Hockey Academy’s U17 prep team. In the regular season, he went 14-2-1 in 18 appearances with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage, and in the playoffs posted a 1.67 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in three games.

“The best part about prospects camp is that we got to know him as a person,” Moulton said of Eskit. “That was even better. We’ve always liked him as a player and during the interview process we liked him, and we met him after the draft and liked him, but when you see how he is as a teammate and a person at prospects camp and what an enjoyable young man this guy is, we know we made the right call.”

Seventeen-year-old prospect Carter Capton was also in the running last year, but after a sub-par showing, has instead signed with the B.C. Hockey League’s Cranbrook Bucks and won’t be attending camp.

Four goalies will be at rookie camp — including 2022 draft pick Ryder Green — with five or six expected to skate at main camp. That was done on purpose for the big three.

“I want them to see as many pucks as they can moving into the pre-season,” Moulton said.

After his Team Canada experience, Bjarnason said he was looking forward to Wheat Kings camp. While he would seem to have the inside track at earning the starting job, Bjarnason wasn’t taking anything for granted and was simply coming to earn a roster spot.

“It tells me he has the right mindset,” Moulton said. “When you become complacent at any position at this level, that’s when you get yourself in trouble. That’s the best part of having a competitive camp, is that it motivates our veteran players to say ‘Hey, I have to go.’ I love the fact that Barney has that mentality because he has obviously knows that Jones is a good goaltender and so is Ethan Eskit so he has to go.

“I think every kid should have that. If you were forward three last year, you should want to be forward one. If you were D5 last year, you should want to be D2 or D1.’”

And that’s certainly what he wants from his three young goalies.

“If for some reason, two of those three guys can’t carry the mail, then maybe we have to look at something else,” Moulton said. “But right now, we’re going to leave it up to those three guys.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson

 

GOALIES 

(V—veteran, S—signed, D—Drafted but unsigned, L—Listed but unsigned, FA—Free agent camp invite. All stats are from the team they played with the most during the 2021-22 regular season.)

2004 (18-year-old season)

• Nicholas Jones (s)

6-1, 195 lbs, Calgary

Calgary Bisons U18 (AEHL)

19gp, 1.64 gaa, .937 save %

2005 (17-year-old season)

• Carson Bjarnason (v)

6-2, 181 lbs, Carberry

Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

23gp, 4.00 gaa, .882 save %

• KC Couckuyt (fa)

5-10, 140 lbs, Brandon

Brandon Wheat Kings U18 (MMAAA)

22gp, 2.97 gaa, .912 save %

2006 (16-year-old season)

• Ethan Eskit (s)

5-11, 170 lbs, Calgary

Yale U17 (CSSHL)

18gp, 2.75 gaa, .907 save %

• Casey Berry (fa)

5-11, 164 lbs, Brandon

Brandon Wheat Kings U17 (WAAA)

19gp, 3.86 gaa, .886 save %

2007 (15-year-old season)

• Ryder Green (d)

5-9, 148 lbs, Prince George, BC

Cariboo Cougars U15 (BCEHL)

17gp, 4.18 gaa, n/a save %

• Connor Knorr (fa)

5-9, 145 lbs, Sherwood Park, Alta.

OHA Edmonton U15 (CSSHL)

15gp, 3.69 gaa, .884 save %