Trimble looks forward to joining Bisons

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/08/2023 (799 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Up until a few weeks ago, Gladstone’s Cameron Trimble wasn’t totally sure what the upcoming hockey season had in store for him.

After graduating from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Neepawa Titans in March, the 21-year-old was focusing on heading to the University of Manitoba to pursue a degree in agribusiness.

If time allowed, he was hoping to get back on the ice in the Tiger Hills Hockey League as a member of the Gladstone Lakers.

Then he got a phone call from new Manitoba Bisons men’s hockey head coach Gordon Burnett who told Trimble that the team was looking for a two-way centreman and wanted to see if he was interested in joining the Canada West side.

“It was pretty much a no-brainer for me once I got the call,” said Trimble, who officially joined the Bisons on Tuesday. “This is what I was hoping for when I started my final season in the MJHL last fall.

“Honestly, it all happened super fast. I went from not expecting to play at all and getting ready for my studies to being a member of the Bisons.”

With training camp set to start around Labour Day weekend, Trimble is going to be busy during the next couple of weeks as he looks to get in tip-top condition for when he takes to the ice for the first time at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

“My approach is basically the same as it has been for the last few summers, but it’s just a late start this time around as I didn’t think I was going to be playing anywhere this fall,” Trimble said.

“It’s going to be a pretty busy time for me for the next little bit, especially as I try to get as much ice time as I can.”

Trimble is one of several freshman players joining the Bisons after their MJHL stints.

That group includes defenceman Kian Calder (Portage Terriers) and Owen Wareham (Dauphin Kings), along with forwards Andrew Boucher (Waywayseecappo Wolverines), Josh Paulhus (Niverville Nighthawks) and Riley Zimmerman (OCN Blizzard).

“The MJHL is a good league,” Trimble said. “You have to play a hard style of hockey in order to be successful and I think that transition to Canada West play will go pretty nicely for me.”

After putting up 146 points in 133 games at the under-18 level with the Central Plains Capitals, Trimble signed with the Titans in the spring of 2020.

His first season in Neepawa ended in short order as he only got to play in seven games before the MJHL campaign was eventually shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trimble got the full junior hockey experience over the next two seasons as he recorded 57 points — 26 goals and 31 assists — in 94 regular season contests.

“It was a bit of a hard process during that first year,” Trimble said. “I went from playing lots of minutes AAA to only playing a couple of games and then having the whole year pretty much end.

“Everyone in Neepawa was so good though and they made it pretty easy for me as I got comfortable and found my style of game during my second year there.”

Trimble said the lessons that he learned from Titans head coach and general manager Ken Pearson, along with everyone else within the organization, will help him a lot as he moves forward.

“There’s so much you have to adjust to,” Trimble said.

“Obviously there’s the speed of the game, and since everyone is a little bit bigger and stronger, you have to move the puck that much quicker. You are also living away from home for the first time, so there are things that you have to learn about the challenges that come with that.”

While Trimble is excited about getting the chance to play at the university level, he’s also looking forward to exploring Western Canada.

“I’ve been to Vancouver once but a lot of the places will be new for me,” Trimble added.

“Getting to see those cities and explore the school is going to be a fun experience.”

» lpunkari@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @lpunkari