WHL NOTEBOOK: Grady’s lane leads back to Virden

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This article was published 31/10/2023 (884 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If Grady Lane’s future disappointments work out as well as the last one, he’s going to lead a charmed life.

On Oct. 24, the Victoria Royals reassigned the overage forward to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Virden Oil Capitals, where he joined Braeden Lewis, Luke Robson and Ty Plaisier, three other Western Hockey League players who have been sent down in recent weeks. After Lane found out the news in Victoria, he made three calls. The first was to his father Craig, the second was to Oil Capitals head coach and general manager Tyson Ramsey and the third was to his best friend, Lewis.

The pair grew up together in Virden, and in a strange coincidence, Lewis was waived on Oct. 10 by the Swift Current Broncos.

“He was here two weeks before I was so he was in my ear quite a bit about it,” Lane said. “I think I called my dad first, then Rammer in Virden to let him know I was coming back, then Braeden was the third one. We’ve been talking about this for a while, probably over the last year or two about how cool it would be not only me and him but the other local guys and Southwest guys too would come back and make a run in our last year.”

While it’s not ideal for either player, it’s a remarkably good Plan B.

“We went through a situation that was quite similar,” Lewis said with a chuckle. “It made it a lot easier having a buddy who was in the same boat as you. I was hoping for the best for him to stay in Victoria and continue playing his last year of hockey in the WHL, but it is kind of a bittersweet ending. Him coming back and us getting to finish our junior careers together is kind of a storybook ending.”

“He is my best friend since we were kids,” Lewis added. “It’s pretty exciting to have him back there.”

HOCKEY PATH

The six-foot-two, 193-pound Lane, who turns 21 in March, was the first overall pick in the 2018 MJHL draft, and taken in the eighth round, 156th overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2018 WHL draft.

Lane made a one-game WHL debut in the 2019-20 season at age 16 before being sent back to the Winkler, where he had 21 points and 126 penalty minutes in 48 games.

In the next three seasons as a full-time player in Spokane, he had eight goals, 15 assists and 223 penalty minutes in 128 games as a heart-and soul player in an energy role.

He had a good sense that things might change this season.

If you think life is easy as an overager precariously hanging on to one of your team’s three spots, it isn’t. Lane said the stress actually begins at 19.

“Even going back into last year, you’re already thinking about it,” Lane said. “Obviously Spokane traded for Conner Roulette and bumped me out and Victoria picked me up. Still, when you’re over there, there are no real guarantees. Every day or so you’re seeing guys on Twitter and whatnot who are going to waivers and you’re nervous if your team is going to pick them up or make a trade.

“Eventually in Victoria, we did make a trade and had four, and ultimately I was the odd man out, but there couldn’t be a better Plan B for me playing in my hometown and trying to win a championship here.”

After acquiring Roulette from the Saskatoon Blades on May 31, Spokane sent Lane to Victoria on June 27 for an eighth-round pick in 2025. Lane’s days in Victoria ended three weeks after the Royals acquired overage forward Dawson Pasternak from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 5.

In eight games in Victoria, he was held without a point but had 27 penalty minutes.

Lane was able to come back to Virden because of a nifty deal Ramsey made three years ago.

On Sept. 21, 2020, Virden sent 20-year-old hometown forward Tanner Andrew to Winkler in exchange for Lane, Brandon product Calder Anderson and a draft pick.

“Especially being away from home the last four-ish years, it’s even nice for my parents (Craig and Stacey) not having to fly across the country to come see me play,” Lane said. “That’s pretty exciting for them.

“Growing up and watching the Oil Caps since 2012 when they came into the league, watching them and the Wheat Kings — both of them are teams you root for — so it’s really cool to do that. “And all of us know we have a really good team. We have the pieces to do it this year. Those guys got a taste of it being in the final last year so it’s a really exciting time for the community.”

COMING HOME

It’s not just a nice story for the player. It’s also a great pickup for the team. Lewis said his friend offers the team something they were missing.

“He is a big power forward, and that’s something in the game of hockey that you don’t see as often,” Lewis said. “Those guys are super impactful and when you add him into our lineup of fast and skilled players, he adds an extra layer of protection. He gives guys a little more freedom out there and you feel protected knowing he’s on your team. “Obviously it’s very exciting to watch him play. He’ll be a fan favourite here in Virden.”

Needless to say, the two buddies are fired up about this unexpected chance to skate together. “It’s unbelievably cool,” Lane said. “With us being in the Western League on different teams and even different conferences, I only played against him once after playing with him my whole life and him being my best friend off the ice. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that not many guys get to do. We’re both really excited for the opportunity here. All we want to do is win.”

Lewis said the pair were in contact at least every other day when he was in Swift Current and Lane was in Spokane and then Victoria.

“It was always nice to have a familiar face in the same situation that you are,” Lewis said. “He got to see a lot more scenery of Canada than I did so I had to pick his brain about that. That’s always a good thing. Me and him grew up best friends so just going through the process together of getting drafted on the same day. Actually he’s the one who told me I got drafted.

“He’s been like a rock to me. I could always bounce ideas off him and if I ever needed to vent, I could go to him and he always had a listening ear for me. I’m forever grateful for him.”

LOCAL TALENT

It doesn’t hurt the pair that they have a bunch of their buddies from minor hockey surrounding them in Virden.

The club has a prominent western Manitoba flavour — Lane, Lewis, Plaisier, Eric Reid and Bryce Bryant of Virden; Nolan Chastko, Cole Slobodian, Ethan Guthrie and Nolan Wallace of Brandon; Layton Veitch of Rivers, Robson of Carberry; Roux Bazin of Treherne; Luke MacKenzie of Pipestone; Trevor Hunt of Hartney; and Owen LaRocque of Wawanesa — so the players are well known to each other, regardless of their age.

Hunt and Reid are also 2003-born players who grew up playing with Lane and Lewis, and Plaisier was a frequent callup although he’s two years younger.

“It’s hilarious how that works out,” Lane said. “It’s wild. Not all the team but it feels like our Southwest bantam team that won in our second year, there’s a good chunk of guys on the team too who played. We had success. We won in bantam and we won pretty much everything in peewee too. Hopefully we can do the same thing this year.”

“We keep making the joke that we’re recreating our peewee team from our major year,” Lewis added. “When you look back at it, we have half of them here. It’s pretty funny. It’s going to be a fun season.”

FITTING IN

Despite the fact he knows the other players, Lane understood he was walking into an established dressing room in Virden, and is choosing to tread carefully until he gets a sense of the lay of the land. He brings ample leadership ability, serving as an alternate captain in Spokane last season and winning the player’s player award that was voted on by his teammates.

“You don’t really want to step on anyone’s toes,” Lane said. “It was the same going in Victoria at the start of this year. Going through it already this year, you work your way into what kind of leadership role you’re going to be a vocal guy or a lead-by-example guy.

“The nice thing about this is that I knew every single guy in the dressing room pretty well before getting back just from skating with them before I would go out to (Spokane or Victoria).”

Lane and Lewis haven’t skated together yet with the Oil Capitals, but it is a long season. And while they haven’t been linemates for a few years, there is no shortage of chemistry for them to draw on if that day ever comes, even if they’re missing their third minor hockey linemate Hunter Wallace, who plays with the Brooks Bandits in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

“I actually can’t think of a time we didn’t play together,” Lewis said. “Our bantam major year we played every game on the same line with our buddy Hunter Wallace, who is in Brooks. We’ve been following him quite closely and are quite proud of him. Peewee, atom, all the way down to when we started, we were always on the same team.”

Ramsey’s message to the big forward was simple when he returned: Don’t forget who you are on the ice.

“He said be myself and don’t try to be something you’re not or try to change your game now that you’re technically at a lower level,” Lane said. “Just keep playing my game.”

FOND MEMORIES

If you think the personable young man is harbouring any resentments about how his WHL journey ended, you don’t know Grady Lane.

Hockey allowed him to have some amazing experiences, and he won’t soon forget all the things he saw and the people he met in the Pacific Northwest and on Vancouver Island.

“It’s unbelievable,” Lane said. “Anyone who asks me, I tell them the same thing. It will be the best experience of my life. I’m just so grateful for all the experiences I had in the Western League. Not many people, especially where I’m from, get to live in West Coast cities like Spokane and Victoria for a little bit too.

“I have endless thanks and gratitude for my time in the Western League. It was the best years of my life.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — Brandon made an important six-player deal in January 1995 that had a major impact in the team winning the WHL championship in 1996. Can you remember which players were involved? Here’s a hint. Four players went to the Prince George Cougars and two came to Brandon.

• ON THE MOVE — In the first deal in the WHL in 10 days, the Tri-City Americans acquired 19-year-old goaltender Kyle Kelsey from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2024 and a second-round pick in 2025. In six games with the Rebels this season, Kelsey is 2-3-0-1 with a 2.49 goals against average and .917 save percentage. That leaves Red Deer with the tandem of 18-year-old Rhett Stoesser and 17-year-old Chase Wutzke.

Later Monday, the Edmonton Oil Kings acquired 17-year-old forward Smyth Rebman from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for 19-year-old forward Rhett Melnyk and a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2027.

• WEEKLY AWARDS — The player of the week is Moose Jaw Warriors forward Jagger Firkus, 19, of Irma, Alta., after the Seattle Kraken prospect scored six goals and adding three assists in four games. He also earned the honour on Oct. 2.

The goaltender of the week is Prince George’s 16-year-old netminder Joshua Ravensbergen of North Vancouver, B.C., after stopping all 23 shots in a 4-0 victory over the Regina Pats at the Brandt Centre on Sunday.

The rookie of the week is Everett Silvertips forward Julius Miettinen, 17, after the product of Helsinki, Finland had a goal and four assists last week.

• SIN BIN — After a nine-day break from any shenanigans, the WHL’s discipline department has been busy. Seattle Thunderbirds forward Jeremy Hanzel received a one-game suspension for a check from behind major and game misconduct against the Swift Current Broncos on Friday. Calgary Hitmen forward Aleksey Chichkin is waiting to find out how long he’ll be out after a check from behind major and game misconduct earned against the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday.

Prince George forward Aiden Foster is also awaiting to fin out how long he’ll sit for a check to head major and game misconduct earned against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday.

Both the Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos were fined $500 for a multi-fight situation on Saturday. Swift’s Van Egeris waiting to fin out how long he’ll sit for a goaltender interference major and game misconduct earned during the game, and Caleb Wyrostok is awaiting the length of his suspension for taking a match penalty.

• LEAGUE LEADERS — Prince George’s Zac Funk (points, 30), Prince George’s Terik Parascak (goals, 17), Graham Sward of the Wenatchee Wild (assists, 19), Mathew Ward of the Swift Current Broncos (game-winning goals, 3), Rilen Kovacevic of the Edmonton Oil Kings (penalty minutes, 39). In goal, Jan Špunar of the Portland Winterhawks (save percentage, .936 and goals-against average, 1.63), Jackson Unger of the Moose Jaw Warriors (wins, 9), and Prince George’s Joshua Ravensbergen, Wenatchee’s Daniel Hauser and Harrison Meneghin of the Lethbridge Hurricanes share the shutout lead with two each.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — Big defenceman Mason Ward, 21, of Lloydminster, Alta., is attending the University of Alberta and playing with the Pandas, with a goal in eight games and 16 penalty minutes. The Wheat Kings acquired Ward from the Red Deer Rebels on May 17, 2021 for backup goaltender Connor Ungar in a swap of 2002-born players.

In 71 games over two seasons with Brandon, Ward contributed 10 goals, 14 assists, a plus-minus of -5 and 152 penalty minutes. He had 12 more penalty minutes in six playoff games. Ward was dealt to the Swift Current Broncos on Jan. 9, 2023 for defenceman Kayden Sadhra-Kang in another one-for-one transaction, and finished his major junior career there.

• THE WEEK AHEAD — The Wheat Kings only play twice, with Prince George visiting Westoba Place on Wednesday at 7 p.m., and Brandon heading to Regina’s Brandt Centre to meet the Pats on Friday at 8 p.m. (CDT).

• ANSWER — In January 1995, the Wheat Kings acquired forwards Mike Leclerc and Alexandre Vasilevskii of Kyiv, Ukraine from the Cougars for defenceman Ian Walterson, winger Chris Low and future considerations, which ended up being forward Colin Cloutier and defenceman Scott Laluk.

Leclerc, a Winnipeg product, led the Wheat Kings in scoring in the 1995-96 regular season with 111 points, and was second in playoff scoring, behind Bobby Brown, with 25 points in 19 games. After he was acquired by Brandon in 1995, he had 13 points in 23 games and added 16 points in 18 playoff games.

He played 377 regular season and playoff games with three NHL clubs, primarily the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. He retired after the 2005-06 season, which he split between the Phoenix Coyotes and Calgary Flames.

Vasilevskii played just a half-season with Brandon, putting up 17 points in 23 regular season games and and nine points in 18 playoff games. Vasilevskii played four NHL games with the St. Louis Blues, retired after the 2009-10 season and now coaches in the Anaheim Jr. Ducks system.