WHL NOTEBOOK: Wood’s perseverance pays off with Wild

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This article was published 28/11/2023 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Just over a year ago, the Winnipeg Ice reassigned Briley Wood to the Neepawa Titans.

Now the 20-year-old forward from Rivers finds himself skating as an alternate captain with one of the best teams in the Western Hockey League, the Wenatchee Wild

“It’s pretty great,” Wood said. “I just came in this year with the mindset to play the best I could. It’s my last year of junior and I just wanted to enjoy it and take it all in every day.”

Nothing has ever been handed to the hard-working Wood, who stands six-foot-three and weighs 188 pounds. Wood made his WHL debut at Westoba Place on Nov. 2, 2019, a month after signing with the Lethbridge Hurricanes as an undrafted free agent.

He played five games with the Hurricanes in the 2019-20 season while finishing second in scoring with the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League’s Yellowhead Chiefs with 27 goals and 31 assists in 43 games.

With the start of the 2020-21 WHL season delayed, Wood joined the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Titans, the club that drafted him 14th overall in the 2018 draft. He played 10 games there before the season was cancelled due to COVID, and skated in 15 games for Lethbridge after the shortened WHL season started in the New Year.

In his one full season in Lethbridge, the 2021-22 campaign, Wood posted a pair of goals and three assists in 58 games.

NEEPAWA

The Ice acquired him on Aug. 8, 2022 for a sixth-round pick in 2025. After he played nine games with Winnipeg to start the season, he was reassigned to Neepawa on Oct. 30. While he was heading to a familiar spot, it wasn’t easy news to hear, although they promised he would return.

“I never doubted,” Wood said. “They told me I could come back for playoffs after my season was done in Neepawa so that’s what I did. I knew I would have another shot at it after I came back.”

As it turned out, Neepawa was a perfect fit. The player who had 106 points in 90 career games at the U18 level was able to rebuild his confidence: During his 39-game tenure in Neepawa, Wood exploded for 19 goals and 38 assists with 57 penalty minutes.

“I think that was a huge part going back to Neepawa,” Wood said. “I played a lot more and got a lot more confidence in my game, which helped me a lot.”

As promised, the Ice called Wood back up on March 19, one day after Neepawa’s final game.

“It was great,” Wood said. “The guys were all happy that I was back and I was glad to come back for playoffs. To go on the run that we did, it was such a cool experience to go through it all. Coming up short at the end wasn’t the best, but I learned a lot and had a ton of fun.”

In four games before the end of the season, Wood scored his second goal of the season with Winnipeg, a marker that came late in the third period to tie a game with the Wheat Kings that the Ice won 3-2 in a shootout.

In 19 playoff games, he had three assists and one goal, which just happened to be the series winner in their Eastern Conference final against the Saskatoon Blades. In the final, the Ice fell in five games to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

“It was phenomenal,” Wood said of the playoff run. “Playing against Seattle, they had a lot of NHL draft picks and we did, too. There were great players on both sides and it was fast paced and physical. Playing in front of those crowds, I’ll remember that for sure. In Seattle, their fans were crazy. The atmosphere was just an unreal experience.”

NEW OPPORTUNITY

The league final proved to be the final gasp for the Winnipeg Ice, who were moved to Wenatchee in the offseason to become the Wild.

But in the meantime, Wood received an invitation to development camp with the Colorado Avalanche a couple weeks after the season ended.

“I went there and that was a really cool experience,” Wood said. “Being in the NHL atmosphere for the first time was something you’ll never forget. I just soaked it all in and tried to have as much fun as I could, which I did. It was unreal.”

When Wood made his first trip to Wenatchee in late August for camp, he certainly had to earn his spot.

The Wild had seven 2003-born players competing for three overage spots. The others were forwards Ty Nash (who is now with the Edmonton Oil Kings) and Easton Armstrong (Saskatoon Blades), goalie Mason Beaupit (BCHL’s Langley Rivermen), defencemen Wyatt Wilson (Vancouver Giants) and the other two who made the cut in Wenatchee, Graham Sward and Karter Prosfofsky.

“You can’t really worry about what’s going to happen,” Wood said. “You have to put your head down and go to work and do the best you can. Whatever happens, happens. You try not to worry about all the overagers we’ve got or if I’m going to stay or not. You just play your game and work hard and see what happens.”

Nobody actually told him he was staying, but with just four overagers left on the team, Wilson was claimed off waivers by the Edmonton Oil Kings on Oct. 20, and traded to Vancouver later that day for Skyler Bruce.

That meant the guy who was playing in the MJHL last season had claimed one of the 66 overage spots in the league.

“I figured I had made the team,” Wood said.

MORE OFFENCE

In 23 games this season, he has offensive career highs across the board, with nine goals and eight assists. He also has six penalty minutes and a plus-minus of +6.

He said a couple of things have gone into his offensive breakthrough.

“I think it’s both, opportunity and confidence,” Wood said. “To play in this league, you need to have confidence, and when you get that opportunity, you have to make the most of it and trust yourself and the work you put in. Those are two huge things for sure and both go together.”

In 115 career games in the WHL regular season, he has 13 goals, 11 assists and 36 penalty minutes. He played alongside Strathclair’s Conor Geekie for a while, but after the Buffalo Sabres reassigned Matthew Savoie, he has moved onto a line with Winnipegger Evan Friesen and rookie Miles Cooper of Calgary.

Wood has taken on a leadership role with the team as well after being named one of the club’s alternate captains. It’s a role he takes seriously.

“That’s something I really take pride in,” Wood said. “It’s amazing. I just help out our young guys when they need it and be there for them if they’re having a tough time away from home. I know what that’s like so I try to be there for my teammates and push them to do the best they can. It’s really something special.”

So is the opportunity to live in Wenatchee, a community of 35,000 located in central Washington state, straight south of Kamloops, B.C.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Wood said with a chuckle. “It’s a beautiful place down here. It’s different than the Prairies back home. There are mountains and valleys everywhere. It’s a beautiful city and the community is great. We have great fans and they support us a lot.”

It’s been a nice change of address for Wood and Strathclair’s Geekie, who played together in the Yellowhead Chiefs system on the U15 AAA team in 2017-18 and on the U18 AAA team in 2019-20.

“Me and Conor get along great,” Wood said. “I’ve known him for a long time, played against him and played with him. He’s an unreal player. He does something different every night that just amazes you. I’m sure he’s going to have a great career. It’s just so much fun playing with him again.”

Like all players in their overage seasons, Wood is also playing for next year. But his hope for drumming up future opportunities is overshadowed by the spectre of another playoff run.

“Personally, it’s my last year of junior so I’m going to put my head down and work hard and try and get a pro contract. That would be my goal for this year. With team goals, I think we have a really great team and have a lot of young guys with a lot of skill and great goaltending. I think we can make another good run here in the playoffs for sure.”

Wood added he is also weighing the option of using his WHL scholarship money to go to school next year if pro opportunities aren’t available.

But with all that on his mind, he’s also taking time to treasure the benefits of his hard work, one last season in the WHL.

“I reflect on it and I realize how far I’ve come but now I just take it day by day,” Wood said. “I just want to keep getting better and doing the best I can.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — This is a straight 50-50 question about the Wheat Kings and the playoffs. In the Internet era, which began in 1996, is Brandon more likely to shut out its opponent, or to be shut out? One of Brandon’s playoff shutouts is among the biggest games in team history. What happened that night?

• GOALIE GOAL — On Sunday evening, 18-year-old Spokane Chiefs netminder Dawson Cowan of Warren was credited with scoring. He touched the puck off Diego Buttazzoni’s shot that rung off the glass and down the ice into the empty net.

• WEEKLY AWARDS — The player of the week is, not surprisingly, 18-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers forward Andrew Basha of Calgary after he had four goals and an assist in a 6-1 victory over Brandon on Saturday. He also had an assist in Medicine Hat’s other win.

The goaltender of the week is Spokane netminder Dawson Cowan, who made 34 saves and had a goal and an assist in his team’s 5-2 win over Portland on Sunday. He made 29 saves in a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Giants, and turned aside 24 shots in an 8-1 win over the Victoria Royals.

The rookie of the week is 17-year-old Wheat Kings goalie Ethan Eskit of Calgary, who posted a 1.22 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in two starts and one relief appearance between Friday and Sunday. He made 29 saves in a 2-0 loss to the Red Deer Rebels on Friday, stopped seven of eight shots he faced in a 6-1 loss to Medicine Hat and blocked 25 shots against the Prince Albert Raiders in a 3-1 victory.

• PRO DEAL — Everett Silvertips forward Ben Hemmerling from Sherwood Park, Alta., has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights. The 19-year-old forward, who in his fourth season with the Silvertips, has 41 goals and 100 assists in 158 games.

• SIN BIN — Ethan Mittelstead of the Kelowna Rockets received a one-game suspension for a cross checking major and game misconduct in a game against the Seattle Thunderbirds last Wednesday.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — Former Wheat Kings defenceman Rylan Thiessen, 22, is suiting up for the Brock Badgers in his second U Sports season, along with former Brandon goalie Connor Ungar. He has one goal and two assists in 16 games this season. Thiessen made his WHL debut in 2018-19 with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and was acquired by his hometown Wheat Kings on Dec. 4, 2019. He played 31 games for Brandon over two seasons — one of which was in the Regina hub during the shortened COVID year — and was traded to the Swift Current Broncos prior to his overage season. After he was released by the Broncos, he joined the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Flin Flon Bombers and played in the Centennial Cup. Last season he had a pair of assists in 16 games for the Badgers.

• THE WEEK AHEAD — Brandon has an unusually light week, with the Regina Pats visiting Westoba Place on Friday at 7 p.m., as they start a season-high eight-game home stand. Their other games before Christmas are against the Red Deer Rebels (Tuesday, Dec. 5), Moose Jaw Warriors (Friday, Dec. 8), Kamloops Blazers (Saturday, Dec. 9), Kelowna Rockets (Wednesday, Dec. 13) and Moose Jaw (Saturday, Dec. 16). All the games start at 7 p.m.

• ANSWER — An old expression suggests that water always finds its level, so a lot of stats end up close to 50-50 over time. That’s certainly not true of this one. Since 1996, Brandon has played in 19 playoff games which ended in a shutout, and their record is 4-15.

The last shutout against the Wheat Kings was a 5-0 loss to the Red Deer Rebels on April 22, 2022 in Game 1 of their quarterfinal series.

Brandon’s last shutout of an opponent was a 5-0 victory over the host Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 4 on March 31, 2016 to tie that quarterfinal series 2-2. Jordan Papirny made 15 saves, and Brandon won the series in six games.

Brandon’s playoff shutouts prior to that were:

• March 23, 2002 — In Brandon, Robert McVicar made 25 saves in a 2-0 victory over the Saskatoon Blades in Game 2 of their first-round series. The Wheat Kings won in seven games.

• March 23, 2001 — In the first-round series opener, McVicar stopped 28 shots in a 3-0 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos. The Broncos won the series in six games.

• May 2, 1996 — In Game 5 of the league final, Jody Lehman stopped 26 shots as Brandon beat the Spokane Chiefs 3-0 to win the WHL championship. It was the second shutout of that series, with David Lemanowicz turning aside 31 shots in Game 2 in a 1-0 Spokane victory. Former Brandon defenceman Adam Magarrell scored on a shot from the point that night for the only goal.

Brandon has been shut out in the league final two other times, both 3-0 decisions at the hands of the Kelowna Rockets. The games were on May 6, 2005 and May 13, 2015.