Addison Vines enjoys blueline patrol with Wildcats

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This article was published 27/12/2023 (699 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Addison Vines played Timbits hockey, a piece of pink tape with her name on it was placed across her hockey helmet so coaches would know her by name.

Her tape on a short hockey stick was pink. So was her mouthguard.

It was 2011, and her black and white Tim Hortons jersey fit Vines like a dress.

Fast forward to 2023, and the now five-foot-six, 135-pound left-shooting blue-liner is wearing the colours of the Westman Wildcats in the U18 AAA Manitoba Female Hockey League.

Having played all of her minor hockey out of Brandon since she first started skating at age three, she now calls the Hartney Arena home.

Her team is currently in fifth-place at the Christmas break, with a 10-6-1 record. The Wildcats are 12 points behind the first-place Winnipeg Ice (16-2-1) and just five back of the second-place Winnipeg Avros (12-6-2).

There’s still plenty of time to catch those Winnipeg teams, and Vines is ready to lead her teammates when the regular season commences again after Christmas break.

Prior to Christmas break, on Dec. 17 the Wildcats edged the Ice 3-2. Up next, the team hosts the fourth-place Eastman Selects (10-6-2) on Jan. 6, then are on the road the following day with a tilt against the eighth-place Central Plains Capitals (2-15-1).

From her rookie season to now, Vines has seen growth in her on-ice play and progress since that day she needed help with skate lace-tying and putting on a Tim Hortons jersey.

“My puck control and confidence have improved as well as my ability to play offensively,” she says. “I am a reliable defenceman who can be relied on in any situation. I see the ice and move the puck well, and I win battles in the corner.”

She added regarding other intangibles when it comes to playing minor hockey, “I also communicate well and always have a positive attitude.”

It was a lot different that first time when she stepped on the ice to play organized hockey.

“I can remember being so nervous because I only knew one other kid on my team, but I knew pretty quickly I loved it, and made my dad build a rink in our backyard so I could keep practising,” she recalled.

Hockey, whether a practice in the evening at the Hartney Arena or in battles with opposing forwards, is absolute fun for Vines. The 12th grader can forget about the homework awaiting her while she concentrates on her defensive responsibilities in front of rookie goalies Kylie Hack and Danica Averill.

Brandon’s minor hockey program has helped with Vines progression to playing U18 AAA hockey.

“I feel like the opportunities I received throughout minor hockey to play on AA teams as well as spring hockey helped to make the transition to the AAA level easier,” she says.

In 35 games playing for the Wildcats leading up to her senior season, Vines had four goals, seven assists and 30 penalty minutes.

This season, after 17 games, she has three helpers and spent 14 minutes in the penalty box.

As girls and women’s hockey across Canada has grown to now having a new professional hockey league starting up in January, Vines started out playing with boys in 2011. It only lasted three years.

“I played boys hockey for two years of Timbits and my first year of U9, and then for the year that would have been my major U9 year, I ended up playing U11 girls instead,” she recalls. “It was definitely a benefit to play with the girls two years older than me.”

As an older player, coaches are looking to Vines and other veterans on the U18 AAA team to lead the way on and off the ice. She embraces this responsibility, knowing the seniors before her helped her make the transition to U18 AAA hockey.

It’s a different grind than what she was used to playing out of Enns Brothers or Flynn Arenas, with an occasional practice and weekend games on home ice.

“I would say I work hard to make the younger girls feel supported and to feel like they always have someone they can come to if they need,” she says of her leadership approach. “On the ice I try to lead by example with my work ethic and positive attitude.”

Vines also set some goals for herself in September knowing this would be her final season wearing a Wildcats jersey.

“My goals for this season included working on my overall strength and speed, playing more offensively and trying to assist my team to a third trip to the MFHL finals.”

Unlike a blue-liner with a two-way approach, Vines has always considered herself a one-way defender when it came to defending against opposing forwards bent on beating her goalies. But as she’s matured, her game has added another dimension.

“I have always been more of a stay-at-home defenceman, but I am finding this year as I take on more of a leadership role, that I have also developed more confidence in my offensive play,” she says.

She already has one provincial title on her resume playing for the Wildcats, and would like to add a second in spring 2024. Vines knows it’s not going to be easy, especially with the Ice and Avros both having strong squads.

But she knows the post-season is different, and anything can happen if a team gets on a roll.

“It was an unreal experience and an honour to hold the title of provincial champ in a league as competitive as the MFHL,” she says.

And knowing the playoffs will mean an end to her three-year career with the Wildcats organization, what will she miss the most?

“Everything,” she says. “I have been so lucky to work with such an amazing group of coaches, excellent teammates, who are not only my teammates, but also have become some of my best friends … just the overall community and family feel the Wildcats program brings.”

With four more months of hockey to be played, Vines knows where she will be with the advent of fall 2024. She’s committed to playing hockey for the Manitoba Bisons when she attends university in Winnipeg. It was an easy decision to make the move east down Highway 1 and leave home in Brandon.

“I chose U of M because I really liked the coaches and their coaching philosophy. I also have a previous teammate (Sophia Anderson) who is playing there this year and was really happy with her decision to be there … being close to home was another factor in my decision.”

However, she did do her due diligence and researched post-secondary hockey options.

“My (Wildcats) coach Guy Williams encouraged us to reach out to all teams across Canada and the United States, which I did starting in Grade 10,” she recalls. “But once I spoke to the coaches from the Bisons I knew it was going to be a good fit for me so I didn’t need to look any further.

“I reached out to the Bisons in my Grade 10 year, but it wasn’t until December of Grade 11 that they first approached me and made their interest known in having me join their program. We continued to have ongoing communication and campus tours until their official offer came in September of my Grade 12 year.”

What piqued the interest of Bisons coach Jon Rempel, who is in his ninth season coaching the team, when it came to adding Vines to his blueline?

In conversations with the coach, Vines says, “(He) was impressed with my poise with the puck and my ability to remain calm in high pressure situations.”

For Vines, she’s always looking to improve her game, and that includes this season and looking to the move to university hockey. If there are weaknesses in her game, she’s identified them and is honing her skills on and off the ice.

“I’m working hard off-ice to increase my strength and endurance which will translate to an increase in speed on the ice,” she says. “I am also working at a goalie camp which helps with my shot strength and accuracy.

“I’ve already started my preparation with an in-season training program. As far as on-ice training, my plans will be similar to last summer which involved skating a couple times a week with some of the university/college athletes from the area who were home for the off-season.

“I feel this is helping to prepare me for that next jump up to the U Sport level.”

Growing up a young female hockey player, did Vines have her favourites she wanted to emulate or cheered on when Team Canada played in the Winter Olympics or world championships?

“My favourite women players have always been Marie-Philip Poulin and (former Wildcat) Ashton Bell,” she offers. “It’s not so much I compare myself to them, but more so I look up to them in regard to their dedication and work ethic.”

There’s another favourite female player on her list — teammate and fellow blue-liner Hallie Franklin, who she will face in U Sports in 2024 after they go their separate ways. From Deloraine, like Vines, she has recently committed to attend the University of Saskatchewan where she’s going to play for the Huskies.

What ever happens in the next chapter of her hockey career, Vines will continue to follow her motto when she makes that move to U Sports hockey next fall

“Keep pushing myself to be the best I can be,” she says.

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