Luke Shipley builds on WHL experience

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This article was published 13/03/2024 (778 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Each season Luke Shipley has played in the Western Hockey League, his game has taken a leap forward: This year it’s been massive.

The 19-year-old Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman has displayed a new level of confidence and performance both defensively and offensively in his fourth WHL campaign.

“I think there’s definitely been growth,” Shipley said. “I think I’ve taken a big leap in just being a better all-around player. My defensive play has definitely improved this year. Numbers-wise my offence has been better as well, but there are still times and things I think I can improve on quite a bit.”

As an older player in the league, his physical maturity certainly helps. But so does the experience have having seen it all before.

“It’s just knowing what the team needs and what I need to be successful,” Shipley said. “I really took a deep look this off-season and I honestly worked as hard as I possibly could to get better. I was looking at my skating and trying to improve that and also my defensive play.

“Last year there were times when I struggled, that was no secret. I also gained weight and that helps a lot, just being comfortable and confident boxing guys out and competing.”

The six-foot, 186-pound Shipley, who is a right-handed shot, was in action last night with the Wheat Kings at Sasktel Place against the Saskatoon Blades in a game which ended after deadline.

Shipley, who was born in Campbell River, but moved with his family to Powell River when he was young, was selected by the Victoria Royals in the sixth round with the 122th overall pick in the 2019 WHL draft.

He made the jump to the WHL as a 16-year-old for the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, suiting up in 18 games. He played 66 games with Victoria in his 17-year-old season, contributing two goals, eight assists and 29 penalty minutes.

Last season, he had two goals and eight assists in 19 games with the Royals when he and forward Tony Wilson were acquired by Brandon on Nov. 24, 2022 for Teydon Trembecky, a third-round pick in 2023, a fifth-round pick in 2024 and a fourth-round pick in 2026.

The third-round pick, which originally belonged to the Red Deer Rebels, was acquired in the Tyson Zimmer trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sept. 27.

Shipley said it was a long process to become fully integrated into a new room.

“Last year was difficult at times,” Shipley said. “This year our group is so tight, and being tight around the staff and all the trainers and everything, I would say it was probably the start of this year to be fully comfortable being a 19-year-old veteran in this league.”

He said this new comfort level came from a combination of actually going through a full camp with the team, and knowing his way around the city and organization.

“Brandon is pretty small so you figure out everything pretty quickly,” Shipley said. “It’s just learning and growing with everyone and getting to know the younger guys and being able to help them out and be a leader.

“Last year, I was 18 and a little bit younger but still I felt like I had a presence in a leadership role. This year I could just be myself and be a leader and doing what I can.”

The defenceman had seven goals and 14 assists in 43 games with the Wheat Kings to finish the 2022-23 season. Shipley, who has eight goals this season, has set career highs in assists (27), penalty minutes (84) and plus-minus (+12).

In his WHL career, he has 20 goals, 62 assists and 270 penalty minutes in 208 games, with a plus-minus of -25, the latter entirely a legacy of his time in Victoria.

The team has made some moves this year, bringing in Matteo Michels, Jackson DeSouza, Rhett Ravndahl, Nick Johnson and Seth Tansem, but Shipley said the chemistry in the room remains outstanding.

“This is one of the closest teams I’ve ever been a part of,” Shipley said. “Pretty much every guy you ask would say the same. There are a lot of jokers in that room. We keep it pretty light, but we’re serious when we need to be. Honestly, the guys we brought in, Mikey, Souz, Johnny, Rav, all great guys and they fit right in. I couldn’t be any happier with them.”

The Michels deal with the Regina Pats was an odd one for Shipley, however, because his friend Wilson went the other way in a one-for-one swap of 18-year-old forwards on Nov. 13, 2023.

“I’ve been with him my whole career and I got traded here with him,” Shipley said. “It was a little different but he needed an opportunity somewhere different and he’s happy now so that’s all you can ask for.”

The season has been an up-and-down ride for the Wheat Kings, with a disappointing American road trip early in the season when they went 1-3-1-1. They eventually found their way, uncorking an eight-game winning streak before Christmas, but they’ve been inconsistent since as they weathered the trade of captain Nate Danielson, a raft of injuries and several suspensions that have left them short staffed up front most nights for the last several weeks.

“We started off not how we wanted to, and went on that road trip and were disappointed with our results,” Shipley said. “We felt like we played well but we didn’t close games out and that was pretty disappointing. There were definitely ups and downs.

“Then we got to around Christmas so we knew we had that home stand that was going to make or break our season. That’s where we all came together and realized we are a special team and we’re a special group together. There have been ups and downs, losing players, injuries, suspensions, it’s been tough to go through, but I think throughout the year the life in the room has been pretty high.”

By leaving points on the table earlier in the season, the sixth-place Wheat Kings (30-27-6-1) now find themselves in the thick of a playoff battle, with the Prince Albert Raiders (30-27-2-3) and Lethbridge Hurricanes (30-27-5-0) both two points back with two games in hand.

The ninth-place Calgary Hitmen (26-29-7-1) also remain in the picture, although any combination of two Brandon wins in regulation or two Calgary losses in regulation would guarantee the Wheat Kings a playoff spot. Shipley said his team’s truculence at the end of a 6-3 loss to the Swift Current Broncos showed how the team needs to play for each other.

“We have to win,” Shipley said. “We want to get sixth and finish as high as we possibly can and make the playoffs. We just have to play together and honestly just come together as a group, just like the end of last game.

“We didn’t win but we stuck together and we got through it, and I think that’s going to give us some momentum by sticking together and having each other’s backs and being there for each other.”

Shipley is a long way from home and father Richard, mother Michelle, older brother Gabe and younger sister Addy, although Michelle was in Brandon for the most recent games at home and both parents followed the team on the U.S. road trip.

Still, the move to Brandon has proven to be a terrific change of scenery.

“I’ve gotten an opportunity here to succeed,” Shipley said. “I have pretty high standards for myself so I hold myself to a high standard, and I’m still trying to get to a level I’m happy with. I’m not sure they’ll ever be a level I’m happy with but I’ve had lots of opportunity and chances to succeed so this has been a great fit for me.”

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