WHL NOTEBOOK: Stanick relishes final lap in WHL

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This article was published 19/03/2024 (540 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As one happy chapter of Sloan Stanick’s life enters its final phase, the Prince Albert Raiders forward already knows what his future memories will look like.

The fifth-year player in the Western Hockey League, who hails from Rapid City, doubts he’ll be thinking about what took place on the ice.

“I believe every day is a special day in junior hockey,” Stanick said. “It’s not exactly on the ice but in the locker room with the guys, the laughs, the pranks, going out to eat, the meals, just playing cards with the guys on the bus. Those are the memories that will last a lifetime.”

Stanick, 20, was originally chosen 145th overall in 2018 by the Everett Silvertips, but was acquired by the Regina Pats, along with a pair of draft picks, for forward Robbie Holmes on Jan. 10, 2019.

On Oct. 12, 2021, Stanick was traded again, this time to Prince Albert for defenceman Adam McNutt, who spent his overage year with the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League after being released by the Swift Current Broncos.

Stanick, meanwhile, has suited up for all 65 games and is leading the Raiders in scoring with 81 points on 30 goals and 51 assists, one goal off his career high of 31. The six-foot-one, 187-pound forward said there’s been a natural progression in his game for a lot of reasons.

“I believe it starts in the off-season trying to get bigger and stronger, and training as hard as I can every day,” Stanick said. “Coming in each year, you get a little more confidence and get a bigger role and just want to take advantage of it. This has definitely been my best year so far, and it feels good leaving the league by leaving a good mark on the organization and just playing my best hockey in my last year.

“We’ll see where it goes from there.”

Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt certainly appreciates the effort put forth by his alternate captain. He said Stanick has grown and grown during his time in the league.

“When we first got him, you could see the skill for sure, then he got settled in,” Truitt said. “Last year he really came alive. He was a 30-plus goal scorer and realized he could be an impact guy and just took off. This year, he’s not only been that guy but a tremendous leader for us.

“It’s been a progression that’s been a pleasure to be around … He’s been super for us. He’s a great kid to talk to, he’s a great kid to reason with and takes a lot of things with pride. He knows who he is, that he’s a goal scorer and has to produce, and he certainly has.”

A piece of that growth for both coach and player was leadership. As a five-year WHL veteran, more was expected from Stanick, and he delivered.

“His leadership has really blossomed this year,” Truitt said. “He’s taken it to a whole new level. He’s leading in the dressing room, he’s leading on the ice, he’s leading in our practice time. He’s really been a key part of our team.”

That’s not an accident. The former Yellowhead Chiefs star embraced the role before he even returned to Prince Albert last August.

“It’s definitely something I looked forward to in the off-season, coming in and being the guy who the younger guys look up to and someone who can have advice and pointers and how they handle themselves on and off the ice,” Stanick said. “I think I’m a big leader and a big voice in the room and I just try to do my best on and off the ice and lead by example.”

Stanick chuckles when asked if he’s now the old guy in the dressing room telling the stories he heard as a 16-year-old rookie in Regina.

“There were always those 19- and 20-year-olds who said ‘Man, it flies by,’” Stanick said. “You kind of shake your head and agree with them but you don’t really know until you’re 19 and 20 and it’s ‘Holy smokes, I remember being 16 years old.’

“There’s definitely those guys who bring it up and it’s definitely real.”

“It’s hard to believe there are three games left,” he added. “I live with a 16-year-old, Luke Moroz, with my billets so I definitely tell him and try to teach him as much as I can.”

If Stanick skates in the final three games, and barring injury there’s no reason to believe he won’t, he’ll finish his career with 274 regular season games over five seasons. That number could be as many as 44 games higher if he and the league hadn’t lost the end of the 2019-20 season and much of the 2020-21 campaign.

With the benefit of time, he does appreciate the league’s efforts to stage the 24-game season in the Regina hub in the spring of 2021.

“Every organization in the hub did their best to make it as successful as possible,” Stanick said. “Hats off to all the workers who made it possible because the older guys were able to finish out their careers with those 24 games and make the memories they did. That’s something special. It’s something you don’t want to go through … but it was an experience I’ll never forget.”

While Sloan is finishing up his junior career in Prince Albert, his twin brother Slade is nearing the end of the line with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Portage Terriers, where he set career highs with 16 goals, 35 assists and 51 points in 51 games.

“We try to try to stay in contact quite a bit, that’s for sure,” Stanick said. “He’s having a great year in Portage and they’re coming to the playoffs so he’s definitely really excited. It’s crazy, he says the same thing about how fast it went.”

If the Raiders do secure a playoff spot — they hold a three-point edge over the Calgary Hitmen for the final spot in the Eastern Conference, and both teams have three games remaining — there’s an excellent chance they will face the Saskatoon Blades in the first round. That would create the latest instalment in one of the most heated rivalries in the WHL, which would add even more sizzle to his final season.

“It’s been a great year,” Stanick said. “It’s had its ups and downs just making the playoffs but the playoff push has been really exciting for our group. We’re excited to be in the playoffs. We missed those two points (on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings at Westoba Place) but we have three left and we’ll keep pushing and hopefully make some noise in the playoffs.”

Since Stanick’s career was entirely spent in the East Division, he has enjoyed plenty of trips home to play against the Wheat Kings at Westoba Place.

His first regular season visit was on Nov. 23, 2019, and that proved to be the only time he wore red and blue in Brandon. After the trade to the Raiders, he made 10 more visits, with six wins and five losses overall and four goals and two assists. In Prince Albert, he had a hat trick against Brandon on Feb. 24.

“It’s definitely something special every time I come to Brandon,” Stanick said. “I remember growing up as kid watching the Wheat Kings, and being able to have all my friends and family coming out to watch me so often over the past few years, I’m very, very grateful. It was just an awesome experience coming back and seeing so many familiar faces.”

What’s not as certain is where the personable Stanick will be skating next season. While it’s not his priority right now, he knows which way he’s leaning as he weighs professional hockey against the five-year scholarship he’s earned through the WHL.

“I’m definitely focused on the playoffs now but pro has always been my goal since playing hockey,” Stanick said. “We’ll definitely see where it goes but playing pro is my first option.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — Barring a big surprise, Matt Henry is about to lead the Wheat Kings in penalty minutes for the second year in a row with 98 in just 35 games. Who was the last Wheat King to lead the team in penalty minutes in consecutive seasons? How many of the other 10 Wheat Kings who have accomplished that feat can you name? Who has the record for most seasons in a row?

• WEEKLY AWARDS — The player of the week is 17-year-old Prince George Cougars rookie forward Terik Parascak of Lethbridge, who had seven goals and four assists in four games.

For the fifth time this season, the goaltender of the week is Vancouver Giants netminder Brett Mirwald of Saskatoon, who posted a 3-0-0-0 record, a 1.34 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage in three appearances.

The rookie of the week is 17-year-old Moose Jaw Warriors netminder Dimitri Fortin of Winnipeg, who posted a 2-0-0-0 record with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage in two appearances.

• SIN BIN — Dawson Gerwing of the Swift Current Broncos earned a one-game suspension for a one-man fight in last five minutes of game against the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday. In addition, the team was fined $500 for his actions … Landen Ward of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the younger brother of former Wheat Kings defenceman Mason Ward, earned a two-game suspension for a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct he took against the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday … The Saskatoon Blades were fined $250 for a warmup violation prior to a game against the host Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday.

• SIGNING — Former Wheat Kings goalie Connor Ungar of Calgary has inked a two-year, entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Like Logan Thompson, he spent a year at Brock University, where he posted a 20-6-0 record with a 2.15 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — Goaltender Ethan Kruger, 22, just completed his second season with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, where he went 9-7-0-0 with a 2.74 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage. He went 3-3 in the playoffs as the Bears fell to the UBC Thunderbirds in semifinals. Kruger made 113 appearances in four seasons with the Wheat Kings with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage between 2018 and 2022. Brandon took him in the fifth round of the 2016 draft.

• THE WEEK AHEAD — The regular season ends in the league on Sunday, but Brandon finishes up after hosting the Moose Jaw Warriors on Thursday and visiting the Regina Pats on Friday.

• ANSWER — The last Brandon player to lead the team in penalty minutes in back-to-back seasons was Schael Higson with 104 in 2016-17 and 96 in 2017-18.

The other players who have achieved that feat are:

• Ryley Miller (2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12).

• Chad Erb (2007-08, 2008-09).

• Randy Ponte (1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02).

• Johnathan Aitken (1996-97, 1997-98).

• Jeff Odgers (1988-89, 1989-90).

• Kevin Cheveldayoff (1986-87, 1987-88).

• Lee Trim (1984-85, 1985-86).

• Bryan Wells (1982-83, 1983-84).

• Carl Mokosak (1980-81, 1981-82).

Frank Taylor and Rick Piche led the team in penalty minutes twice but they weren’t in consecutive seasons.

Ponte holds the franchise record of leading the team in penalty minutes four seasons in a row. As a 16-year-old rookie in 1997-98, he posted 129 minutes, finishing fifth on the team behind Johnathan Aitken, Darren Van Oene, Burke Henry and Kirby Law.