WHL NOTEBOOK: Fisher’s wild ride lands in B.C.

Kaeson Fisher has ridden a rollercoaster the last 14 months that would be too dangerous for a Six Flags park.

The 18-year-old defenceman earned a spot with the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips last season, began to establish himself before suffering a terrible injury, was returned to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Winkler Flyers this season and then traded to the WHL’s Prince George Cougars and joined them.

It’s certainly been a ride with its fair share of ups and downs.

“I’m just super thankful for the opportunity they’ve given me to prove myself in the league again,” Fisher said. “In my phone call with (Cougars head coach and general manager) Mark (Lamb), he felt like I hadn’t really been able to showcase what I have yet, and saw a video of me in Winkler and what I can do when given the opportunity, so I’m really thankful for Mark and everyone who has given me a second chance here.”

Fisher was born in Portage la Prairie but moved to Brandon with his family, which includes father Chad, mother Jacquie and siblings Brooks, Jaycee and Kellie, when he was three.

Despite breaking his thumb in his Western Hockey League draft year in 2022, Everett grabbed him as the 124th pick overall.

He was subsequently taken in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s 16-year-old draft in 2023 by the Winkler Flyers.

When Fisher didn’t earn a spot with Everett at 16 in the 2023-24 season, he came home to make history with the under-18 AAA Wheat Kings instead, as the club went an incredible 43-0-1-0 in the regular season and made it to the Telus Cup final.

It was Fisher’s third straight championship in U15 and U18 hockey with a group that included current Brandon Wheat Kings Jaxon Jacobson, Brady Turko and Easton Odut.

TOUGH START

At 17, Fisher did stick in Everett, and like many rookies, was in and out of the lineup. At Christmas, he had appeared in 14 games.

The team had just returned from the holiday break and were in their second practice when disaster struck.

“I got hit into the boards and my shoulder popped out,” Fisher said. “I went for an MRI and two weeks later found out I had a torn labrum, so that was my season.”

He underwent surgery by the team doctor on Jan. 22 in Edmonds, Wash. He stayed in Washington state for the rest of the season as he recuperated.

“We had an unbelievable group of guys last year,” Fisher said. “It was really fun to be around the rink. Me being in my first year and trying to soak it all in, I decided to stay because I would probably go crazy at home watching on TV.”

While he was able to hang out with his teammates, the fact he couldn’t contribute made it a difficult experience. The timing was also unfortunate.

“It was frustrating,” Fisher said. “Obviously the spot I was in last year, trying to prove myself night in and night out, it felt like I was trending in the right direction. I got in a few games before Christmas thanks to some illness and guys being a little banged up. We had five D-men the last game before Christmas.

“It felt like it was trending in the right direction, but I guess the hockey gods had some other ideas for me after Christmas. It was pretty frustrating, but I’m super thankful for the way it all panned out in the end and how the recovery went.”

He was feeling good when he returned to Everett for training camp, and was looking to carve out a regular spot in the lineup. Instead, he found himself competing for offensive minutes with Landon DuPont and Tarin Smith, two well-established producers.

“I thought I played really good in pre-season and there is obviously a business side of things that isn’t out there for the public, and some decisions that go on,” Fisher said. “You have to get your younger guys in, and the type of player I am, what they told me is I was trying to beat out guys like Landon DuPont and Tarin Smith, which is a tough job.”

Fisher is quick to add he doesn’t have a bad word to say about Everett, which he calls a top-notch organization.

MJHL REBIRTH

On Sept. 12, he was reassigned to the U18 Wheat Kings but instead made the move to Winkler.

On a Flyers team that also included his former U18 teammates Owen Wallace and Dustin Bell, Fisher was able to regain his confidence and thrive.

“I think Winkler was huge for my development,” Fisher said. “The opportunity that they gave me to come in and be the No. 1 guy and run the power play and the freedom and leash to get my game back … I only played 14 games last year, and since I’ve got hurt, I’ve played one real meaningful game, the home opener in Everett, so what they gave me was something I’ll always be thankful for.”

The five-foot-11, 158-pound blue-liner initially billeted with Wallace, and then got moved to a family in nearby Morden.

Fisher played well enough — he had a goal and 24 assists in 29 games — to join the MJHL team at the Western All-Star Challenge.

After Fisher was reassigned, Everett general manager Mike Fraser of Brandon told him he was looking for an opportunity for him in the league, something complicated by the fact he had appeared in just 15 career games.

As a result, Fisher wasn’t expecting a deal, but it happened on Jan. 7 when Fraser sent him to Prince George for a sixth-round pick in 2027. Fisher was at a mall in Winnipeg with a couple of his Winkler teammates when Fraser called with the news.

“I was just walking down one of the hallways there, and my phone started ringing, and it was Mike,” Fisher said. “Usually when it’s the GM calling, it’s a business decision. You don’t get a call from the GM if something isn’t changing. I had a good talk with Mike and found out I was getting moved to PG and then Mark called me about an hour later.

“It was a little bit of an emotional roller coaster, but I’m glad it all worked out.”

Fisher was on a plane a day later, balancing the excitement of a new opportunity with the knowledge that a door was closing behind him in Winkler.

“It’s tough,” Fisher said of saying goodbye to his Morden billets. “They had two younger kids that you grow close with, and they become part of your life. Just for how quick the turn-around was, we were in Winnipeg on a day off, so I tried to enjoy it but was then in a rush to come home and start packing and I was out the next morning.

“It was definitely bittersweet. I’ll have lifelong buddies on Winkler for sure.”

BACK IN THE DUB

When he arrived in Prince George, there was one familiar face in the dressing room, defenceman Carson Carels of Cypress River. They didn’t know each other well, but skated together in the summers in Brandon with a group of local junior players that also includes Jacobson, Turko, Odut and others.

Fisher and Carels now room together on the road and he has become close friends with the highly touted farm kid.

“It’s awesome to be around him and watch him,” Fisher said.

The Cougars have eight defencemen on the roster, so Fisher has been in a rotation for the sixth spot for games, although he has played more than he’s sat. While it may not include the minutes he had in Winkler, he’s grateful for the chance.

“I’m just thankful to be given the opportunity they gave me to re-establish myself in the league,” Fisher said.

He’s played the most with Corbin Vaughan, but also a couple of games with team captain Bauer Dumanski.

Perhaps the oddest stat in Fisher’s 29-game WHL career, which he has spent with two Western Conference teams, is that he’s played twice at home in Brandon during their biennial Eastern Conference road trips.

He skated at Assiniboine Credit Union Place on Oct. 8, 2024, in a 4-1 Everett victory, and again on Feb. 24 in a 4-2 Prince George win.

“It was awesome,” Fisher said. “A guy doesn’t really get the chance to come back in back-to-back years. It was at a good time this year. I was away from home enough for about two months there — in Winkler everybody came out and saw me a little more than they obviously would in Everett — but it was nice to come in when we did.

“Going into playoffs here, it was good for my family and I to see each other one last time before we get into the heat of things hopefully until June.”

The long trip has also given him a chance to bond with his new teammates. While not every trip is this all-encompassing, Prince George does have the league’s worst travel. While Brandon always heads west on winter roads and the Victoria Royals have a ferry ride on every road trip, Prince George’s nearest game is the 526-km trip to Kamloops.

“It’s definitely the most amount of time I’ve ever spent on a bus,” Fisher said. “The closest game is five-and-a-half hours to Kamloops. It’s a lot of late nights and trying to sleep on the bus, but after a game it’s kind of hard to wind down. I usually sleep, a lot of Netflix, a lot of Instagram scrolling, anything to pass the time, really.”

Fisher said it took a couple of weeks to readjust to the speed of the league, but he’s starting to feel at home again. Now, nearly two months into his new adventure, he’s hoping it’s a long time before the season ends.

“I want to keep establishing myself,” Fisher said. “I haven’t played a ton of games in this league yet. I’m just trying to prove myself and find a more diverse role and a bigger role, wherever that is or whatever situation that’s in. Hopefully we can make it all the way to the Mem Cup in Kelowna.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — On Friday, Wheat Kings goalie Filip Ruzicka fought Regina Pats goalie Taylor Tabashniuk after the final whistle. Nearly 30 years ago, Brandon and Regina goalies fought near the end of the game in a bout that proved to have an odd twist in the future. Do you remember that story?

• WEEKLY AWARDS — The player of the week is 20-year-old Everett Silvertips forward Julius Miettinen of Helsinki, Finland, who had seven goals and four assists in three wins last week. He is a Seattle Kraken prospect.

The goaltender of the week is 17-year-old Edmonton Oil Kings netminder Parker Snell of St. Albert, Alta., who was perfect last week, stopping 54 shots for back-to-back shutouts over Red Deer and Lethbridge. He is ranked 21st among North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting.

The rookie of the week is 18-year-old product Everett forward Matias Vanhanen of Nokia, Finland, who had three goals and six assists in three games. Vanhanen, who was previously honoured on Feb. 2, is ranked 76th among North American skaters by Central Scouting.

• SIN BIN — The Wheat Kings faced some ramifications from their win over Regina on Friday that involved the Ruzicka fight. The Wheat Kings and Pats were both fined $1,000 for their second multiple-fight situation of the season, and head coaches Marty Murray and Brad Herauf were fined $500 and suspended for one game due to the goalie fight.

Elsewhere, Seattle Thunderbirds forward Brayden Holberton received five games for a one-man fight against the Portland Winterhawks on Feb. 22 … Spokane Chiefs forward Cohen Harris received five games for a cross-checking major and game misconduct against the Tri-City Americans on Feb. 21 … Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Jonas Woo received three games for a match penalty against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Feb. 21 … Seattle Thunderbirds forward Antonio Martorana is awaiting the length of his second suspension in three weeks after taking a game misconduct against Everett on Saturday.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — Hayden Wheddon is in his 20-year-old season with the Niverville Nighthawks, where the alternate captain leads the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in scoring with 35 goals and 51 assists in 52 games.

The Stonewall product is in his second season with the Nighthawks after spending the 2023-24 season with the Wheat Kings. He had three goals and four assists in 45 WHL games but was released in the off-season.

He joined Brandon on a free agent camp invitation in the fall of 2023 after earning an assist in nine games with the Edmonton Oil Kings, the team that drafted him.

• THE WEEK AHEAD — Brandon has nine games left in the regular season, starting at home against the Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday, and a home-and-home with the Swift Current Broncos, in Saskatchewan on Friday and Manitoba on Saturday. After that, they head to Alberta to play the Calgary Hitmen on March 11, the Red Deer Rebels on March 13 and Edmonton Oil Kings on March 14. After a visit to the Saskatoon Blades on March 18, they finish up with a home-and-home series against the Regina Pats on March 20 in Regina and March 21 in Brandon.

• ANSWER — On Nov. 14, 1998, Brandon goalie Jomar Cruz was nursing a 4-0 shutout late in the game at home when Wheat Kings Alex Argyriou and Kevin Harris fought Pats Barret Jackman and David Maruca. Cruz and his Pats counterpart Matt Cockell met at centre ice, where the Brandon goalie earned a convincing victory and pumped up the crowd as he skated off the ice.

The twist occurred when Cockell became Brandon’s goaltending coach in the 2007-08 season.

It was actually Cruz’s second fight because he bloodied Prince Albert Raiders netminder Evan Lindsay during a line brawl late in a 7-2 win on Dec. 6, 1997.