Taylor reflects on winning NAHC title

Grady Taylor finished his minor hockey career on a winning note, just not how he might have expected.

The 18-year-old Brandon native is coming off a gold-medal performance with Team Manitoba at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships following a 5-3 victory over Alberta in the final in Regina on May 9.

His win at the annual tournament between the best Indigenous youth across Canada was a breathe of fresh air considering he experienced the opposite feeling not long ago in the Manitoba U18 AAA final, as Travis Mealy’s Wheat Kings were swept by the Bruins on March 25. The loss marked the second straight season Brandon had failed to register a win in the championship, with the Wild ousting them in three games the year before.

Taylor, who skated in his second and final season with the Wheaties, understood this was his last chance to bring a title home, but once that door closed, a window opened.

The five-foot-11, 170-pound defenceman got an invitation to play at the NAHC soon after and knew it was an easy decision to make.

“Coming off our season where we lost in the final to the Bruins, we kind of still had to stay in game mode, still working out and training and everything so you’re mentally prepared and physically prepared for this kind of tournament,” Taylor said. “Being able to represent your province is always nice and you really want to just play for them, so being able to do that is always a huge honour.”

Taylor wasn’t alone either.

Wheat Kings starting netminder Urijah Moosetail and fellow defenceman Max Dawson also made the quick turnaround to Saskatchewan as well. In addition, he also knew many of the guys on the team from against them in U15 or U18, or with them during his time in the program of excellence.

“That definitely helped a lot,” said Taylor. “Having those two guys you know pretty well, but honestly a lot of those guys on the team knew each other beforehand, so our guys were all so close so it was fun all the time.”

Taylor and his teammates bonded over the past, reminiscing about the games they once played and the cool moments in them like when someone scored a flashy goal or delivered a crushing hit. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if memories toward Taylor were directed at the latter, as the left-shot blue-liner would leave no stone unturned if it meant punishing his opponent.

This past season, he rattled off 62 penalty minutes along with his four goals and 26 points on the scoresheet.

“I like to play a heavy, physical kind of in-your-face game,” he said. “I find that’s when I’m like playing the best and making a good first pass and being able to jump in the play when the opportunity presents itself.”

Taylor compared his play style to Germany’s Moritz Seider — a rugged defenceman for the Detroit Red Wings — albeit, without as much offence.

He’s never been the guy everyone looks down the bench for to say “Go get a win for us,” but he did pitch in offensively for Manitoba at the NAHC. In four round-robin games, Taylor notched two assists, helping his club to a 3-1 record thanks to a 8-1 victory against Nova Scotia, 7-4 win over Saskatchewan and 7-2 triumph with Quebec. It’s only loss was a 7-6 decision to Alberta, which was also the team’s second game of the day after facing Nova Scotia earlier in the morning.

“A lot of us were pretty burnt out from the first game of the day,” said Taylor. “They were ready to play and we started off a little bit slower, as you like to say, ‘bus legs,’ just lactic gas building up in your legs that make you feel heavier.

“They were a really good team and them beating us definitely added fuel to the fire for us.”

Manitoba advanced to the final four and replicated their round-robin meeting with the host province in a 7-4 victory. Taylor earned his first of the tournament after scoring the game opener early in the first frame.

“It was just a simple breakdown on the other team and it kind of came out to me at the point, so I just walked down and I saw a lane and I just shot it and just hoped it went in,” Taylor recalled. “It was a nice shot, far side post and in and I was definitely happy because I hadn’t had much success with scoring in the prior games, so it was nice to finally see one go in.”

A berth into the gold-medal game for Manitoba set up a revenge clash with Alberta and with a rested lineup, Taylor was confident.

Team Toba got off to their ideal start, racking up a 3-0 lead in the first period, but then Alberta stormed back to tie the game at threes midway through the second frame. Thompson’s Hank Thompson then broke the deadlock a few minutes before Winnipeg’s Carter Haney iced it with 30 seconds left on the clock.

“We knew when we played them in the final that it was going to be another tough game, but I think we just started on time, did the right things and the last couple minutes of the game were definitely stressful with lots of penalties, so we were killing a lot and blocking shots, but but once that buzzer went, everything kind of just seemed like it was all great and we all celebrated and it was awesome,” Taylor said. “Playing against all those guys, some of the best First Nations players in Canada, you play against great competition and it’s just really fun playing against that high level hockey but to win too was just awesome.”

Taylor celebrated the win with his dad and younger brother, Sullivan (Sully), who is set to make the jump to U18 in the fall or the season after. His older brother shared some advice for him when he tries to play up with the big club.

“Coming in your first year and playing with a team as a major in the year before, it’s a lot different,” he said. “You’re not guaranteed all this ice time or special teams and all that, so you gotta work for your spot. Being able to battle through that as a young guy coming into the league, it’s a grind and it’s a lot different. It’s a step before juniors so guys are way bigger, way stronger, they shoot harder, so being able to adapt is important.”

As for Taylor, it seems he may also need to take his own advice with him as he makes his way to junior with the Virden Oil Capitals, who he signed with last fall. He’ll be thrown into a similar situation as his brother, playing a level higher but he’s more than excited for the opportunity.

“It’s gonna be awesome,” said Taylor, who will join Brandon’s Micky Gross and Colten Worthington. “They are a great organization, they’ve had a ton of players come through their program and move on to play professional hockey, so I think they’re a great organization, especially coming off that Turnbull Cup final.

“They did fall short, but I think they had an unreal season and have lots of great players and it also helps being close to home for my first year in junior hockey.”

» mdelucataronno@brandonsun.com