Brandonites cherish WHL crown

When the Ed Chynoweth Cup was presented to the Everett Silvertips in Prince Albert last Friday, three Brandonites helped lift it.

General manager Mike Fraser, overage forward Nolan Chastko and callup forward Reid Nicol were all part of the wild celebrations at the Art Hauser Centre as they earned the Western Hockey League crown with a 7-2 victory over the host Raiders in Game 5 to take the best-of-seven final 4-1.

“It never felt real,” Chastko said. “We were up by a few goals and we knew that we could get the job done but still, you’ve got the nerves and everything. When that final buzzer hit, it was ‘Holy smokes, we did it!’ “It was what we talked about all year and everyone had that thought in the back of their head that we want to win this year. For that final buzzer to go off and for us to win was just unbelievably special.

“It was a moment I’ll have for the rest of my life.”

THE TASK AHEAD

Everett has been the league’s best regular season team for the past two years, earning the Scotty Munro Trophy.

In the spring of 2025, they dropped a tough seven-game series to the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference semifinals, the third year in a row their rivals had knocked them out of the playoffs.

Fraser said a team needs a lot of talent, skill and hard work to win, but one important element can be overlooked.

“Usually you need a little bit of luck along the way,” Fraser said. “That being said, we managed to stay a little bit healthier this year than maybe in previous years when we came up a bit short. In saying that, we were obviously missing a couple of key guys. When your captain has been out since Round 1 in Tarin Smith, and Clarke Schaefer had season-ending surgery towards to the end of the season, you’re still missing a couple of guys.

“But we’ve gone through stretches in the playoffs since COVID where we were missing four, five, six guys. In some way, it seems like we were a little healthier for once.”

The defenceman Smith was injured in Game 4 against Portland on April 1 and hasn’t played since, and the then-18-year-old forward Schaefer was hurt when the Brandon wheat Kings visited on Jan. 23 and never played again.

The good news for Everett was that forward Shea Busch, who was hurt on Oct. 29, jumped back into the lineup on March 31. He had a hat trick in Game 5 of the final and 13 points in 16 games.

THE PEOPLE

Chastko was never drafted by a WHL team, was listed by and signed with the Prince George Cougars but never played with them, came back to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Virden Oil Capitals at 17 and thought his chance to play major junior might be gone.

Instead, Everett acquired his rights and he became a member of an extremely rare club, a player who debuted in the league at 19 and stuck around for his overage season.

Fraser has trouble looking at Chastko with any kind of objectivity, because he is just another one of the guys. The GM said he is underrated player whose value goes well beyond his numbers, which was in evidence when he dropped back to the play defence when injuries beset that unit during the regular season.

It also didn’t hurt that Everett was the third highest scoring team in the regular season with 304 goals, so having someone with Chastko’s unique and wide-ranging skillset made a lot of sense.

“He is such an important part of our team,” Fraser said. “I know some people on the outside looking in probably say ‘Well, he’s your bottom six forward’ or whatever you want to classify it as, but he brings so much to our team, so many intangibles that nobody sees.

“He’s one of our leaders, the guys love him and lean on him. If you could see how excited they were for him holding up the trophy, it’s a pretty surreal feeling for him but also the guys. I couldn’t envision him not being here with us. He’s too valuable and he does so many things so well that don’t always maybe turn into goals and assists.”

Fraser said it also didn’t hurt to have an extra experienced defenceman in the playoffs, and Chastko took on that role during four-on-four situations.

Nicol has a firsthand look at Chastko’s impact inside the dressing room and has developed a real appreciation for his fellow Brandonite.

“He’s such a good guy and a big part of the team,” Nicol said. “He is a really good glue guy. He gets along really good with everyone. He’s just a great guy to have on your team and in the room.”

Nicol, who will almost certainly be a Silvertip next winter, spent last season with Brandon’s under-18 AAA Wheat Kings, where he tied for the team scoring lead with 63 points in just 32 games.

He had 21 more points in 11 playoff games, but after the Wheat Kings were swept by the Winnipeg Bruins in the league final, he was called up by Everett on March 28.

“I just think it’s important to have players who are going to be an important part of your future to go through something like this,” Fraser said. “You don’t know at the time how long you’re going to be playing but a player like Reid, who is a high pick for us and a very high character person, we wanted him to be around.

“He already fits in with our group, all the guys love him. He has such a positive attitude, doesn’t complain about anything, just wants to play and be a part of the group.”

Fraser added it doesn’t hurt to have some extra players on hand in case of injuries.

Nicol wasn’t alone in the stands during games as he took the opportunity to pick up some tips. There were four healthy scratches and the two players who were hurt.

“You just have to take it all in and watch the other guys are doing on the ice while they’re playing and learn from what they’re doing that makes them successful,” Nicol said.

EARLY ROUNDS

The Silvertips certainly didn’t have an easy path to the league final. The murderer’s row they faced included the Portland Winterhawks, the Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets 4-1 and the expansion Penticton Vees.

“We played a Portland team that’s kind of had our number in the post-season the last few years,” Fraser said. “Some would say be maybe exorcised some demons there finally. Then you run into the Memorial Cup hosts in Kelowna that we hadn’t played a lot in the second half after a lot of changes were made to their roster.

“They gave us a good push and came at us pretty hard physically, and then you’re playing the next best team in our conference in the Western Conference final in a really solid team in Penticton and one of the oldest groups in the CHL.”

Their first test was a team that knocked them out of the playoffs the previous three seasons. But on March 27 in Game 1, Everett ran Portland out of the rink with an 8-1 pasting. After 4-1, 7-0 and 6-3 victories, they had swept their arch-nemesis and moved on.

“You don’t think about it but obviously our previous history in the last three or four years it was never being able to get past Portland,” Chastko said. “We knew right away we were the better team, to say the least, we just needed to get off to a good start, which we did in Game 1, and then we just kept it going and never looked back, which is exactly what we needed to do.”

The next test was Kelowna, which had added players to be competitive as Memorial Cup hosts. Everett won 4-1, 4-2 and 4-1 in the first three games, fell 4-3 in overtime in Game 4 and then won the series with an overtime goal for a 2-1 triumph in Game 5.

“It was a really, really close series,” Chastko said. “It was 4-1 in the end but every game was close and a couple went to overtime. That was a really hard series, and obviously with them hosting the Memorial Cup, they had a really good team. We just bore down in that series and got the job done.”

The Vees were another stout challenge. They were a big, strong, physical club with skill at the top of the lineup, but proved to be no match for the Silvertips, who earned 4-1, 5-4 in double overtime, 4-3 and 4-2 victories.

“Every single guy bought in to whatever role they had,” Chastko said of the Penticton series. “There wasn’t one guy who had somewhere else he wanted to be. We just wanted to win at the end of the day, and we just all bought in and got the job done.”

Fraser noted that because two of the series were sweeps, it gave his team a bit of extra rest to prepare for a tough final.

THE FINAL

On May 8 in Game 1 in Everett, the Raiders scored three times in the second period to earn a 4-2 victory that included a Prince Albert empty-net goal.

The Silvertips held a 41-26 advantage on the shot clock but cashed in on just one of four power plays, and the Raiders scored on their only man advantage.

“After we lost Game 1, there was all that outside noise that the Silvertips won’t be able to get it done, but inside our dressing room there was never a doubt at all,” Chastko said. “We lost Game 1 but we played well and what it came down to was we just weren’t burying our chances. We knew if we kept playing like we did in Game 1 and buried our chances that we would set ourselves up for success and that’s exactly what we ended up doing.”

Fraser agreed.

“I think we knew that we played a pretty solid hockey game overall,” Fraser said. “Our guys are smart enough to recognize that with the top two point getters in the league meeting in the final, there wasn’t a ton that separated us. It just wasn’t our night.

“One thing we’ve been very good at all season is when something doesn’t go our way, we’re pretty good at bouncing back.

“Even by the time the guys came to the rink the next morning, they were excited to get back at it.”

Game 2 was a different story the next night. The Silvertips went up 3-0 in the first period and cruised to a 6-2 victory. Prince Albert seemed to come unglued in the final two minutes, with their star defenceman Daxon Rudolph taking a major for cross checking and earning a game misconduct and a one-game suspension.

Fraser said Game 2 is the loudest he’s ever heard Angel of the Winds Arena, which has a reputation as the noisiest rink in the WHL.

Still, the series was tied with the next three games in the decidedly unfriendly confines of the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert. The Raiders went 26-4-3-1 at home during the regular season and 7-1 in the playoffs to that point, so it wasn’t an easy task.

“That definitely is a really hard barn to play in but we’ve just been a really, really good team and what’s helped with that is we just take our game and play it anywhere,” Chastko said. “It was three games in a row in P.A., but our model was ‘How many games do we have in a day?’ and that’s just one, so it was one game at a time basically.”

The Silvertips won 3-2 in Game 3 on May 12, and took a 3-1 series lead on May 13 with a 5-2 victory in Game 4.

Fraser said the thing that stood out to him during the three games in Prince Albert was his squad’s resilience. The Raiders crowd was excited for Game 3 and they knew the hosts would be coming at them hard, but Matias Vanhanen scored the opening goal, something Everett did in all five games.

“I thought we handled that really well, and to be able to get the opening goal, I think that helped settle us in a little bit,” Fraser said. “Those first few minutes in Game 3 for me were key.”

GAME 5

Last Friday, with a massive crowd of 3,299 jammed into the Art Hauser Centre, Shea Busch scored for Everett 68 seconds into the game and they led 2-0 after 20 minutes. After Roblin’s Brayden Dube drew the hosts back within a goal at the 3:38 mark of the second period, Brek Liske and Busch sniped before the period ended to make it 4-1.

When Busch earned his hat-trick goal 6:17 into the final frame, Chastko scored his first goal of the final 40 seconds later to make it 6-1.

Chastko was playing with Hunter Rudolph and Rhys Jamieson during most of the final series, and in Game 5 the puck went deep in the Prince Albert zone.

“Those guys just buzz and they’re super easy to play with,” Chastko said. “Rudy was hard on the forecheck and Jamie got a stick another stick on it and I just threw it on net. One of our guys was kind of alone there and there was a little flash screen and it went in, which was a super cool moment for sure.

“It was super cool my dad was able to experience that one in person. That is definitely something I’ll remember for a while.”

It was Chastko’s second goal and ninth point in 18 playoff games and he put up 35 points in 68 regular season matchups.

While this was the forward’s best chance to win a title, Fraser was part of Brandon’s scouting staff when they were WHL champions in 2016.

But this was a different.

Fraser was originally hired by Everett as head scout on July 3, 2018, and promoted to director of player personnel on June 9, 2021. On June 22, 2022, he became assistant general manager, and after Dennis Williams left for a job at Bowling Green State University, Fraser was promoted to the top job on July 25, 2024.

That gave him two seasons to put his stamp all over the Silvertips roster, and he was one of the finalists for the league’s executive of the year honours this spring.

“It was very emotional,” Fraser said. “In the third period, I think I turned to Brooks Christensen, our director of scouting who was beside me and said ‘I haven’t been this nervous since we won 10 years ago.’

“We got those two early goals in the third that helped me take a breathe a little bit. When you walk down to the bench in the last minute and see the guys arm in arm, excited for the end of the game and the celebration to come, that’s the rewarding part for me.

“That’s probably when it hit me.”

As the minutes ticked down, Nicol and the other scratches went to the dressing room to change into their equipment so that they could join in the celebration.

“We went down and I threw on my gear in the last five minutes and jumped on the ice with the other scratches and went out there,” Nicol said. “It made me feel good to be part of the team so it was awesome to celebrate them.”

The game ended in a 7-2 Silvertips victory.

Overall, Everett went 16-2 in the playoffs after winning the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champions with a record of 57-8-2-1.

In the playoffs, they outscored their opponents 82-36.

CELEBRATION

After the final buzzer, Fraser gave the coaches a hug and had a moment to think as the players celebrated on the ice.

“You realize you’ve achieved a goal that we maybe quietly had set early in the season and training camp even,” Fraser said. “That’s a pretty cool feeling, that and taking a step back and standing on the ice and watching the players celebrate with Ed Chynoweth Trophy and carrying it around and their families all there. That’s a pretty unbelievable feeling.”

One of those family members was Todd Chastko, who made the drive out for the game. It was impossible for Nolan not to think about all he had endured to be in that spot.

“I had a little moment like that with my dad after we won,” Chastko said. “It’s just really cool. It is pretty crazy to me. Where I’m at right now is somewhere I never thought I would be.

“I just can’t thank Frase (Fraser) enough for the opportunity he gave me, and (Everett’s Manitoba scout) Doug Sinclair, the guy who pushed for Frase to trade for me at the deadline when I was 17,” Chastko said. “It’s just been an unbelievable time here in Everett and I can’t thank anyone who has ever supported me enough for helping me get here.”

Chastko had some near misses during his career but this is first championship. He was with the U18 AAA Brandon Wheat Kings squad that lost to the Winnipeg Wild in the final in 2022 and the Virden team that fell in the MJHL final to the Steinbach Pistons in 2023.

He also thought about the team he grew up watching.

“It’s definitely amazing to get it done, especially being the level that it is,” Chastko said. “Growing and being super fortunate enough to be around some really good Brandon Wheat Kings growing up was a full circle moment, being able to experience it myself and look at all the names on the trophy and all the Wheat Kings players who won it in ‘15-16.”

Everett also reached the league final in its expansion season, 2004, falling to the Medicine Hat Tigers. It also lost to the Swift Current Broncos in 2018.

“It feels pretty good,” Fraser said. “We have a very passionate fanbase here. They support us through all the good and bad times. We’ve had very good teams here over the years but just haven’t quite been able to get to this point. It feels pretty special to bring the first championship to the community.”

The team’s charter flight landed in Vancouver and bused back down to the city, and essentially had a victory parade for them on one of the main streets.

Everett has been one of the top teams in the league since its expansion season in 2003-04, when it earned a spot in the final, but had never quite found a way to get over the final hump.

“That was definitely our minds too,” Chastko said. “Since they’ve come in the league in ‘03-04, they never missed the playoffs at all but haven’t got to that final end goal. That was definitely a lot of motivation because our fans show up every single game and they pack our barn and make a ton of noise, so we want to play the same way for them as we do for each guy in the room.

“It was an unbelievable feeling to get it done for the city of Everett and all the fans we have.”

Nicol, who hasn’t been in Everett as long as the other two, was impressed by the passion of the team’s supporters.

“It was over a thousand fans and they brought cowbells and stuff to welcome us home,” Nicol said. “It was so cool to see. They really care about their team.”

MEMORIAL CUP

The WHL was once a regular winner of the Canadian Hockey League crown but no western team has won the CHL tournament since 2014.

One of the big transitions for all four teams is the move from a seven-game series to tournament play, where the impact of every game is amplified.

“I think the biggest thing is focusing on ourselves and doing what we need to do,” Chastko said. “Our game and play style has worked for us all the time. You do video and whatnot on other teams but when you haven’t played them before and don’t know too much about them — besides Kelowna obviously — so the biggest thing is just to play our game, focus on ourselves, get off to a hot start and never look back.”

On Saturday, Everett meets the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens, on Monday they skate against the Ontario Hockey League champion Kitchener Rangers and then they play Kelowna on Wednesday.

“It’s going to be such a surreal experience, the Memorial Cup,” Nicol said. “It’s going to be so awesome. We have such a good team and all the boys are so pumped and ready to go do it.”

If necessary, a tie-breaker would be on Thursday, May 28, and the semifinal is on Friday, May 29. The final is set for Sunday, May 31 at 6 p.m. CST.

They headed to Kelowna on Wednesday.

When Brandon went to the Memorial Cup in 2016, it was with a badly banged-up team that somehow managed to play its best hockey in the WHL final. Fraser said it’s inevitable to have some sore players after four rounds, but said his team will be OK.

“I know they’re ready,” Fraser said. “We enjoyed this for a couple of days, but it’s back to work here now.”

While it might be back to work, Chastko can’t help but think back to the last Memorial Cup he attended, which was in Brandon 16 years ago.

“I’m dating myself to when I was a kid when the Wheat Kings hosted the Memorial Cup in 2010,” Chastko said. “Even though I was five, I still remember a little bit. It’s super cool to have that full circle moment and being able to do it with these guys. There’s no team any of us have ever been on that was tighter.

“We’re all super pumped and we know that we can get this done. We’re super excited for Saturday when we play.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com