Wallace off to strong start with AJHL’s Bandits

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This article was published 18/10/2021 (1630 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Hunter Wallace prepared for his first season in Junior A hockey over the summer, he knew that he wasn’t just joining any team.

He was gearing up to play for the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits, who have won five league titles and two national championships in the last decade, in addition to having blueliners Cale Makar and Corson Ceulemans being selected in the first round of the National Hockey League entry draft.

“It’s a winning culture here in Brooks,” Wallace said. “We’re brought here to do one thing and that’s to win hockey games.

“We’re listening to coaches every day in practice and it’s important to pay attention to what they say so that we come to our games and we’re ready to go. You are expected to win when you play for Brooks.

“I think there are 11 players on our roster that are committed to NCAA programs, so to be a part of the Bandits and to play for them every day is something special.”

So far, the 18-year-old forward from Oak Lake has done his part in helping the Bandits get off to a league-best 11-1-0 start.

Through 12 games. Wallace is fifth in team scoring with 16 points — five goals and 11 assists — and is tied for second with Denver Pioneers commit Rieger Lorenz of the Okotoks Oilers for points by a rookie AJHL player.

“I’ve definitely had to take on new roles and new responsibilities,” Wallace said. “Obviously when I was in midget (where he spent three seasons with the Southwest Cougars Under-18 program), I was put out there as the top guy on the line. This year, I’m leaned on more to provide secondary scoring and I’ve been adapting to that.

“I’ve also gotten more physical with my style of play since I’ve got here. I’ve been listening to the coaches more and more and adapting to my new roles and I’m happy with how that has been going.”

Wallace, who stands five-foot-eight and weighs 153 pounds, has been lined up alongside fellow rookie and Wisconsin Badgers commit Aiden Fink and second-year Bandits forward Anthony Cipollone for the majority of the season.

“Our chemistry has been growing in every game that we’ve played together,” Wallace said. “We’re all smaller guys and we’ve been working to provide secondary scoring for the boys every night.

“Since we’re small, we’re also pretty fast. We can take advantage of the bigger defensive corps by beating them to pucks and what not. We’re super dangerous in the offensive zone and hopefully we can keep that going all season.”

While this marks Wallace’s first full season in Junior A hockey, he did gain a little experience at that level on Feb. 18, 2020 when he suited up for the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Virden Oil Capitals during their 2-1 overtime win over the Winnipeg Blues.

“I think the AJHL and the MJHL are similar in some ways but different in others,” Wallace said. “I think one of the biggest differences is that you have more players from out of province out here, while there are more guys from Manitoba playing back home.

“On our team we have myself and (Brandon-born and Winnipeg-raised blueliner) Hughie Hooker from Manitoba, but we also have guys from Ontario, Quebec, New York and North Carolina. It’s a little bit different than most teams.”

Another adjustment for Wallace has been getting used to playing away from home for the first time in his career.

“It was definitely a bit different at the start,” Wallace said. 

“Living with new people that weren’t my family was a little weird for me, but after a couple of weeks here in Brooks and getting used to the new routines, they already felt like a second family.” 

Wallace has also made an important step in his hockey future since arriving in Brooks, as he committed to the NCAA’s RPI Engineers in September.

“I’ve wanted to play college hockey for a long time and I first started talking with schools a couple of years ago, so my interest really grew from there,” said Wallace, who is expected to join the Troy, N.Y. based program in 2023.

“I started talking to RPI in May and I built a pretty strong relationship with them. They came to watch me in my first couple of exhibition games and they offered me a scholarship. After talking with my parents and the coaching staff here, it was a great fit for me.”

The Engineers currently have three Bandits alumni on their roster as forwards Jakob Lee, Ryan Mahshie and James McIsaac — the latter of whom is from Winnipeg — were on the team when they won the Centennial Cup in 2019.

“As of right now, my plan is to return to Brooks next season and then go to RPI for my 20-year-old season,” Wallace said. 

“When I talked to the coaching staff at RPI, they want to bring in similar players to my style of play and they think I’m a player that can come in and contribute to their lineup every night,” Wallace said.

Before he begins his collegiate career, Wallace’s main goal is to help the Bandits capture another AJHL championship and defend their Centennial Cup title next spring in Estevan, Sask.

“I’m just trying to take things one game at a time right now,” Wallace said. “I want to be the best version of myself in every game for the guys.

“We’re going through some injuries right now so our main focus at the moment is to just try and stay healthy. Our long-term mindset though is to win the league once again and then go to try and win the national championship.” 

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