Andrew adjusting to change

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This article was published 23/11/2020 (1765 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a lot of changes going on that have thrown Dalton Andrew’s senior year for a loop.

2021 not only marks the year he’s supposed to graduate from Vincent Massey high school, but also the year he graduates from his time as a player in the Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League.

Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a stop on a lot of the activities the Brandonite has been looking forward to.

At school, he can’t socialize or see his friends — students with last names starting with an A through K go to school on odd days of the six-day school cycle, while students with an L through Z surname go on even ones. There’s no waiting around in the hallways or after-school sports. You move from class to class, then immediately leave once your day is over.

“Being at home a bit more is better than being at school five days a week, but sometimes it can be hard to keep track of all the work you’re getting when you’re not at school,” Andrew said.

As for hockey, the extra-curricular is currently non-existent. Code red restrictions across the province put a kibosh on all sporting activities, meaning for now, Andrew is doing what he can to stay active, despite not being able to lace up his skates as a way of training.

“It sucks being away from the rink and not getting to see the team or the teammates and have full on practices,” Andrew said. “So, we just do the best we can, at home we’ve made a gym in the basement.”

Before the season paused, Andrew was having a fantastic run with the U18 Brandon Wheat Kings. With 14 points in eight games, Andrew was in the top three point scorers across the league.

The six-foot-two, 174-pound forward is hoping this season will help him grow into an even better player, so the transition to a higher level of hockey next year will be that much easier.

Andrew is on the Winkler Flyers’ protected list, so this September he attended the team’s main training camp.

If Andrew were to suit up for Winkler next year, it would give him three seasons of playing time at the Manitoba Junior Hockey League level — an opportunity he’s most definitely looking forward to.

Until then, Andrew is eagerly waiting to get back onto the ice with his current team. With Brandon’s 6-2-0 start to the season, the forward hopes to continue winning games once this campaign resumes, to take a deep run into the playoffs.

However, Andrew noted, the team wouldn’t be nearly as successful as it has been this year without all the hard work put in by the team’s head coach, Curtis Brolund.

Brolund is new to leading the Wheat Kings bench, currently in his second year of heading the team.

Last season, the Wheat Kings had some growing pains when it came to adjusting to a new group of teammates and style of coaching, but this year Andrew said it’s been smooth sailing.

“It’s been really good. Since it’s only been two years, (Brolund) has been learning as he’s been going but I think he’s gotten really good,” Andrew said.

“In the second year it’s been coming to him like first nature, he’s an experienced coach now and that’s also one of the reasons why we’ve done so well so far this year.”

On a personal level, Andrew feels like he’s also grown over the past two years. With this being his second year in the league as well, the 17-year-old feels the extra year of experience has made the game a lot easier for him, providing a lot more confidence when he steps onto the ice.

The addition of a handful of rookies to this season’s team have made the Wheat Kings a lot better as well. Newbies like Nolan Chastko, Carter Dittmer, Callum Halls and others have made a big impact on the development of this year’s team.

“Obviously we’ve been a lot better this year so far. A lot of the younger guys coming up have been good for us, they’ve done a lot for our team and I think that this year we’re a lot closer of I group,” Andrew said.

“I think it’s good for us, it’s helping us win.”

 

» dshewchuk@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @devonshewchuk