Bulger leading the way for Wolverines

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This article was published 27/01/2022 (1514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If the Manitoba Junior Hockey League had an award for breakout player of the season, Waywayseecappo Wolverines blue-liner Lonan Bulger would be one of the top candidates.

After posting seven points in 47 games in his first two seasons, the 20-year-old Yellowknife product has become the top-scoring defenceman in the entire league.

Heading into a home contest against the OCN Blizzard tomorrow night, Bulger’s 39 points — nine goals and 30 assists — in 34 games are 10 more than his teammate Boston Bird for the team scoring lead.

While some might be surprised by Bulger’s offensive output, that was part of his game before he made his way to Manitoba.

“I’ve matured a lot over the last couple of years here in the MJHL and I think that’s why that part of my game is becoming more noticeable now, along with being able to hone in on my playmaking abilities more this season,” Bulger said.

“It’s nice to have a strong season in terms of putting up points, but I wouldn’t say that was my main goal coming into the year. My biggest focus was to play strong every night and to keep getting better and better with my level of play.”

Bulger was also helped by having an extra amount of training time compared to his teammates going into this season.

When the 2020-21 MJHL campaign came to a halt last November, he headed back home to the Northwest Territories, where there’s a big difference in terms of the COVID-19 regulations compared to Manitoba.

The rinks were still open in his hometown, but there were limits on how many people could get on the ice and everyone had to wear masks.

“I was able to train until I came back here in August for training camp, so I was really fortunate,” Bulger said. “I was able to work hard on my overall game and really focus on different things, including my offensive skills.

“I also had a better idea of what I needed to do in order to prepare for another season in the MJHL. Once you get used to that routine of being in this league, you can focus on your game every time you go out on the ice and not be as worried about everything else.”

Bulger’s performances have certainly been a big help to the 23-9-2-0 Wolverines, who are a point back of the Dauphin Kings for the top spot in the MJHL’s West Division.

“We’re pretty happy with how things have gone but our goal is to win the division and we have a long way to go before we achieve that,” Bulger said.

“We’ve built a lot of consistency into our game and we’ve used our systems to our advantage during the first half. Our biggest focus now is getting to that level of play you need to be at for the playoffs and I think the battle we’re in right now with Dauphin is helping us get to that mindset.”

This year’s post-season will mark Bulger’s first playoff games since 2019, when he was with the Shattuck St. Mary’s prep program in Fairbault, Minn.

He was not in the lineup for the Wolverines during their first-round series in 2020 against the Swan Valley Stampeders, which was cancelled after three games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Waywayseecappo has added a pair of players with substantial post-season experience to their lineup in recent weeks, as they acquired former Portage Terriers Kolton Shindle and Joey Moffatt in separate trades.

“Bringing those guys in is going to help us out a lot,” Bulger said. “Those guys (Kolton and Joey) have been through it all and they know what to expect.

“I think everyone in the locker room is going to learn a lot from them, especially since they have been able to win a championship in this league.”

The Wolverines back-end has also seen some changes as the team welcomed Selkirk Steelers captain Eric Krywy on defence and brought in former Moose Jaw Warriors netminder Brett Mirwald to join starting goaltender Liam Tereposky.

“Having Eric join our defence has made us even stronger,” Bulger said. “I think we have a really balanced group here. We’re all strong skaters and we can really make things happen at both ends of the ice.

“It’s also really nice to have two goaltenders that are so close to one another in their ability. They are going to be competing against each other every night and that’s going to rub off on all of us. Nothing’s guaranteed as we head down the stretch.”

Having spent his entire career in Waywayseecappo, Bulger’s main goal is to help the team go a long playoff run and capture its first Turnbull Cup before he ages out of the junior ranks.

“It’s definitely been a unique experience these last three years and I’m really fortunate to have spent it here,” said Bulger, who hopes to play college hockey in the United States next season. “Everyone here in Waywwayseecappo has treated us so well and it’s a real treat to play in front of our fans.

“I think I can speak for everyone on the team in saying that we are all pushing to get better for the playoffs. There’s a personal responsibility we all have when we come to the rink for practice, which is to continue to improve our play. The regular season is important, but it’s the playoffs when everything counts.”

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