WHL NOTEBOOK: Whittle finding his way with Silvertips

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/01/2022 (1522 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dexter Whittle knew it would be a transition on the ice if he made the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips this season.

The 17-year-old rookie defenceman from near Virden couldn’t have imagined how big it would be off the ice too. 

“It was definitely a massive adjustment at the start,” Whittle said. “Away from the rink is definitely half the troubles when you’re trying to get comfortable and adjusted. I feel like everyone, all my teammates here, really helped me out. It’s a big adjustment with school and you’re around teammates every day.”

Fortunately he’s had some transition in the last few years that may have helped.

Whittle’s family farm is west of Virden on the border of the cutoff between the Yellowhead Chiefs and Southwest Cougars, so he asked permission to join a talented under-15 Chiefs team coached by Craig Geekie and was granted it for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Part of the appeal was the big difference in distance between playing with the Shoal Lake-based Chiefs and Wawanesa-based U15 Cougars.

“Yellowhead was a great first couple of years of AAA,” Whittle said. “I learned a lot about some high level hockey and got to play with Conor Geekie, which was cool. I think I grew a lot as a person more than anything those two years, and I learned a lot about the game.”

When it came time to move up to the U18 level, however, he decided to play with the guys he grew up with in Southwest, and spent his final two years with the Souris-based U18 Cougars.

Whittle had just been drafted in the seventh round, 152nd overall in 2019 by the Silvertips, and auto protected by his hometown Virden Oil Capitals in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, so he wanted to get better quickly.

“I knew I had to have a couple of good years to get to where I wanted to go,” Whittle said. “I felt like it was a good place for me to perform and I had a lot of fun.”

Happily, he was coached in Southwest by Dennis McNish and Troy Leslie, which, combined with Geekie, gave him an elite group of bench bosses to learn from.

Unfortunately, the 2020-21 season wasn’t exactly ideal. Whittle and the Cougars got just eight games in before the season was postponed and eventually cancelled due to the pandemic.

Whittle and his Virden friend Hunter Andrew went south to join the United States Premier Hockey League’s Charlotte Rush, with Whittle getting into six playoff games.

“It was a really good experience,” Whittle said. “It was the first time billeting and moving away. It was really fun.”

In the summer, Whittle and another of his Virden buddies, Spokane Chiefs forward Grady Lane, moved to Saskatoon so they could train with Ice Box YXE.

That allowed the pair to prepare for their respective WHL camps.

“I’ve learned so much from Grady just about hockey, the league, how to act, how everything works,” Whittle said. “He’s been a great friend and tool to use to learn about everything. He really showed me how you have to train to make the WHL and how much it work it takes.”

Whittle first attended Everett’s camp at age 15 after he was drafted, but was unable to go last year due to border restrictions. That put the pressure on him this time around.

“I came at 17 knowing this was my last kick at it,” Whittle said. “I had to prove something.”

He apparently did.

Whittle put pen to paper on a standard player agreement on Sept. 7. He said the hard work he put in during the summer and even on outdoor rinks last winter ultimately paid off to get him ready for camp. 

“It was pretty crazy when they pulled me and my mom (Alana George Whittle) in after camp and asked us to sign and stay the year,” Whittle said. “I got to phone my dad (Clifford) right after. It was a special moment for sure.”

Like all players making the jump to major junior, he noticed a big jump in virtually every facet of the game.

While he jokes he’s not blessed with the best size genetics — the right-handed shot stands five-foot-eight and weighs 168 pounds — he’s learned he simply has to get stronger and faster to compete.

“The size, strength and speed were most noticeable right off the hop,” Whittle said. “Everyone is bigger and stronger automatically, and everyone can also move … That was the biggest adjustment for sure.”

Whittle, who is in Grade 12 and taking classes online, estimated it took him a month to find his footing. A big part of that was settling in off the ice.

“It was my first time really being away from home for a long stretch of time, so as soon as I started to get comfortable away from the rink and in the locker room with the teammates and get some games and practices under my belt, that’s when I feel like I really got comfortable and was able to play my game,” Whittle said. 

Whittle has appeared in 20 games for the first-place Silvertips (26-7-2-2), contributing one goal, three assists and 23 penalty minutes with a plus-minus of 9.

He had a big week in early December, getting in his first WHL fight with Julian Cull on Dec. 4 after the Vancouver Giants forward hit one of his teammates, drawing a checking from behind major.

Six nights later, Whittle scored his first WHL goal when his wrist shot from the top of the circle bounced off Tri-City Americans forward Petr Moravec and past goalie Tomas Suchanek.

“It was a special moment for sure,” Whittle said. “I just got on the ice. We were down by two in Tri-City in the third period so we knew we had to pick it up for sure. (Jackson) Berezowski gave me a pass on the wall, and looking back at the replay I had a lot more room to walk in but I remember just getting the puck and shooting it.

“I saw it went off a body and a post. I remember cheering but I didn’t know if it was mine right away. I had to make sure it didn’t go off another player.”

The Silvertips ended up losing 7-5 but it was still a special moment.

“It was just such a relief to finally get the first one,” Whittle said. “I got my first fight out of the way that week too so it was nice to get everything out of the way and I could just play hockey without worrying about any of that.”

While the offence was nice, his focus is actually at the other end of the ice. As a young player in the league, he’s focusing on his own end first, which should endear him to Everett head coach and general manager Dennis Williams.

“I want to really establish my game and be consistent when I get the playing time,” Whittle said. “I want to really establish my game as a two-way (defenceman), and be trustworthy in the defensive zone. I’m not worried about my offensive zone right now.”

He said it’s also been a learning curve transitioning from being a top pairing player at the U18 level to a bottom pairing guy in the WHL when he gets into the lineup. Happily for him, he has two of Canada’s world junior team defenceman, Ronan Seeley and Olen Zellweger, to help him find his way. 

Former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman Jonny Lambos is also there to lend a hand.

“All three of those guys have almost been a mentor on the back end,” Whittle said. “They teach me so much every day about being a WHL player on and off the ice, the work ethic you need to have if you’re going to be successful. Those three have been unbelievable to work with and beside (on the ice). It’s been a real treat just watching them play this year.”

He said the Silvertips have been successful because they have a team-first approach and relentless work ethic. He said there is also a selfless approach in the dressing room.

Unfortunately for Whittle, he and the Silvertips won’t get a trip to Brandon this season unless the two teams meet in the league final since all regular season games are being played within the two conferences. Happily, however, his family, which also includes older sister Brooklyn, have made two trips to Everett, which is located 46 kilometres straight north of Seattle and 143 kilometres south of Abbotsford, B.C. 

“It’s been really nice just to see them when they come and get to watch a couple of games,” Whittle said of their October and December trips. “They’ve been such a help along the way.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson