Roersma’s two-way game earning trust

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This article was published 18/03/2021 (1692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It didn’t take long for Rylen Roersma to receive the first big surprise of his Western Hockey League career. 

The 16-year-old Brandon Wheat Kings rookie from Raymond, Alta., found himself killing penalties in his debut, a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Ice last Saturday. It was a memorable start to what the team is projecting to be a promising career as a two-way forward.

“I was very proud of myself that the coaches had the respect and they trusted me enough to put me out there, especially against a team like Winnipeg when you have guys like (Peyton) Krebs and (Connor) McClennon out there. I was very honoured. I knew what I needed to do and I just did my best out there. It worked out great.”

Roersma and the Wheat Kings swing back into action tonight when they meet the Swift Current Broncos at 9 p.m.

The Wheat Kings selected three forwards in the first round in 2019, taking Nate Danielson fifth, Tyson Zimmer sixth, and Roersma 16th as they capitalized on the deals involving Tanner Kaspick and Kale Clague in 2018.

All three are now in their rookie seasons with the club.

Wheat Kings head coach Don MacGillivray said Roersma’s balance of a responsible game and skill reminds him of one of the top forwards with the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks.

“I had seen him before but he came into the training camp and was probably the biggest surprise for us,” MacGillivray said. “He just skates so well, he’s smart, he’s on pucks, he has offensive abilities. To me, he projects out as a solid 200-foot player who can play both ends of the rink and will be able to be a shutdown guy but can be a point producer as well, kind of like a Bo Horvat.”

Roersma played an exhibition game last season at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie and attended a prospects and rookie camp, so he had a taste of the league. 

The five-foot-10, 176-pound forward said things have changed for the better after actually making the Wheat Kings roster.

“The level of nervousness I had lowered a little bit more,” Roersma said. “I know that I have a role on the team now and I know what I need to do. It’s all just about improving my game as much as I can and helping the team win instead of working for a spot on the team.”

In 29 games as a rookie in the tough Alberta Midget Hockey League last season, Roersma scored nine goals and added 13 assists with six penalty minutes to finish third in points for the AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes. 

In his bantam draft year, he put up 23 goals and 21 assists in just 29 games with the Lethbridge Golden Hawks U15 AAA team, so he has certainly demonstrated the ability to fill the net against other players in his age group.

But that’s not what he’s concentrating on right now.

“I thought I played very well,” Roersma said of the Winnipeg game. “I focused on my defensive game. Obviously, offensive opportunities are hard to come by in the league, and that’s something I just have to work towards. I focused on my defensive game as much as I could and I thought I did pretty well.”

The help he’s getting extends well beyond the coaching staff. With 16 returning veterans — nine of them at forward — Roersma has plenty of experience to draw on.

He said the older players have been huge for him.

“They have been helping me quite a lot, giving me tips and pointers here and there and little adjustments that I’ll have to make from playing minor hockey to major junior,” Roersma said. “They’ve been helping me a lot and supporting me right through the process and being great leaders.”

That even extends to the living arrangements the players have.

The Wheat Kings have been put up in one of the University of Regina’s residences, Paskwaw Tower. Each pod has four bedrooms and two bathrooms connected by a common area, and the players are restricted to socializing in that area.

Roersma’s roommates are his fellow rookie Danielson, and two of the team’s top forwards, Ridly Greig and Ben McCartney. 

“Our room plays a really large amount of cards,” Roersma said. “Every night we’re playing cards, poker, euchre or schnarps.”

He also has schoolwork to finish every day, but those aren’t the only lessons he’s taking in.

The compressed 24-game season certainly has a competitive edge, but with eight rookies on the roster, there is also a significant nod to player development.

Since no decision has yet been made on whether there will be a post-season, goal-setting has taken on a very different light, especially for a young player like Roersma.

“I just want to improve as much as I can and get ready for the next season,” he said. “Obviously this season still matters but we don’t know what’s going on with playoffs or anything. I’m just getting ready for the season to come and doing anything I can to improve and opening my ears and listening as much as I can and taking it all in.”

Part of that is adjusting to a level of play unlike anything he’s ever experienced before. Roersma is skating against players who can be up to five years older than he is — many 2000-born overagers have celebrated their 21st birthdays — so there can be a significant physical advantage to overcome for the youngster.

“The speed of the game is probably the biggest noticeable change from minor hockey to major junior,” Roersma said. “Everybody knows how to skate really well. Also the skill, the skill is raised very dramatically and all the players are bigger. You’re playing anyone from 16 to 20 so there is going to be a lot of size within that gap.”

That made his first outing last Saturday that much more special. After sitting out Friday’s season opener against the Moose Jaw Warriors, he made sure to take in the moment when his skates hit the ice for the first time for a regular-season WHL game.

“When I was going out for my hot lap with my buddy Logen Hammett, the two rookies when we went out for warmups, I had that moment of ‘Wow, I made it,’” Roersma said. “This has been my dream ever since I was kid. It was a moment of clarity for me for sure.”

In fact, every part of it has been ideal for the young Albertan. He can’t get over his good fortune.

“It’s been great,” Roersma said. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know all of the veterans on the team, and just getting to know all the rookies who are along on the ride with me. They’re all a great group of guys. The coaching staff and all the staff that is part of the team have just been great so far, and we’re being treated ridiculously well. 

“It’s been a great experience and I’m really enjoying playing here.”

ICINGS: Ridly Greig will serve the final game of his three-game suspension tonight. 

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