New goaltending tandem eager to connect

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This article was published 27/09/2021 (1706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ethan Kruger suddenly finds himself an elder statesman on the Brandon Wheat Kings, something that will certainly be true as he welcomes his new goaltending partner to the Western Hockey League. 

The 20-year-old Kruger will be working with 16-year-old Carson Bjarnason, and already has profound respect for what the young goaltender has accomplished in becoming Brandon’s youngest full-time goalie in more than 30 years.

“I think it’s pretty special,” Kruger said of his new partner’s accomplishment. “It’s pretty motivating to young kids out there. He didn’t get drafted, he got listed, and came into camp and worked his way to the top and battled for the second position and got it. He’s definitely put in the work. He looks great out here and he’s only going to get more comfortable.”

Bjarnason outduelled 17-year-old Nick Jones and 16-year-old Carter Capton to earn the spot. The Carberry product, who was happy with his play through camp and the pre-season, found out he would be staying on Friday.

“It’s crazy coming from being undrafted, listed only a few months after, not expecting much coming out of camp and obviously getting my first goal to sign and I hit that,” the six-foot-three, 176-pound Bjarnason said. “I knew I earned it and I worked hard for it. When the time came, I couldn’t be happier.”

Head coach Don MacGillivray said he’s certainly fine with his new tandem. The backup position came open in the offseason when Connor Ungar was dealt to the Red Deer Rebels for defenceman Mason Ward.

“Carson has come in here and basically won the job,” MacGillivray said. “He’s played really well and deserves the opportunity, whether he’s 16, 17, 18. He looks like he’s ready to play. We wanted someone who would push Ethan on a daily basis and a nightly basis, and I think he’ll do that.”

Kruger joined the Wheat Kings at 17 for the 2018-19 season, apprenticing behind Jiri Patera. They spent two years together before he was joined by Ungar in the Regina hub last season.

He said his advice to Bjarnason will be simple.

“It’s just take it one day at a time,” Kruger said. “It’s a long season — although when I look back at it now it goes super fast — but it’s a lot of games with a 68-game schedule, you’re going to school, you have to pack the bus (as a rookie), you have a lot of things to do. You have to live in the moment and enjoy it, because before you know it, it’s over.”

Kruger said one of the ways he developed a bond with his last two goaltending partners was spending time with them away from the rink. He plans to put the tried and true method to use with Bjarnason as well.

“It’s going for dinners, going out, just trying to get to know one another better,” Kruger said. “At the end of the day, it’s two guys trying to win games for the team, so we have to be a tight-knit group.”

It won’t hurt that the pair already knew each a little bit. Kruger was an instructor at goaltending coach Tyler Plante’s goalie school, and the pair worked together then.

“I couldn’t be happier coming in with him,” Bjarnason said. “I remember last year he taught me at Tyler’s school. He’s a great guy and I couldn’t be happier with what kind of person I have as a role model and a goalie partner. I’m going to be taking a lot of notes on him this year. 

“He’s four years older than me so there’s a lot of progress (Bjarnason can make) to come from him. I’m just super excited.”

At the same time, MacGillivray won’t be pushing Kruger to teach Bjarnason about life in the WHL. He expects it will happen organically anyway, and the coach’s goals lie elsewhere.

“The expectation for Ethan is to play well and be the starting goalie,” MacGillivray said. “All that other stuff will come just from observation. Ethan is such a good guy that he’s going to pass down some things just through osmosis. We’re not going to put any extra expectations on Ethan for the mentorship part, I think that just comes with the territory as an older guy on this team. 

“There are certain standards you have to live up to and we haven’t had any issues with that in the last little while so I don’t expect there to be any problems that way.”

He likely doesn’t have to worry. Kruger knows he’s finished after this season, and is determined to pass on everything he can to help future Wheat King goalies.

“It’s pretty crucial,” Kruger said. “This is my fourth year in Brandon and my 20-year-old year so I’ll be gone after this year. It’s important to pave the way for the young guys so that they know what to say to the next young guys and just keep it going, and making sure we’re working together and challenging each other on the ice every day.”

Bjarnason, who played at the under-15 level in the Southwest Cougars system, headed to the Rink Hockey Academy last season. In two starts, he had a 2.01 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.

He understands the hard work is just beginning as he makes the huge jump to the WHL.

“As the first 16-year-old since 1990-91, it’s been 30 years so obviously I have to work my butt off, stay late for practice and do all the little things right,” Bjarnason said. “That also comes with time, and slowly I can get better.”

Kruger is the recent beneficiary of some new experiences himself where he was the youngster.

The six-foot-two, 183-pound overage netminder from Sherwood Park, Alta., just returned from attending camp with the Edmonton Oilers.

“I think it’s a good experience for me, especially to be able to face the shots and the speed of the best players in the world,” Kruger said. “I felt pretty confident there and started to get more comfortable. I think coming back here just gives me even more confidence that I can play at this level and that I can play at the next level one day.”

Kruger made Edmonton’s main camp, and had Connor McDavid on his practice team. They took the ice together four times.

“It was pretty special to be out there with him,” Kruger said with a chuckle. “If the NHL is the best hockey there is, he’s just ahead of everybody else. He’s faster, he’s one step ahead of the play, he’s doing things other guys are doing at half pace and he’s going full speed. It’s just crazy how he can read the play.”

In other team news on Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights officially reassigned overage forward Marcus Kallionkieli to the Wheat Kings. He is expected to be at practice today. Brandon also has defencemen Mason Ward (Detroit Red Wings) and Vincent Iorio (Washington Capitals) at NHL camps, along with forward Ridly Greig, the Ottawa Senators prospect who finds himself in hot water again. 

A cross-check on Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois on Monday led to a suspension of one exhibition game and one regular season game at the NHL level for Greig, who also earned suspensions in Brandon’s last two season opening games.

Meanwhile, forward Zakhar Polshakov’s visa continues to work its way through the system. The Belarusian forward is skating as he awaits clearance to come to Brandon.

ICINGS: Defenceman Owen Harris skated at practice for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury during training camp.

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