PROSPECTS WATCH: McQueen set to follow in family footsteps in WHL

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This article was published 16/12/2021 (1435 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Roger McQueen’s family tree has deep roots in the Western Hockey League, and they’re about to grow another branch.

The 15-year-old centre from Saskatoon signed with the Brandon Wheat Kings on Thursday, and will have his first opportunity to play full time in the WHL next season. His father Scott skated with the Red Deer Rebels and Saskatoon Blades between 1997 and 2000, while his uncle Rennie played for the Spokane Chiefs during the 1992-93 season. 

“I’ve grown up always wanting to be like my dad and play in those leagues,” McQueen said. “My first major goal is to play in the world juniors. That’s been my dream my entire life but to play in junior is a huge thing that I always thought about growing up.”

The six-foot-three, 170-pound centre, who has an October birthday and won’t be eligible for the National Hockey League draft until he is 18, has six goals and 21 assists in 20 games with his hometown Saskatoon Blazers in the Saskatchewan U18 AAA Hockey League. 

The fine production came despite losing a month to a sprained MCL.

“After it got better and I got back, I thought the season was going really well,” McQueen said. “The last five or six games have been really good for me.”

He has been blanked six times in a game this season, with a game-high four points on Oct. 6, and eight multi-point games in his first season at the U18 level.

“Usually when I’m playing well I’m scoring and producing and making plays,” McQueen said. “I’m usually playing with a bunch of pace and moving my feet.”

That’s an opinion shared by Wheat Kings general manager Doug Gasper.

“Roger has a really high hockey IQ,” Gasper said. “He makes guys around him better. A big frame doesn’t hurt at all. He skates quite well for his size and he’s only beginning to fill out and get stronger. When he’s a 16, 17-year-old young man in our league, he’s going to be a lot to handle.”

At the same time, McQueen is the first admit he’s far from the finished product. He has a lot on his to-do list.

“I’m a big tall guy so I need to work on my agility and my foot speed, just to get around quicker, and get my feet for the first three steps quicker,” McQueen said. “I would like to work on my faceoffs.”

He had an extra seven months to fine tune his game after the WHL draft was moved from May to last week to allow scouts an extra chance to get a look at prospects after most season was scratched due to the pandemic. That decision was a mixed blessing for McQueen.

“I was kind of disappointed that it wasn’t in May as it usually is at the end of the bantam season, because I thought we were going to have a really great season with our Stallions team,” McQueen said. “But at the same time, I thought because I was tall but super skinny that I could put on pounds and show that I could really play in the bigger leagues. I thought of it as an opportunity but I did wish and was hoping for it in May.”

McQueen met with Brandon’s director of player personnel Chris Moulton, and the pair talked for a couple of hours one day prior to the draft. It gave him a pretty good sense of what to expect on draft day.

“It was extremely exciting,” McQueen said. “It was just a burst of excitement to see Brandon. That was my number one choice, and Swift (Current), but Brandon was definitely the one I wanted to go to.”

If McQueen made one mistake on draft day, it was not plugging his phone a little earlier.

“It was unbelievable,” McQueen said with a laugh. “It died. It was at 10 per cent and died as soon as it went off. All of the notifications were killing it. I didn’t get to see anything.”

His path to the WHL is already a long one.

He began skating at age two when his grandmother took him out to a river rink, and  playing when he was four, and has always been a forward.

McQueen, whose family also includes mother Kayla and eight and 11-year sisters who both play soccer, also loves basketball but not in organized games. Instead, he plays on the court in the backyard. 

He also golfs and runs the 200-metre, 60m and four-by-100m relay with his school.

His junior hockey dream took shape in his first year in peewee.

“I was thinking about the draft and how soon it was coming,” McQueen said. “As my underage (bantam) year went, I was really excited for it and that’s when I really thought I could do it.”

Now that’s the draft is finally over, he feels like a weight is off his shoulders. As a result, he’s finding it a lot easier to play again.

“Now it feels like you’re playing so freely,” McQueen said. “Before, your hands were always tight and losing the puck, and you were trying to showcase your skill to other people. Now you’re playing for free and there’s nothing to worry about. Knowing I’m going to Brandon is an awesome feeling.”

McQueen grew up a Blades fan, but also liked the Medicine Hat Tigers because of their logo. That’s about to change.

He’s ready to get going in Brandon.

“I’m so excited it’s unreal,” McQueen said. “I just want to go out there to play a game and hopefully score and get a point. I’m insanely excited.”

ICINGS: Brandonite Clarke Caswell, who was picked sixth overall, and Josh Fluker of Boissevain, who was taken seventh, have both signed with the Swift Current Broncos. The news was announced on Thursday. 

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