Youngsters enjoy their extended WHL experience

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This article was published 03/09/2018 (2813 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings got a final look at four members of its 2018 draft class together in the intrasquad game on Sunday.

Forwards Jake Chiasson and Brett Hyland are staying with the Western Hockey League team for now, while forward Dylan James of Calgary and defenceman Jacob Hoffrogge of Saskatoon headed home on Sunday to try out for their respective midget teams.

“I thought rookie camp was really good and I did well at that,” James said. “Main camp was a bit worse but I still think I did pretty good.”

The young forward, who Brandon selected with the middle of their three second-round picks in May, hopes to earn a spot with the Calgary Buffaloes in the highly competitive Alberta Midget Hockey League.

He said the chance to play with older guys in Brandon will certainly help.

“I’ll go into tryouts thinking the game faster,” James said. “I’ve had experience playing with these vets now so I feel I can do better.”

Hoffrogge, a five-foot-nine, 142-pound defenceman, admitted he was nervous at the start of camp but got better.

“It’s way bigger and way faster,” Hoffrogge said. “You have to compete way harder. If I turned it over, there was probably no chance that I was going to get it back. You always have to make smart plays.”

Hoffrogge plans to try out for the Saskatoon Contacts of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. He has a list of things to work on to help him when he returns to camp next year.

“I definitely have to get bigger and stronger,” Hoffrogge said. “I’ll probably work on my skating even though people tell me I’m a good skater. I always think that I can improve on everything. And my shot too. It’s probably the weakest thing that I have right now.”

Brandon signed Chiasson and Hyland at their prospects camp in early June, and both were on the field on Monday afternoon as the team had a fun baseball outing at Andrews and Sumner fields.

The six-foot, 158-pound Chiasson was impressed with how the newcomers were treated by the team’s veterans.

“I think it’s pretty good,” Chiasson said. “Everyone is welcoming here. You walk into every room and there’s a friendly face ready to greet you, and obviously the fast-paced hockey. It’s great to be here.”

After he is sent home — 15-year-old players can only play a handful of games without a special waiver from the league — he plans to return to the Yale Hockey Academy in his hometown of Abbotsford, B.C., to play midget prep hockey in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

He said that he learned a lot when the older players joined the younger players as main camp began on Friday.

“It’s sheer size and speed,” Chiasson said. “You have a lot of vets coming back. They’re out there putting in the work and the coaching is just that much higher. Overall, it’s the intensity. Guys’ jobs are on the line so they’re out there to prove themselves.”

He also expects that when he returns in August of 2019 with his first chance to earn a full-time job, that he’ll incorporate the lessons from this camp into his play.

“I think next year I’ll come back a bit more confident obviously having one under your belt,” Chiasson said. “I’ll come back with a bit more leadership and a bit more speed and overall up my game.”

Hyland, a five-foot-10, 158-pound forward from Edmonton, thought he had a productive week.

“It’s been good so far,” Hyland said. “Rookie camp started off a bit slow but I think I got better as main camp came around, and kept improving as the game got faster and harder.”

Hyland plans to play with the local Canadian Athletic Club (CAC) Canadians. He said the chance to share the ice with older WHL veterans can’t help but improve his game.

“It helped me to get my feet going and see what it’s going to be like at the next level so that I can prepare myself,” Hyland said. “It really helped a lot I think preparing for that next step and getting the edge on guys who didn’t have that experience. I think that will be helpful.”

But he also learned that there is a big difference between midget and the WHL. He noticed it immediately when the vets took the ice on Friday.

“The size and the speed,” Hyland said. “You don’t have that time to think about where you want to go. You have to get it and get rid of it or make a smart move as soon as you can. It’s making quick plays and smart plays.”

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