20-year-old defenseman Ethan Brandwood finishes the handshake line after his Kamloops Blazers were defeted by the Peterborough Petes 5-4 in OT in the 2023 Memorial Cup tibreaker game. (Image Credit: TSN)

By Adam Donnelly

KAMLOOPS BLAZERS

Blazers players reflect on WHL careers after Memorial Cup experience

Jun 7, 2023 | 4:11 PM

KAMLOOPS — January 11th, 2020: in the midst of a 7-2 drubbing of the Kelowna Rockets — the second Blazers win over Kelowna in as many nights — the Rockets decided to take out some frustrations on a few of the Blazers’ young guys.

Ethan Brandwood, Daylan Kuefler and Caedan Bankier were out on the ice for the line brawl that ensued.

“I remember we were up a little bit on Kelowna that night and coach was trying to get the young guys a few extra minutes,” Brandwood recalls. “That play in the corner on Banks kind of set it off and all of us kind of jumped in there. It was a bit of a funny moment for sure, all the young guys mixing it up.”

“That was fun,” Kuefler says. “That would have been the first WHL moment for me. I just remember coming into the room after and all the boys were pumped. I think there was probably 15 of us in there by the end of the game. It was pretty fun. Getting a scrap under my belt and seeing all the boys in there was pretty fun.”

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From rookies getting into their first line brawl to wrapping up their WHL careers, it’s been quite a ride for Kuefler and Brandwood. They, along with their teammates, packed up their stalls in the Blazers’ dressing room after they were eliminated from the Memorial Cup by the Peterborough Petes.

“It’s heartbreaking leaving these guys,” Kuefler says. “This is a tough day, having to pack up the bags. This will probably be the last time I’m ever in the Blazers’ dressing room — or for a long time, anyways — having my jersey hanging there. Not seeing these guys for a long time. It’s a weird feeling. We’ve got social media, we’ve got each other’s numbers so we’ll stay in touch, but it’s not going to be the same as not seeing them every day.”

Through the pandemic, the hub season in 2020-21, and now this past season as Memorial Cup hosts, this team has been through a lot together. Those shared experiences have helped create a tight bond among this group.

“Definitely a very special, tight group,” Brandwood describes this Blazers team. “From the young guys to the old guys, I think everybody was best friends. There’s no separation — which you see on the odd team — between the old guys and the young guys, and I think that helped us. I think that helped us every night, as we were able to play for each other and we knew what we were going to get from each other.”

Helping ensure the younger players are included in the group has been a big part of the culture the Blazers have worked to build over the past few seasons under head coach Shaun Clouston.

“You can talk to the younger players and say, ‘Okay, you felt accepted, you felt welcomed and supported by the older group. Now it’s your turn to pass that on,’” Clouston explains. “I think that’s allowed our team to keep going, and we’re going to rely on that next year. That togetherness, that team effort, that support can get you through some tougher situations.”

Many of the Blazers’ top performers are unlikely to return for next season. That’s going to leave the door wide open for players like Emmitt Finnie, Fraser Minten and Connor Levis to step up into leadership roles on the team.

Levis knows what’s expected next year and plans to spend the summer getting ready for that opportunity.

“It’s going to be an important summer for all of us,” Levis says. “We’re still going to have a pretty strong team, so I think we can use this as motivation for next year and learn from it. We’re going to be a fired up group coming into next season, especially some of the younger guys. I’m really excited about this offseason. It’s going to be a big season for me, and I think everybody else is going to be training really hard and we’re going to bring on our all next year.”

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Along with Washington Capitals prospect Ryan Hofer, Brandwood and Kuefler were the 20-year-olds on the Blazers’ roster to end the 2022-23 season.

After being drafted in the sixth round, 174th overall by the New York Islanders in last year’s NHL Entry Draft, Kuefler signed an entry-level deal with the Isles back in May. He knows he’ll have to work hard if he hopes to impress at training camp later this summer.

Kamloops Blazers forward Daylan Keufler congratulates Petes players after a hard fought 5-4 OT loss in the 2023 Memorial Cup tiebreaker game. (Image Credit: TSN}

“I think a lot of it now is the training, it’s a big part of the game now,” Kuefler says. “I’ve got to make sure I’m doing my part, and then some, with the eating, the gym, skating. Just making sure I’m ready to go to camp.”

As for Brandwood, his future is less certain than his teammates who have signed their entry-level NHL deals. The stay-at-home defenceman finished his WHL career with 12 goals and 30 assists, along with a plus-69 rating in 196 regular season games. He expects to start his university career in September.

“Still trying to figure out that plan, but probably U SPORTS will be where I end up, probably in school,” Brandwood says. “Trying to figure that out in the next couple of weeks.”