University of Manitoba Bisons hockey coach adds former WHLers juniors in overhaul
Gord Burnett’s first year as head coach of the University of Manitoba men’s hockey team was a trial by fire.
The Bisons struggled on offence, scoring fewer goals than any team in U Sports (1.67 per game) and their defence wasn’t much better, allowing 4.39 goals per game.
That resulted in a 5-22-1 record and an eighth-place finish out of nine teams in the highly competitive Canada West conference.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Fromer WHLers who have joined the U of M Bisons hockey team this season inlcude; Dawson Pasternak (back, left), Eric Alarie, Skyler Bruce, Caden Zaplitny, Riley Stotts, Mitchell Joss (front left), Dexter Whittle and Grady Lane.
While Burnett’s team was treading water in the standings, he was doing some crucial work on the recruiting trail, which meant keeping in close contact with the talented group of Manitobans about to graduate from the WHL after their 20-year-old seasons.
All of them had pro aspirations, including Winnipegger Skylar Bruce, who was putting the wraps on his junior career with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
“Obviously you’re thinking, ‘I’m going to do everything I can to play pro hockey, right?’ So you’re not really thinking of school at that point,” said Bruce, recalling his mindset after Burnett’s early season phone call a year ago. “But my mind switched over the summer.
“It was, ‘You know what? The WHL scholarship (program) is something I want to take advantage of.’ I think it’s smart to go to school and try that new chapter in my life because I don’t think pro hockey is out of the picture. If I have a successful four years here, I hope I can sign somewhere.”
Much to Burnett’s delight, nine players with WHL games on their resume, including Bruce, decided his sales pitch was too good to resist.
“It starts with Gord and with how good of a recruitment job he did,” said Bruce. “He went out and called everybody.”
The Bisons also added defenceman Dexter Whittle (Everett Silvertips), left-winger Eric Alarie (Seattle Thunderbirds), defenceman Ben Bonni (Spokane Chiefs), left-winger Grady Lane (Victoria Royals), right-winger Dawson Pasternak (Victoria), left-winger Caden Zaplitny (Everett) and goaltender Braden Holt (Victoria) with another WHL alum, centre Riley Stotts, deciding to transfer in the off-season from the University of Calgary.
Those additions can be added to the four WHL grads, defenceman Evan Toth and forwards Michael King, Hayden Ostir and Jonny Hooker, already on his roster.
The influx of talent is welcome news for Alarie, who has played on a line with Hooker (or Codey Behun) and Ostir during the pre-season.
“I think we’ve got a good team for sure, but I think it’s gonna take quite a bit of time for us to jell and get the chemstry going,” said Alarie, a Winnipegger who scored 79 goals and 187 points in 280 WHL games. “I think there’s 11 new guys, so you can’t bring in a bunch of new guys and expect everything to click right away.
“We’ve played a few pre-season games already and we’re going to play four more. It’s gonna be huge for us to get to know each other’s tendencies on the ice.”
Burnett didn’t get everyone on his wish list. A pair of Winnipeggers — defencemen Hudson Thornton (Hershey, AHL) and Lucas Brenton (Rockford, AHL) — got pro deals.
“We couldn’t be happier for them but those were two guys we were really hoping to get and we thought would’ve helped,” said Burnett, who replaced retiring Bisons bench boss Mike Sirant in June 2023. “It was my first real summer of recruiting, right? We call it summer, but really it’s all year.”
Pasternak, who is expected to be cleared to play by Christmas after off-season back surgery, and Stotts, a third-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2018 NHL Draft, should be key figures in any offensive turnaround.
“It’s been good so far,” said Stotts. “We’ve been growing each game, which has been good. We’ve been progressing. Gord did a good job building a strong program and bringing in a lot of good people here. I think it’s moving forward.”
The 24-year-old Winnipegger is expected to centre Zaplitny and Bruce on the No. 1 line when the Bisons take on the AHL’s Manitoba Moose on Thursday and Tuesday in pre-season action at the Hockey For All Centre. Game time both nights is 6 p.m. and admission is free.
In between those games, Manitoba will travel to the U.S. for exhibition games against NCAA Division I opponents St. Thomas University in Mendota Heights, Minn., on Saturday and Minnesota Duluth on Sunday.
Manitoba, 3-3-0 in pre-season play so far this, opens its regular-season conference schedule in Edmonton against the Alberta Golden Bears, Oct. 11-12. The heavy early schedule was intended to give the newcomers time to adapt to the style and speed of play.
“One of the reasons we’re playing so many exhibition games is exactly that, to try to get them to learn to play together and a new system, if they haven’t played for me before,” said Burnett. “It takes some time. It takes more time than the 10 exhibition games we have, but at least we’re going to have some games.”
Mike Sawatzky
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Credit: University of Manitoba Bisons hockey coach adds former WHLers juniors in overhaul
