Thursday, October 28, 2004

DICKIE ENGINEERING SUCCESS WITH HUSKIES

Brett Dickie is a rookie all over again. A graduate of five Western Hockey League seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince George Cougars, the 21-year-old rearguard from Pennant, Saskatchewan is now a freshman face on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies roster.

"The big difference is there's no red line in CIS hockey which makes it much more wide open and end-to-end. That was probably the toughest thing to get used to as a defenceman," says Dickie on the transition to university hockey. "You're playing against guys who are four or five years older, they're bigger and a bit stronger."

Dickie, who, during his WHL career, was revered for his leadership and strong, steady defensive play, has managed to adapt well to the CIS' run-and-gun, offensive style - picking up his first CIS point with an assist in the Huskies' 4-1 win over Regina last weekend. Of course, it helps to be part of a Huskies squad that's ranked no. 3 in the country and is one of two undefeated teams in the Canada West conference.

"We've got a lot of talent on this team," he says of a Huskies roster that includes 15 WHL alumni. "Our motto is 'No one out-works us'. When you see us out on the ice, how hard everyone works, it's pretty impressive. Even in games we think we played badly, we still out-work the other team and seem to come out on top."

Not only is Dickie a rookie on the ice in the CIS, he's also a freshman in the U of S' Faculty of Engineering - a program that is challenging enough without the added commitment of playing university sports.

However, Dickie, who is attending the university on a WHL scholarship, has always been able to successfully balance his scholastic and athletic responsibilities. After all, Dickie was awarded the Daryl K (Doc) Seaman Trophy as the WHL's Scholastic Player of the Year in 2002-03 and runner-up two years before. He also won the Wheat Kings' Scholastic Player of the Year award all four years he played in Brandon.

Still, Dickie is aware of the challenge of doing well in his classes yet remaining focused on helping the Huskies win hockey games.

"It's definitely tough," he says. "We're on the road a lot of weekends so it's tough to focus on getting schoolwork done...my days are always pretty full. But, this is what I want to do, so I have to stick with it. I've heard that the first year of Engineering is the toughest."

Dickie, who is undrafted, knows he had the talent to try his luck in the pros after he finished his WHL career. However, he felt there was a better route for him to take. With five years worth of WHL scholarship money waiting for him upon graduation from the WHL, Dickie felt a post-secondary education was the best path for him to follow.

"It was mainly the WHL scholarship program," Dickie says about his choice to go the scholastic route. "I figured I should use the five years worth of scholarship I had and go to university. Plus, I new I could still play hockey at a high level if I went the university route. It's a good step for me to take."

Dickie may have a full plate in front of him at the U of S, with a heavy workload both on the ice and in the classroom, however, he still manages to keep up with the WHL and follows the Wheat Kings and Cougars. In fact, when Prince George was looking to acquire defenceman Andre Blanchette from Brandon, Cougars General Manager Dallas Thompson called Dickie for his insight.

As for his future, Dickie knows many things can happen from now until the time he finishes his degree in four or five years. For now, he's focused on getting through university. Yet, professional hockey is always in the back of his mind.

"My goal is to see where I'm at when I finish my degree," he says. "When I'm done, I'll see what my options are, both in engineering and in hockey. I would definitely like to keep both options open."

WHL Education Fast Facts

-Each season, over 260 WHL graduates and current players attend post-secondary institutions on WHL scholarships.

-1750 WHL scholarships have been awarded to graduate players since 1993.

-In 2003-04, the entire roster of the University of Alberta Golden Bears was made up of WHL graduates. The Golden Bears went undefeated during the season.

-Kamloops Blazers' goaltender Devan Dubnyk was named both the WHL and CHL Scholastic Player of the Year for 2003-04. Dubnyk was drafted in the first round (14th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in 2004.

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WHL KEY PERFORMERS

NICHOLAS DRAZENOVIC, Prince George Cougars - Has a goal and four assists and a plus four rating in his last three outings helping the Cougars to two wins and a tie. Click here to view scoring leaders.

STEFAN MEYER, Medicine Hat Tigers - Has a goal and three assists in last three games for Tigers. Scored game-winner versus Brandon on October 23. Currently riding a nine-game point streak. Click here to view scoring leaders.

DION PHANEUF, Red Deer Rebels - Has three goals and an assist in last two games for Rebels. Leads all defencemen in scoring and leads league with seven power-play goals. Click here for defence leaders.

ZDENEK BAHENSKY, Saskatoon Blades - Has two goals and two assists in last three games for the Blades - all wins. Scored game-winner versus Kelowna on October 23. Click here for rookie scoring leaders.

KEVIN NASTIUK, Medicine Hat Tigers - Is 2-0 in last two starts for the Tigers and has allowed only one goal in his last four outings. Posted a 17-save shutout versus Regina on October 22. Click here for goaltending leaders.

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THE PLAYERS' PERSPECTIVE

The Seattle Thunderbirds are off to a flying start to the 2004-05 Western Hockey League season. A big reason for the team's early success has been the solid play of defenceman Zack Fitzgerald.

While he hasn't put up big numbers offensively, Fitzgerald - a 19-year-old product of Duluth, MN - has been a defensive force on a Thunderbirds team that has allowed a measly 13 goals in 12 games. Fitzgerald, who was the St. Louis Blues' third-round pick (88th overall) in the 2003 NHL draft, is a team-leading plus eight this season and is a defensive presence that opposing forwards fear night in and night out.

Fitzgerald is also a member of the WHL's elite group of 1985-born defencemen including Dion Phaneuf, Brent Seabrook, Shawn Belle, Braydon Coburn and Shea Weber, to name a few, who are expected to, one day, make big waves in the NHL.

Zack Fitzgerald's perspective

On the Thunderbirds' hot start...

"I think all the guys came in this year with good focus. We had a system that we wanted to play from the start and the guys are sticking to that plan and doing their jobs. We've had things we've needed to accomplish in each game and, so far, it's worked out for us."

On the Thunderbirds' talented up-and-comers...

"We've got Chris Durand and Scott Jackson and Bretton Stamler who are in their draft year and will have big years. A few younger guys like Mitch Fadden are doing really well for us and helping out the team."

On being drafted by the Blues...

"It's pretty much the biggest thing that's happened to me in hockey. Growing up, I never though that I would be in this position, but it's been really exciting. It gives me incentive to work harder and hopefully make something out of all this."

On his favorite defenceman...

"Scott Stevens is a guy I look up to. He's a big hitter, he does everything he needs to do to get the puck up the ice and he's one of those guys who never seems to make mistakes. He's been one of the top d-men in the league for so many years. He's a force out there."

On life in Seattle...

"The best thing is being away from the snow. Out here, it's always green with all the rain. Coming from a small town, it's a bit overwhelming because Seattle is so big and there's so much to do."

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BLAZERS, NEW CAR DEALERS SCORE BIG FOR EDUCATION

Kamloops, BC - The Kamloops Blazers are proud to announce an innovative promotional partnership with the New Car Dealers Association of Kamloops which will see the city's 13 new car dealers donate $40,000 towards the Kamloops Blazers Scholarship and Education Fund.

In turn, the Blazers are providing an in-game promotional opportunity for fans to shoot to win a new car on 13 nights throughout the rest of the regular season. The contest concludes with a $250,000 shoot-to-win cash prize for one lucky fan on the final night of the home schedule, March 11th against the Kelowna Rockets.

"We have always been proud supporters of the Blazers," says New Car Dealers Association President George Evans. "However, this is an exciting, unique opportunity for us to also support the club's financial responsibilities in terms of education for graduating players. This is a good fit for us as an association, and we're looking forward to giving local fans a chance to shoot to win a brand new car from each of our members. This is a contest geared toward our area Blazer fans and designed to create a greater desire for local car buyers to shop in Kamloops."

"We are unbelievably pleased to have the New Car Dealers of Kamloops on board for this program," says Blazer Vice-President and marketing committee chairman Gary Cooper. "This is a win-win-win partnership for the Blazers, the local new car dealers, and for our fans. We feel we're going to create some real excitement at Sport Mart Place during our 14 "Score Big For Education" nights. Our auto dealers will benefit through increased traffic at their locations around town. Plus, our fans will have a chance to win up to 13 new cars, plus a shot at a quarter of a million dollars to close out the year."

Fans can obtain an entry form at any of the 13 new car dealers in Kamloops and then deposit their entry form in a specially marked barrel inside Sport Mart Place. One name will be drawn from all the entries received for each particular night and that person will have a chance to shoot for a new car, starting November 5th against Spokane. At the end of the season, one lucky fan will have the chance to shoot for a $250,000 cash prize.

All shooters will receive a customized Blazer jersey with the name of that evening's sponsoring dealership across the back.

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WHL THIS WEEK - RADIO EDITION

The 6th episode of the "The WHL This Week, Radio Edition"is now available in the downloads section of the league media site at www.whl.ca/media or by clicking on "THE WEEK THIS WEEK, RADIO EDITION" icon on the right side of the www.whl.ca homepage.

"THE WHL THIS WEEK, RADIO EDITION" is a weekly look around the Western Hockey League with host Terry Doyle. The broadcast version is a CD quality .mp3 file that is roughly 3 MB.

On this week's show, Terry talks to Chris Durand of the Seattle Thunderbirds about the T-Birds great start to the WHL season leading the WHL's U.S. Division. Terry also talks to Co-Coach of the Calgary Hitmen Dean Evason on his new coaching job in the WHL. In our feature interview, Terry talks to the WHL's Director of Officiating Kevin Muench and Referee Kyle Rehman on the CHL Officiating Exchange Program.