After dominating the major midget ranks, Squamish's Brodyn Nielsen has finally made it to the Western Hockey League (WHL) and is hoping to play a key role on his new team, the Vancouver Giants.
The WHL's Saskatoon Blades drafted Nielsen in 2009 but after failing to crack the roster, the Giants scooped up his rights. Two strong seasons with the Greater Vancouver Canadians in the British Columbia Major Midget League later and Nielsen is now a member of the Giants and looking to help them in their playoff run.
"Scott Bonin (Giants general manager) called me after our season was done and told me to come practice," he said. "They signed me, I've got a billet and I'm on the playoff roster."
Nielsen admitted that the jump in skill to the WHL has been significant.
"It's a lot faster than major midget," he said. "You really need to try your hardest on each and every shift and think fast."
As of press time, the Giants trail 2-0 to the Tri-City Americans in their first-round playoff series. Nielsen said the Giants, who have lost both games by one goal, need to keep working hard.
"We've been getting a lot of chances but we can't be satisfied being down 2-0," he said. "We need to start burying more of our chances and guys need to play at their absolute best if we want to move on."
Nielsen said the two years he's spent on the Canadians have been valuable to his development and his numbers don't lie. Last year he had 26 points and became a point-a-game player this season, notching 41 points in 40 games. He also led the league in penalty minutes, a fact that he admitted with a chuckle.
"We did pretty well and had overall a good year," he said. "It's all about having fun - I would have liked to have done better in the playoffs, but it's just a game."
It's been a busy season for Nielsen as he also spent time playing in the Pacific International Junior Hockey League with the hometown Wolf Pack.
"I think I played four games for them and it was pretty cool to play in front of the hometown crowd," he said. "I was never really able to do that, so that was a lot of fun."
Nielsen also said that he's keeping close tabs on his good friend Dalton Thrower. The 麻豆社国产Minor Hockey alum is playing strong hockey on the Saskatoon Blades and Nielsen said they've both come a long way since playing street hockey back in Squamish.
"It's pretty surreal for both of us to be in the WHL," he said. "Me and Dalton would go to Giants games and it was kind of a dream for both of us to play in the league. Dalton has had a really good year and I think he should get some attention from the NHL when he's draft eligible next year."
However, Nielsen revealed that he and Thrower have an unwritten agreement that if they face each other on the ice, the mitts might get dropped.
"When he got drafted I told him that if we're on the ice together in the WHL, that he's going to be my first fight," he joked.
The only problem for both is that if the two teams do meet in the playoffs, it would be for the WHL Championship. Perhaps the tilt will have to wait until next year.
Nielsen said that in the summer he's going to train hard and try to fight his way onto a permanent role with the Giants. He also said he plans to return to help teach at the 麻豆社国产Hockey School, which is run by Dalton's dad, Murray Thrower.
For more information on Nielsen and the Giants, visit www.vancouvergiants.com.
