Dylan McNeil is following a dream in the midst of a new beginning, and that could be a very good thing for the the six-foot 15-year-old 100 Mile House forward and his Thompson Blazers teammates.
The Kamloops-based British Columbia Major Midget League (BCMML) club's history is “one of futility”, and changes needed to be made, explains coach Don Schultz, the former head coach of the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack who took over as bench boss with the long-struggling Blazers this season.
“This team has not had a great history its last eight or nine years. We're trying to change that and change the culture.”
That means Schultz and his new coaching staff are doing their best to build a viable and attractive program for player development; to curtail an exodus of young Kamloops talent and recruit players that compete every shift; to change the mindset that losing is OK.
The end goal being a winning product that pumps out good young hockey prospects every year.
“We've been battling history,” Shultz says. “But, all things considered, it's been a decent start. We'd like to see more wins in the win column obviously, but you know, we have showed signs where the guys are starting to buy in.”
The Blazers are currently in ninth place of 11 teams, a couple games in hand, with two wins, four loses and two ties in eight games this season. McNeil has two goals and four penalty minutes.
McNeil is the only player in the BCMML who calls 100 Mile House home. As a youngster he played minor hockey here, but spent the last two seasons playing on more competitive teams in Williams Lake and Penticton.
While McNeil says he's coming off an admittedly subpar year in the Okanagan Hockey Academy, coach Schultz says the young forward has been a good acquisition for Kamloops this season, and Western Hockey League teams should probably start taking note of the growing boy. McNeil trained hard and had a very good camp; he's learning he's got size and it can be to his advantage.
He has a lot of potential, but the work never stops at hockey's elite levels, and the atmosphere Schultz is trying to create with a reinvigorated focus on hard work and development should help players with high expectations and big aspirations like McNeil succeed.
McNeil is in his first year of midget hockey, he's in Grade 10, and he talks about eventually playing collegiate level hockey in the U.S. It's clear hockey is a huge part of his life, something he lives and breathes, “all day, everyday.”
The BCMML is a competitive environment filled with big guys and WHL draft picks, he says.
“It's really intense. The coaches are always on us. It's tough. There are hard practices, but it's always a good time being around the boys.”
It was really exciting for him to make the team, he adds, and it's where he wants to be. While he talks a little about his future beyond midget hockey, it's still early in the 2015-16 season, and, like any serious player, it seems McNeil's primary focus now is on contributing as a player, winning and making playoffs.
“I'm hoping to get back on track this season, get some points and help out the team.”
For helping him along the way, McNeil thanks his former 100 Mile House minor hockey coaches, Wade Balbirnie and the late Kyle Moore, for showing him determination, confidence and respect. Also, his trainer Kam Taylor of Focused Fitness for preparing him for tryouts. He says he couldn't have done it without their help.
Asked about McNeil's future in hockey, Schultz says that how far McNeil goes will be determined by the work he puts in.
“Based on what I've seen this year, I like his upside and his skating ability. He's really going to have to train hard and commit to being a player, but I would encourage Western Hockey League teams to have a good look at him. I think at some point... by the time he's [17 years old], he could be quite a player. If he stays the course he's on right now, I think that's a possibility. Certainly Junior A.”