CANMORE – Building a contender, in any sport, comes down to one thing: talent.
In junior hockey, teams are constantly on the hunt to strengthen any weak points and fill any holes left in their roster.
Now that the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) trade deadline is over – a final chance for clubs to get ready, or perhaps, go for a Hail Mary – the Canmore Eagles are sticking with the boys who have given them one of their best regular seasons, well, ever.
“The vibe is strong right now for the Canmore Eagles,” said Eagles head coach and general manager Andrew Milne.
“If anything, we weren't gonna shake the roster up too much. We were just looking to see if we could add pieces without transitioning the existing roster too much because I think we're in a good spot.”
With 51 points and atop of the AJHL standings, a good spot, indeed.
However, Milne did make a few tweaks to the Eagles roster before Jan. 10 – signing free agent forward Will Lutic and trading winger Brayden Swartz to the Olds Grizzlys for future considerations – but the head coach is betting on his core.
Although, the free agent signing of Lutic is looking like a stroke of genius very early on.
With three goals and one helper in three games, the 17-year-old former Brooks Bandit was named AJHL rookie of the week for Jan. 6-12.
“Obviously having Will Lutic was a huge add for us and obviously we saw his impact here on the weekend,” said Milne.
In fact, it might have been the Canmore Eagles crowds’ disdain for the Bandits, which used to consistently knock the Canmore club out of the playoffs each season, that got Lutic excited to come here.
Lutic’s first ever AJHL game was against the Eagles in Canmore in December 2023.
“It was the craziest fans I think I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Lutic.
Lutic added that fellow locals of St. Albert, Eagles’ goalie Hudson Sedo and forward Cohen Daoust “played a really big part” in recruiting him to the mountain town club.
“They would kind of give me the day-to-day side of things or how the group of guys were within the team and it was awesome,” said Lutic.
“I think it’s just the environment here. The head coach Andrew kind of explained to me the drive of the team and the will to win, which was really exciting to hear. To be a part of it now is awesome.”
Along with Lutic, Eagles captain Rhett Dekowny was selected player of the week. The 20-year-old forward scored three goals and had six points over a three-game stretch, including a season high four-point game last Saturday against the Lloydminster Bobcats.
The captain is tied for second in the league in points with 38 (17 goals, 21 assists).
Meanwhile, the Eagles goaltender tandem of Alex Scheiwiller and Hudson Sedo continues to impress. Both netminders are in the top-5 in the league in goals against average and top-six in save percentages.
Of late, the hometown club have leaned on the veteran net presence of Scheiwiller, who has started eight of the past 10 games for the club (6-2-0).
With less than 20 games remaining in the regular, the key now for the Eagles will be to stay focused.
“I think we put a target on our back,” said Milne. “That's our own doing, so it's positive in the sense that we know other teams are going to come after us and we're OK with that, I mean, that's when we want to play our best hockey and that's gonna be the challenge we're gonna get from every other team.”
Saturday’s Hockey Day in Canada line-up at rec centre include:
- Noon: Airdrie CFR Bisons vs. Calgary Northwest Flames (U18 AAA).
- 3:30 p.m.: Grant McEwan vs. Mount Royal (U-Sports women’s hockey).
- 7 p.m. Canmore Eagles vs. Drumheller Dragons.
