As a smaller program in the same city as a juggernaut, the MacEwan Griffins’ men’s hockey team will always have an uphill battle trying to bring in recruits to grow the program. And yet, the program has continually improved since entering Canada West in 2020, with this year looking to continue that trend. So how has MacEwan found talent that stands up to the elites of the conference? 

Based on this year’s batch of impact first years, the junior A ranks. Schools like UBC and the U of A tend to attract big-time recruits who used to play in the CHL, Canada’s highest level of junior hockey. And while MacEwan has a couple of former CHL players, such as captain Sean Comrie, the roster is filled with players who played just below that CHL level. Yet, they are proving they can hang with players of that calibre. 

Take goaltender Carson Ironside, who spent his years before MacEwan playing with the Whitecourt Wolverines and the Camrose Kodiaks of Alberta’s junior A league, the AJHL. With an AJHL all-rookie team selection in 2022, he has some perspective on what it’s like to go from junior A to the collegiate level. “I would say the biggest difference between the AJHL and Can West is the maturity level. Guys are older and have been playing longer, so they think [of] the game differently. A lot of guys are more patient [with the puck] and are able to make more advanced plays.” But even with that jump, Ironside starred in his first start, making 31 saves on 32 shots to power the Griffins past UBC in a massive upset. And it’s not just their goalie of the future. Players like Ethan Sundar, Brody Tallman, Ethan Mercer, and multiple others have stepped into big roles on this team early in their careers. Sundar and Mercer have both spent time in the top nine, with excellent physical play from Mercer and flashes of special playmaking ability from Sundar. They are just two of the six first years on this team. And besides Carson Haynes, their common thread is the fact they all came from junior A leagues. 

MacEwan has done an excellent job combing through so-called “lesser leagues” to find diamonds in the rough, and the men’s team proves they can build a competitive team with fewer resources. And with this year being Sean Comrie’s and assistant captain Marc Pasemko’s last with the team, they will have to go back to the well again. But Ironside’s words on junior A should put Griffins’ fans at ease. “There were some awesome players around the league I was lucky enough to play against as well, which really allowed me to better myself.” Words that should carry weight coming from one of MacEwan’s outstanding first years.

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Graphic by Forrester Toews