Ron Valentine is profiling the 10 teams participating in the 2023 Centennial Cup in Portage la Prairie May 11-21. Today: the Alberta champion Brooks Bandits

By Ron Valentine

Rated No. 1 overall in the most recent Canadian Junior Hockey League rankings, the BROOKS BANDITS, the defending Centennial Cup champions (they beat the OJHL's Pickering Panthers 4-1 in the 2022 final), will represent the Alberta Junior Hockey League at the 2023 Cup. 

The Bandits finished first in the eight-team South division with 53 wins and 108 points in 60 games. They received a first-round playoff bye before besting the Okotoks Oilers in six games, the Blackfalds Bulldogs in four and the nation's sixth-ranked Spruce Grove Saints in five, with the last two in that series going to overtime. 

Aiden Fink, who is committed to the NCAA Division 1 Penn State Nittany Lions, is a finalist in the CJHL top forward award. On the Players to Watch list for this summer’s NHL draft, he had a 97-point campaign including 41 goals, eight of which were game winners. He was named the league's most valuable player. Sudbury native and team captain Darjo Beljo, who will be attending DI American International College in Springfield MA, had 89, including 34 goals. Sam Court, who is committed to the University of New Hampshire,  compiled 72 points, Hudson Mailnoski, who has committed to Providence College had 69. Thirteen players had 30 points or more and 14 had double digits in goals.

Moose Jaw, SK native Caelan Fitzpatrick was their leading producer in the playoffs with 11 goals and 16 points while Green Bay WIS native Brendan Poshak, a Northern Michigan commit, ended with 14. Fink had 13. Defenceman Hughie Hooker had four goals, three of which were game winners.

Ethan Barwick was one busy 'keeper in the regular season, appearing in 51 games, compiling a 1.88 goals against average while posting seven shutouts. In the postseason, Ethan was named AJHL playoff MVP. He started every game and his GAA was 2.13. He will attend Division 1 Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri in the fall. Starting 10 games was Wilson Maxfield who had a 1.67 GAA and two shutouts. 

The team's home ice is the Centennial Regional arena. It can accommodate 2,200 fans, 1,700 seated. The Bandits began play in the AJHL in the 2000-01 season. They were the national champions in 2013, 2019 and 2022 and have been AJHL champions seven times. Brooks, located 186 km southeast of Calgary, has a population of 14,623.

Probably the club's most famous alumnus is Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar, who played for the club from 2015 to 2017. OJHL fans will remember him from the national championship tournament (then known as the Royal Bank Cup) won by the hometown Cobourg Cougars in 2017. 

Curtis Glencross (2000-02) played over 500 games with four different clubs.

The squad is coached by Ryan Papaioannou, 39, who is also the general manager. He has won multiple honours with the team including being named AJHL coach of the year three times.  Ryan, born in Calgary, was assistant coach in 2008-09 and the next season he took on the head coach/GM position. 

He played in the Western Hockey League in goal for the Calgary Hitmen, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Seattle Thunderbirds as well as the AJHL's Calgary Canucks and the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats. 

Coach Ryan: "It's hard to compare this team to the one that won the Cup last year but it's pretty close. We have eight returning players from that team so it gives us a really good base and they set the example for the younger players. We're well aware of the tough opposition we are going to face so it will not be easy to repeat."

"We did not play particularly well in the semifinal against Okotoks but everyone quickly learned what playoff hockey is all about. All the games in the South final against Blackfalds, who finished runners-up to us in the regular season standings, were excellent contests. They are a skilled club who had some tough luck with injuries. The AJHL final against Spruce Grove, the North Division champions, was all we expected it would be. It really could have gone either way."

"Our first game against Yarmouth (the second one of opening day at the Centennial Cup, May 11) is really important for us to set the tone. It means so much to still be playing when the second weekend comes around. Every game is so important in this format. We just have to live for each day and make it count."

"Overall, we are a fast team who wants to advance the puck quickly. We possess a decent amount of skill. To be successful we have to play smart, make our offensive chances count and make the right decisions at the right time."

"Individually, we are very happy that Fink was nominated as CJHL forward of the year, he is very deserving of that honour. Our goalie, Ethan Barwick, would play every single game if I let him and we plan to do that in Portage. And he is always very supportive when he's on the bench. He is very well deserving of his scholarship and we are very proud of our record of university commitments over the years from our club."

"One more good story from the Bandits: we are very happy that we have two Ukranian boys on our roster, Mikhail Simchuk and Danylo Korzhyletskyl. We were able to arrange compassionate releases for them. Both played for their country's elite under-20 national club and they have fitted in well on and off the ice."

Danylo 44 points in 52 regular season games and Mikhail 26 points in 29 appearances. Mikhail's father, Konstantin, was a goalie who played professional hockey for seven clubs in the U.S. between 1997 and 2001. He is currently head coach of the Sokil Kyiv club in the Ukraine. 

The defending champion Bandits are well-deserving of their No. 1 ranking and they are hungry to repeat the feat.

For more on the Centennial Cup, go to the tournament website: https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/national-championships/men/national-junior-a/2023