Brennan Malgunas forced his way onto the roster of the Cariboo Cougars.
Before the Cougars started their B.C. Hockey Major Midget League exhibition schedule, the 16-year-old defenceman was one of the guys on the bubble - in the eyes of the coaches, he was in the position of making the final cut, or just missing it. But the more they saw of Malgunas, who had played at the midget Tier 1 level the previous year, the more they realized they couldn't do without him.
"He just kept climbing and climbing and climbing and getting better and better," said Trevor Sprague, head coach and general manager of the Cougars. "It came to a point where we needed him in the lineup and for him to come and play for us. So he earned his spot.
"His development was through the roof."
Malgunas has been a solid contributor at both ends of the rink. In particular though, he has brought additional offensive flair to the team's defence corps. Through 18 games, he has put up three goals and 11 points, a total that has him third among Cariboo blueliners. Only veterans Jeremy Gervais (five goals, 18 points) and Joel Patsey (six goals, 12 points) have been more productive.
"(Malgunas) is very smart with the puck, he's got good poise and he's got a really good shot," Sprague said. "He's playing on our power play right now and if he gets a little stronger that could be a pro shot."
Sprague added that Malgunas still has a lot of untapped potential when it comes to generating offence.
"He's just got to have confidence to use (his offensive instincts) a little bit more," the coach said. "We've seen flashes of it against weaker teams in our league, and he's made some really great plays. It's just elevating his game, the offensive side of it, when we're playing the top four or top three teams within the league."
While every player could stand improvement in certain areas, Malgunas is already showing some of the intangible qualities all coaches love to see.
"If there's a mistake made out there and it comes off of his stick or is based on him, he's very accountable," Sprague said. "Sometimes he's a little hard on himself but he shows the maturity of being able to bounce back and go out and play a consistent hockey game."
Malgunas's comfort level has been boosted by the presence of 17-year-old defence partner Jarin Sutton. Last season, the two of them were a blueline pairing for the Coast Inn of the North midget Tier 1 Cougars, a team that dominated its opponents all year and was eventually crowned as provincial champion.
Sutton missed the first eight games this season because of a broken hand but, for Malgunas, his return brought with it the all-important element of familiarity.
"It's been going really well," Malgunas said prior to a Tuesday practice. "Since he's been back he's been doing well and I've been having a lot of success too so I think we're a good pairing.
"We played together last year and we're good friends too, so we do complement each other."
Being part of a B.C. championship team last season has also helped Malgunas play with extra certainty this year. But, as a first-year major-midget player, he has still had to make some adjustments. The biggest one, he said, has been getting accustomed to the quicker pace of the game.
"The speed and puck-moving - it's a bit faster and you've just got to make quicker decisions," he said. "Maybe at the start of the year it was a little harder than I thought it would be but I've started to ease into it and it's coming."
Like many young hockey players, the five-foot-10, 165-pound Malgunas would like to ascend to the professional ranks one day. If he does, he'll follow in the strides of his dad, Kevin, and his uncle, Stewart. Kevin, a right winger, parlayed a four-year Western Hockey League career (1988 to 1992 with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Tacoma Rockets) into nine years of minor pro while Stewart, a defenceman, skated in 129 regular-season NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames.
"My goal is to just keep getting better and improve, and whatever happens, happens," said Malgunas, who has seen some of the old footage of his uncle in action.
"He was a good defensive defenceman. I guess I like to model my defensive game after him," Malgunas said.
Malgunas is "very proud" of his last name and his hockey bloodlines.
Being a Malgunas, though, does sometimes create extra pressure for him.
"People might expect more but I'm just doing my best," he said. "That's all I can do."
