Page 30 - Trending Magazine 2018 Fall

Turning Pro_Layout 1 18-09-18 3:11 PM Page 1

Photo: Bruce Bumstead

Story by Perry Bergson

s National Hockey League debuts go, Zach was rare, but he came down the half wall, and I’m the
Whitecloud certainly drew the short straw on centreman, so I came over to challenge him, and he
AApril 5. gave me a little shake and I went to the ice and he
In his one and only NHL game so far, he lined up with walked in and took the shot. The puck comes right
the Vegas Golden Knights against Connor McDavid back to him and he comes down again and I’m
and the Edmonton Oilers. standing there and give him the whole outside — ‘Go
“I was line matched against McDavid and (Milan) ahead, you can have it’ — and he goes around and
Lucic and (Ryan Strome) the entire game,” Whitecloud takes the shot. I went up to the next face-off and said
recalled recently as fellow Brandon professional ‘Hey kid, can you settle down on me? Come on.’ He’s
hockey players Matt Calvert, Micheal Ferland and laughing on the draw and (Edmonton winger Milan)
Ryan White listened. “That guy came to my side every Lucic is standing there staring at me.
time. Defending him is like nothing else.” “He’s something else, that kid. Sid (Crosby) is great,
Welcome to the NHL, kid. Ovi (Alexander Ovechkin) is unreal, but that kid is
White agreed on Whitecloud’s assessment of something else. Individually he’s the best. I’ve never
McDavid. seen anything like it.”
“He’s crazy,” White chuckled. “I remember one time Brandon has also never seen anything like its
in Phoenix a couple of years ago we had him back to current crop of homegrown players competing at the
back. We beat them in Phoenix the first night, which highest levels of the game.

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