In the last 10 years alone, 45 of about 200 former Parkland Rangers have advanced to the next level.
The list includes a pair of former U-18 members in Ryan Pulock who is with the New York Islanders and Connor Dewar who is currently with the Minnesota Wild. Of the 43 others that went on to bigger journies following time in the Manitoba U-18 AAA Hockey League, players have played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Western Hockey League, NCAA Division 1, the East Coast Hockey League and the American Hockey League to name a few.
Some players in the region believe their best route to the next level will be given a greater chance by moving outside of the region. For some, they believe their route to the next level stems from representing their home region club. Statistics have proven in the past and they continue to prove that there is no urgent need to move outside of the Parkland to develop.
Another prime example is Tristan Langan. From Swan River, Langan played 48 games with the U-18 program and he just recently signed a contract to play in Norway's top professional league with the Stavanger Oilers. Riley McKay of Swan River will return to the Laval Rocket after he helped them make the Calder Cup playoffs last year. McKay scored 11 goals in his lone campaign with the U-18 Rangers before he moved on to the Western Hockey League and he turned professional in 2020.
Mark Liwiski played 40 games with his hometown U-18 team and he's coming off a 17-point season in the ECHL with the Wichita Thunder while Jayden Jubenvill, a veteran of 95 games with the U-18 Rangers, is coming off an outstanding rookie season in the United States Hockey League with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, and has a scholarship to North Dakota.
For those who aren't aware of the USHL, it is widely known as the best Junior league in North America. Following his time with the Rangers, Jayden also helped the Dauphin Kings win the Turnbull Cup and he was excellent at the Centennial Cup as Dauphin advanced to the national semi-final.
The list of former Rangers that have advanced to the next level includes Riese Gaber of Gilbert Plains. Riese averaged nearly a point per game over his 80 contests with Parkland before moving on to help the Steinbach Pistons win the Turnbull Trophy and he also played with Team Canada West U-19 at the World Junior A Challenge in back-to-back years. He followed that by being named the Player of the Year in the USHL with the Fighting Saints and he is now one of the most dynamic scorers in NCAA Division 1 with the University of North Dakota, the same school where Jubenvill will soon attend. These are just a few examples of players from the Parkland who took the home region route before moving up in the hockey world.
For Tyler Carefoot, he is a complete believer in what the Ranger program has to offer.
"Overall, it just proves that we can develop our players right here in the Parkland, all the tools and programming are right here," said Carefoot. "It's a chance for the guys to stay in their hometowns with their schoolmates, yet, benefit from high-performance programming. When you add it all up, the Parkland Rangers is giving every player an opportunity to develop as hockey players, but most importantly, help mould their character for after their hockey journey."
With that in mind, Parkland is preparing to host their main camp starting with two sessions on September 7 and 12 which will be followed with an intrasquad game on September 13. All sessions will take at Credit Union Place and registration is now open. Depending on the number of players that take part in main camp, the roster could be dwindled down for the Souris exhibition tournament on September 15 and 16.
Carefoot likes to think of the Rangers as a 'mini' junior program.
“The rink that we play in; is first class, our dressing room, is top-notch, when on the road; we bus to most and we stay in quality hotels, it's all-inclusive," offered Carefoot. "Wherever we may be as a team, we are always having a lot of fun as a group. Playing with the Rangers in the U-18 AAA league provides every player with an opportunity to develop and achieve higher levels of hockey; it’s a very good league with quality competition, which includes high-achieving players."
Tyler also wants to give a tip of the cap to Boston Karlson and Mitchell Rauliuk, as the young duo provides the team with excellent coverage on HockeyTV.
“Trent and those two fellas; do a tremendous job; it just adds another element to our program," ended Carefoot. "Our players are treated like professionals, they get exceptional media coverage; whereas most teams and players don't get the same media exposure and coverage”
If you are interested in becoming a Ranger, you can email gm@parklandrangers.ca The curtain on the season opens on September 29 as Dauphin hosts Yellowhead at Credit Union Place.
