Daniel Helary remembers being inside the famed Whitney Forum for games one and two as the Flin Flon Bombers went up against the Battlefords North Stars in round two of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) playoffs last year.
The Bombers scored 10 goals in the two games and swept the series before losing to Melfort in six games in the league final. Fresh off a great season with the Prairie Hockey Academy U18 Prep team that saw the rear guard score eight times and add 14 assists in 29 regular season games and four more points in three playoff games, Helary signed with the Bombers and was thrilled to join one of the most storied organizations in league history.
Daniel never played a game for the Maroon and White. He was acquired by the Kings earlier this year and has played six games since.
"It's been awesome here, the coaches are giving me great feedback and we have a great group of guys," said Helary. "It has been an incredible experience so far, I'm happy to be here in Dauphin."
If this weekend when the Kings welcome the Blues and Flyers to town is the first time you see Helary in action, you're in for a treat. Standing at 6'4", Daniel is a towering force that is great in his end and happens to be a threat in the offensive zone. Daniel busted onto the scene as an offensive producer with the Calgary Northstars U-16 team during the 2021-22 season when he had 15 goals and 27 points in 32 games. He followed that up with a great season last year at Prairie Academy as he progressed to the U-18 ranks.
"Growing up, I've always really liked scoring goals, who doesn't," offered Helary. "I've always tried to live up to that season when I scored 15 goals with the Northstars, I was very pleased about that."
Daniel debuted with the Blue & White in the team's 3-2 defeat against Portage on October 4. Eight days later, it was a night that Daniel will never forget. In a 9-4 win against the Winnipeg Freeze, Helary scored his first junior goal and added one assist.
"It felt amazing, almost indescribable to be honest, just happy to help the team win," continued Helary.
Helary has been in the lineup four times since that game and had an assist last Friday in Dauphin's tight loss against the Steelers. Across six games, he has one goal and two assists.
Dauphin's most recent action saw them lose against the Steelers then despite racking up 60 shots on Saturday, the team dropped a 3-1 decision against the Winnipeg Freeze. They quickly forgot about the past and focused on salvaging their three-game trip in Winkler.
"You can't change the past, so we just focused on moving on and bouncing back," said Helary. "It was up to us to decide what team we want to be, a chance to build something."
Dauphin responded in a big way as they put together an outstanding performance at the Icon Arena in a 3-1 win against the defending champion Flyers to win their eighth game of the campaign.
Helary had another great defensive game, created some chances offensively and it was all smiles on the 341-kilometre trek back to Dauphin.
"We know that we play them again on Sunday, so we wanted to set the tempo and we came out with two huge points," commented Helary.
Daniel and the Kings welcome the Winnipeg Blues to town on Friday night at 7:30.
Get To Know Helary:
What are some of your other hobbies? I love playing golf and working out, those are the big two.
Do you fish? Yeah, my grandpa owns a big cabin about an hour north of La Ronge so I usually go up there once a year.
What's your biggest catch? I think my best is a 35-inch Pike.
Kings' Fishing Standings: (of players on the team that have been featured as of this week)
Who have been some of the biggest supporters in your life? My mom, dad and grandparents are a few of the people who have always been there for me right by my side, it's been amazing.
When did you realize you wanted to take hockey seriously? I failed to make AA or AAA during my first year of U-15 in Calgary. I set a goal of wanting to make AA the next year so I did everything I could during that summer and made AAA the following year. I think ever since that moment I knew what I wanted to do.
Are you a traveller? I used to travel a lot until the pandemic, Russia or Mexico are my top two spots.
Helary Fun Fact: His mom is from Russia.
Who is your favourite Russian player? Alex Ovechkin, without a doubt.
Do you craft your game around anyone in the league? I look up to Shea Weber, PK Subban and Lane Hutson.
What is your favourite music and artist? Country and Morgan Wallen.
On top of seeing Daniel in action on Friday, you can hear his full interview with Darnell Duff before that game after the 4:00 p.m. news, weather, business and sports on 730CKDM during the Dauphin Kings Power Play Show.
