Two Estevan Bruins approach prestigious milestone

In the coming weeks, two CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins will reach the prestigious mark of 200 regular season games played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

Longtime Bruins defenceman Zach Douglas reached the mark last night when he hit the ice in the club’s match against the Notre Dame Hounds at Wilcox’s Duncan McNeill Arena. Bruins right-winger Owen LaClare, who came to the team during the off-season in a trade with the Kindersley Klippers, currently sits at 191 games played and should reach the 200-game mark in the team’s second-last game of the season at Weyburn’s Crescent Point Place against the Red Wings on March 5.

“It’s not something that everyone does,” said Douglas, a few days before playing the Hounds. “Everyone usually gets traded, gets traded to a different league, plays a couple games in the (WHL) or doesn’t play their 20-year-old year, so it’s kind of cool.”

Since joining the Bruins in the team’s 2012-13 season home opener as a 17-year-old, the now 21-year-old rearguard has transformed his role on the ice into an offensive playmaker while also becoming a leader for the younger guys in the room. Douglas’ final year in the SJHL this season may be his best as he has already surpassed his previous season high marks in goals scored with nine (his previous high was six in 2014-15), assists with 23 (21 in 2013-14 and 2014-15), points with 32 (27 in 2014-15) and penalty minutes with 70 (29 in 2012-13).

“His on-ice play sets the tone for our guys,” said Chris Lewgood, head coach and general manager of the Bruins, noting Douglas is a positive guy and leads by example. “He’s already been a two-time top defenceman for the team and he’s been a key contributor since the day he got here at 17 years old.”

As opposed to Douglas’ quiet leadership, Lewgood said LaClare is an outspoken player in the room. He said both types of leaders are necessary for a healthy hockey club, so bringing in LaClare for that as well as his offensive flair has been a bonus for the team since day one.

“My very first coach in La Ronge, Bob Beatty, he was a really good coach and really helped with my development when I was a really young kid at the age of 17,” said LaClare, who spent his first two SJHL seasons with the La Ronge Ice Wolves. “He pushed me and had a lot of hope in me and played me compared to a lot of other 17-year-olds in this league. I think from then on and there out it gave me a lot of confidence and taught me how to play in this league.”

LaClare has scored 19 goals and 39 points this season with the Bruins leading up to the game in Wilcox, while adding 129 penalty minutes. Since breaking into the SJHL in 2012-13, the power forward has compiled career totals of 81 goals, 76 assists, 157 points and 365 penalty minutes.

“When I was younger, when I was 17, I would try and do some things that wouldn’t really work out and I was scared to screw up and scared to let down the team,” said LaClare. “Now as an older guy I look to show those younger guys what I can do and the confidence that I’ve gotten is definitely a world difference.”

Winning the SJHL championship Canalta Cup, the Western Canada Cup in Estevan this May and the RBC Cup in Lloydminster after that is how LaClare said he wants to end his long SJHL career. The same can be said of his fellow Bruin manning the blue line.

“It’ll be winning an RBC Cup this year,” said Douglas about what his SJHL highlight would be, “and just everyday playing with the guys.”