It was a year Kaden Ernst was given things, in hockey. He started his season getting the C as team captain of the 100 Mile House Wranglers, and then he ended the season getting the trophy for the fan’s favourite player at the team’s awards event.
“That was pretty cool, pretty awesome,” said the Quesnel player now in his third full season in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). “Receiving the Fan Favourite was one the best things I could possibly get, to be honest. It was not expected. But I really thought I had a good impact on the community this year. I’m just glad I got that one. It means a lot.”
He is also almost a hometown favourite, in the Wranglers’ arena. It’s the closest KIJHL team to Quesnel, only a couple of hours down Highway 97, still in the Cariboo neighbourhood.
“It’s real nice to be able to go home, whenever need be, and also to just have the fans from Quesnel, Williams Lake, and even right from 100 Mile cheering on local players,” Ernst said.
Although the roster had players from as far away as Northwest Territories and Ontario, there were six from nearby Williams Lake (Carter Boomer, Jackson Altwasser, Eli Schwaller, Curtis Roorda, Trent Thiessen, Boston Pierce), and even two from right in 100 Mile House itself (Mason Pincott and Treyton Pacheco), to go along with Ernst as the only Quesnel product.
Junior hockey teams cannot afford, on the wins-losses ledger, to pick hometown kids. The best players possible must be assembled to strive for the best team results. Ernst feels grateful to get picked for a team so close to home, with that reality in mind. In his first year with the Wranglers the defender put up a mere five points as a rookie, then followed that up with two goals and five assists from the blue line last year - not the results he was hoping for. But this year he slapped in six goals and added 14 assists to go along with his physical play.
“I though this year was a great year,” he said. “After last season, it wasn’t my best, having a big bounce-back and getting that captain role really made me feel good. And the biggest thing for my play, I think, was just my confidence. I don’t know what it was but I came back hot and it just kept going that way.”
He considered his points total to be good, not great, and his defensive metrics to be good, not great, but thrived in the leadership role. With another year of Junior hockey still awaiting him, he feels that confidence carrying over already.
Just as Junior teams have to pick the best players they can scout, players, too, have to pick the best team they can find. Ernst said he will be considering several options, during the off-season, but he would relish suiting up again for the Wranglers for the 2024-25 campaign.
Other than a single game with the KIJHL’s Kamloops Storm back in 2019-20, Ernst has played his entire Junior career with the Wranglers, who spotted him at an identification camp the team held in Quesnel when he was still in minor hockey.
Those days were good ones, he said, because he had lots of older players in Quesnel Minor Hockey to look up to, who took the time to give him encouragement and pointers as he grew up. That willingness to just be nice to a younger player was something he consciously noticed and appreciated, which he figures might be why he is now so eager to be a positive force with his hockey situation now.
Ernst was a significant talent on the baseball field, as well, but it was hockey that always led the way for his aspirations. He credits his father Mike’s dedication to his progress in hockey to being the inspiration he needed as a boy, “and I can’t be thankful enough for that,” he said.
He plans to spend the off-season in Quesnel staying in shape and having a summer job. His focus is on maximizing his Junior opportunities, with higher education and following a career path something he’ll do once the sport is finished with him. That won’t be for at least another season, all things being predictable, and it was a strong year to build on.