The product on the ice improved for the Humboldt Broncos this season and the scouts took notice.
After having none of the players who finished the season last year commit to a collegiate hockey program the Broncos have had three commit to this point.
Garrett Mason will join former Bronco and Humboldt native Jarrett Fontaine at Trinty Western University in Langley B.C., while Connor Swystun and Michael Korol will be moving south of the border together to attend Norwich University in Northfield, Vt.
Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan is particularly pleased to see three players off his roster move on to post secondary hockey careers, saying it is one of the biggest reasons why he coaches.
It is also really important for the franchise to have these athletes continue their hockey career as well, notes Haugan.
“The big thing for us is getting these players ready for the next step in life. We want them to become assets in the community so it’s just so critical.”
Swystun and Korol will both be making the move south in the fall, and Haugan says the Cadets are getting a pair of high character individuals.
“Very proud to have coached them… I just can’t say enough good things about them and they’re definitely going to be assets there for sure. But it all starts with their character.”
On the ice Haugan says the Cadets can expect to get a premier shutdown defenseman in Swystun and an extremely dedicated forward in Korol.
“The sky’s the limit with both these players.”
The Cadets feature a talented squad fresh off a national championship, but as Cadets head coach Mike McShane noted in a press release both Korol and Swystun are expected to play big roles on this team.
“We are very excited to have Michael and Connor coming to Norwich this fall. We are graduating three centers and two defensemen and looking for the boys to fill some big holes,” he said.
Connor Swystun
Swtystun heads south of the border after a four year career with the Broncos where he played in 225 regular season and playoff games registering 19 goals and 60 assists for 79 points.
Making the decision to move to Norwich was an easy decision for Swystun as he felt the Norwich hockey program was once of the best around and said it helped that they are coming off a national title.
“Their record over the last number of years has been good. I wanted to go to a good winning team, with some good coaches, which they have and also just their school, they have a really good business program, which I’m going to be going into and it all just sort of worked out.”
Swystun notes he is really excited to make the move south of the border, saying it has been a dream of his for the last number of years.
“To actually get the opportunity to fulfill that dream is pretty awesome and I hope things work out and maybe I can even further my hockey career from there.”
The move south will be made easier for Swystun as well as he will have a familiar face in Korol making the move with him.
“It’s awesome… you’re moving out of the country so it’s a tough move but when you’re going with someone that’s one of your good friends and I’ll be actually living with him in a room so it makes the transition a lot easier.”
Michael Korol
Korol will be making the move south of the border having played three seasons for the Broncos where he registered 29 goals and 47 assists for 76 points in 170 regular season and playoff games.
Korol is making the move with one year of junior eligibility remaining and said he felt like now was the right time to make the move.
“Opportunities like this, they don’t come around very often. And as much as I loved Humboldt and I absolutely enjoyed my three years there I felt like it was the right move for me as a hockey player and as a student as well. I feel like I’m ready to get my life started and to kind of take that next step.”
While the move leaves the Broncos with a big hole on offense, Haugan says he is not disappointed to see Korol leave early, saying he is really excited for him.
“Our job is to get players on and I think that’s a terrible trap that coaches get into is they want to hold onto these players as long as they can because ultimately we’re in the win business and you want to have the best players possible… This is the perfect timing for Michael.”
Korol says he is really excited to make the move to Vermont, saying it was a dream of his to be able to play collegiate hockey.
“To finally be doing that this upcoming fall is a dream come true.”
Like Swystun a big part of making the decision to attend Norwich came down to winning, but says when he went for his visit in late January he was sold.
“Just the way that they run things down there and it’s absolutely first class. They’re a pretty well known program down there and it was a pretty easy decision for me after I got to know more.”
Having Swystun make the move is awesome, says Korol, noting Swystun is a great friend and an even better teammate.
“We’ve been through a lot of things over the last three years being in Humboldt together and to go down there and now share an experience with someone that you’ve been with for a long time is obviously extremely exciting.”
Korol would like to thank the Broncos organization, including Haugan and Brayden Klimosko for everything they have done for him over the last three seasons, his parents, his billets over the last three years, as well as all of his teammates.
Garrett Mason
Mason spent one season in Humboldt where he served as the workhorse for the Broncos playing in 49 of the teams’ 58 regular season games as well as all four playoff games.
Mason posted a 2.88 goals against average and .919 save percentage in the regular season and playoffs combined.
Haugan says the Spartans, who are coming off a British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League league final loss can expect to get top notch goaltending.
“The work load that was put on him was something he’s never had before and he battled… the reason we were in fifth place, a big part was because of him. We had a lot of injuries and so on and so forth but very proud of Garrett and the growth that he’s shown this year as a person as well.”
Top notch goaltending is something the Spartans need, as their all-star starting goaltender is graduating.
“In the SJHL we knew there were two coveted goalies up for grabs in (Kristian) Stead and Mason. We zeroed in on Garrett to be our guy,” stated Trinity Western Spartans Head Coach Barret Kropf in a press release.
“In watching Mason this year, he has given the Broncos a chance to win every night. His stats are very impressive and his character and leadership are what we are looking for in Spartans. We are excited to be adding him into our program.”
