On the surface of it, Power Dodge Estevan’s Michael McChesney wouldn’t have been the first player one would suspect would be a invitee to the Canada West camp for the World Junior A Challenge last week.
McChesney was born in the United States, for one. But there the 19-year-old was, plying the hockey trade with some of the best from the BCHL, the AJHL, the SJHL and MJHL to try to represent this side of Canada. And although he didn’t make it he enjoyed the experience.
“It was a lot of fun and it was a really good experience,” said McChesney, whose mother was born in Canada. “I got to meet a lot of guys, a lot of guys that are at that level I want to get to. The coaches had a lot of good things to say and there were good guys that came and told me I needed to work on some stuff during the game.
“I felt like I started slow at the beginning of the camp because it’s such a fast pace and by the end of the camp I felt good and I felt a little bit better.”
McChesney, born in Dicksonson, North Dakota, has been an offensive force this year, scoring 36 points in his first 30 games with the Bruins this year and is headed for an improvement on his 41 points last season. Canada West went with a younger team this year and the 19-year-old McChesney was on the outside looking in once the team was announced.
“I think I kind of knew that being a 1998 (born-player) was going to be tough,” he said. “They only took like three or four 98s and two of them are goalies so I had a pretty good idea I wasn’t going to be highly up there to make the team but I was just happy with the experience of being able to go there… It was a good experience.”
Having Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood there would have been an easy transition for McChesney. Even as an American, wearing the maple leaf in a scrimmage-type situation wasn’t a particularly new experience.
“My grandpa is Canadian and my mom is Canadian-born,” he said. “I spent a lot of time in Canada and some of my favourite players are Canadian-born. It’s a little different being that I’ve lived in the States most of my life but it didn’t really change much. I have a Canadian practice jersey that I used to wear all the time back home. It was a little weird at the beginning but after a while it just felt like it fit.”
McChesney has been a good fit this year with the Bruins, anchoring the top six with his linemates Arthur Miller and Zach Goberis. It’s all part of McChesney’s plan to get a scholarship once his junior career is over.
“Best case scenario, I get to talk to more scouts and maybe more people come to Bruins games and maybe help other people get noticed,” he said. “That’d be great. But I’ve just got to keep the pace up and hopefully just keep doing everything right, keep scoring goals and keep doing good things for other guys to put pucks in the net. Keep working hard and hopefully good things will happen.”
