Former Yorkton Terrier defenseman John Neibrandt, in his second season with the Western Hockey League (WHL) Kootenay Ice, home for the Christmas break, took in a Bantam AA Terrier game to watch his youngest brother Adam play.
The Neibrandt boys, sons of Brian and Cheryl Neibrandt, are all involved in the game. Adam, the youngest, plays for the Yorkton UCT Bantam Terriers. John plays in the WHL and Evan, the oldest, currently studying to become a teacher, played for the Terriers.
The Kootenay Ice, defending WHL champions, were in first place for much of the current season but slipped a bit going into Christmas and are currently in third place in the WHL standings, Neibrandt reports.
He believes that players, though often younger than those in the SJHL, are much faster and perhaps somewhat more skilled. It isn't easy keeping up to some of the top players, he admits, though he's a reasonably good skater, he says.
The 6' 5", 196 pound 19 year old defenseman for the Kootenay Ice didn't generate a lot of offense in his first season with the team, scoring one goal and earning four assists. This season Neibrandt already has a goal and eight assists only halfway through the season.
He sees a fair bit of ice time, generally a regular member of the penalty kill unit.
The Ice had a pretty hectic schedule before the break. In November the team traveled west to the coast to play in Victoria, Vancouver and Prince George. After a two day rest in Cranbrook, they were off to complete a two week swing through Saskatchewan. "We were on the road for about three and a half weeks," Neibrandt recalls.
The Ice won the first six games of the road trips and lost the last three. "It could have been fatigue," Neibrandt suggests.
Kootenay Ice coach Kris Knoblauch is a real players' coach and a good coach to play for, Neibrandt states. "He wants you to get better out there every day," Neibrandt claims.
He would like to play professional hockey. Therefore he's trying hard to be noticed by some scouts this year in order to become drafted or invited to a camp.
Realizing there are no guarantees in hockey, Neibrandt's alternate plan if he isn't drafted after his last year in the WHL, is to take his scholarship go to school where he'll play CIS hockey. As far as for what he'll study at university, he's not sure at this time.
