Game On Magazine 2017 Game On Magazine - Regular Season Edition | Page 30

PROFILE
CHASE
BRAKEL
The Chase is On
BY JIM TIMLICK
Photos by Laurie Anderson
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE – Ask
anyone who has followed
the Manitoba Junior Hockey
League for the past three
seasons to name the best all-
round forwards in the league
during that time and Chase
Brakel is one name likely to
come up in any discussion.
The Portage Terriers
forward finished second
only to teammate Jeremey
Leipsic in the MJHL scoring
race in 2016-17 with 34
goals and 46 assists during
his sophomore season. This
season, he posted 18 goals
and 23 assists in 35 games
heading into the Christmas
break and ranks among the
league’s top players in almost
every offensive category.
Brakel’s contributions
haven’t been limited to
just the offensive zone,
either. He’s a regular on
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the Terriers’ penalty killing
unit. He’s also the captain
of the MJHL’s defending
champions, a team that had
the second-best record in
the 11-team loop heading
into the holiday season.
“Obviously, he’s valuable
in that he produces points.
But he’s so good in all parts
of the game,” said Terriers
head coach Blake Spiller.
“He’s not just OK at
everything, he’s real good at
everything. He’s not blinding
fast and he doesn’t have a
cannon of a shot or anything,
he’s not a real physical guy,
but he plays hard and he’s not
shy in the tough areas. If you
combine them all together
with his intelligence you get
a guy that’s definitely capable
of being a top guy in our
league and a guy that scouts
at the next level like a lot.”
You can say that again.
Scouts have been closely
following the 19-year-old
Winnipegger for the past
couple of seasons. Last
month, he accepted a full-
ride scholarship to Cornell
University, an Ivy League
school in Ithaca, N.Y. that
has produced dozens of
NHLers including Ken
Dryden, Joe Nieuwendyk
and Matt Moulson. It’s
also been ranked as one
of the top academic
institutions in the U.S.
Despite receiving
interest from several top
college programs, Brakel
said choosing Cornell
was an easy decision.
“Nothing could top what
Cornell had to offer between
the hockey program and
academics and the location.
It was exactly the thing I was