“
HE HAS
A GRITTY
SIDE TO HIM
THAT A LOT
OF PEOPLE
MIGHT NOT
HAVE SEEN
FROM HIM
IN THE
PAST
“I like school,” Wisener said
without apology. “I’ve always
been pretty good at it. I’m
organized. When something
is organized like school, I find
it a lot easier. I’m a science-
social studies guy and math is
kind of my weakness. I’m in
Grade 9, and I think Grade 8
might have been harder than
Grade 9. I did AP at Grant Park
and it was harder. That helped
me get ahead of everybody.
“I also like Shaftesbury.
It’s a good school. The
guidance counsellor at the
school really helps us (the
RHA Nationals) a lot. It’s
been a good experience.”
While Purdie is please with
Wisener’s improvement on
the ice this season, he’s been
downright thrilled with the
young man’s performance
in the classroom.
“Matt is excellent in school, ”
Purdie said. “For the first
two semesters, he had the
top average on our bantam
team. He averaged in the
mid-90s and good on him.
He’s a bright student and he
takes it seriously. When we
have study hall, he’s right
into his books. He knows that
schooling is important and
hockey might open a door for
him, to further his education,
which will be good for him. He
gets it as far as school goes.”
He also appears to
have been getting it
on the ice, as well.
“Matthew Wisener has been
gradually improving for us
over the season,” Purdie said.
“He’s a great kid to coach. He
works very hard. He has a
gritty side to him that a lot of
people might not have seen
from him in the past. We’ve
been seeing it in practice
and it’s starting to show in
games. He’s a guy you have to
watch day-in and day-out to
appreciate. He’s not going to
dazzle you with blinding speed
or some flashy skill, but he’s
always in the right position,
he works hard and he’s going
to grow. He’s going to get
stronger and heavier and he’s
going to be a good player.
“In this league, there are
some big bodies he plays
against and he holds his
own. Once he gets that size
and that strength, he’s going
8 6 | G AME ON | PL AYOF F EDITION 2018
to be an excellent player.”
He’s pretty good right
now. Last year with the
Winnipeg Monarchs minor
bantams, he had 23 goals
and 37 points in 30 games.
This year, in all 28 Nationals
games, he has five goals
and 20 points. At the John
Reid Bantam Tournament
in St. Albert, Alta., this
season, he had two goals
and six points in six games.
The young man can play.
“I love hockey,” he said. “I
started skating when I was
four and playing hockey when
I was five. I played TimBits at
River Heights when I was five
and then all my minor hockey
there, played Minor Bantam
last year and came to RHA
this year. It’s been awesome at
RHA. There has been a lot of
development and I’ve learned
a lot. They prepare you for
the WHL Bantam Draft and
you learn a lot of skills. I’ve
worked on my weaknesses
and I’ve become a lot better.
We do a lot of workouts so I’m
getting stronger. I’m 5-foot-
9, 140 pounds so I know I
have to get bigger, but my
”
mom is about 6-feet tall and
my dad is 6-foot-2 so I know
I’ll get bigger. The best thing
about playing here is the
team and the development.
The coaching is great. It’s an
all-around good program.
“The best part of my game
is my speed. I’m a lot quicker
than most people. I have
pretty good puck-handling
skills and I see the ice well.
I like to make plays. I’ve
also learned to recognize
the importance of playing
in the defensive zone.”
As Wisener himself says,
he’s an organized guy and
not only has the ability to
organize, helped him become
a good student, it’s also helped
him plan for the future.
“Right now, my short term
goal is to get drafted into the
WHL this spring and then
see we’ll what happens from
there,” he said. “Hopefully,
I’ll play here again next
year. My long term goal is
obviously the same as most
guys my age, to play in the
NHL. Hopefully, that’s what
happens. Right now, though, I
just love playing at RHA.” ❍