PROFILE
KYLE
BETTENS
Driven, Focused,
Talented and Humble
B Y PA U L E D M O N D S
Radio Play-by-Play Voice of
the Winnipeg Jets
Photos by Laurie Anderson
Spend 20 minutes with Kyle
Bettens and it becomes
apparent why he’s already
committed to playing college
hockey even though he’s
still more than a year away
from finishing high school.
He’s driven, focused,
talented, humble and well
spoken. His coach calls him
a “special individual with an
unlimited ceiling in the game.”
Equipped with this essential
information, it’s easy to
understand why Bemidji
State University recruited the
16-year-old and recently offered
him a hockey scholarship.
Now, scholarship offers
from NCAA Division I teams
to elite Manitoba hockey
players are nothing new, but
what is quite unique about
the Bemidji State Beavers’
9 6 | G AME ON | PL AYOF F EDITION 2018
overture to Bettens is that he’s
still playing Midget hockey.
The traditional path of
courtship is usually reserved
to those athletes who are at
least playing in their first year
of Junior A hockey before
receiving such a prestigious
and coveted opportunity.
Obviously, the Beavers felt
they needed to act quickly on
securing Bettens’ services.
And that might prove to be a
prudent move since there were
other U.S. colleges interested.
As well, his Western Hockey
League rights already belonged
to the Brandon Wheat Kings,
where his older brother,
Rylan, is currently playing.
As a second-year member
of the Winnipeg Wild of
the Manitoba Midget AAA
Hockey League. Bettens said