Game On Magazine 2017 Nov Game On low res | Page 28

D U R A C O ’ S W H L P L AY E R O F T H E M O N T H
impractical. It just came with
a significant amount of hard
work and determination.
“When it happened, I
was obviously bummed out
thinking about all of the
summer activities that I
wouldn’t be able to do,” Daley
said. “But injuries happen to
the best of us, as every NHL
player and nearly everybody
in professional sports gets
hurt every now and then.
So I just tried to put that
into my mindset, and my
goal was to come back better
and stronger than ever. It
really helped me having
friends, family and my trainer
pushing me to get better.
My determination was in my
thinking that I’m not going to
let this injury slow me down.”
After winning the Midget
AAA Provincial Championship
with the Winnipeg Wild in
2015-16, Daley joined the
Wheaties for their remarkable
run to the Memorial Cup
two seasons ago. Playing
alongside the likes of Nolan
2 8 | G AM E ON | N OVEM BER 2017
Patrick, Jayce Hawryluk, Ivan
Provorov and Reid Duke,
Daley was surrounded by first-
class players, looking to make
a case for full-time NHL work.
“It was an incredible
experience being around those
kind of guys two years back,”
said the former member of
the Winnipeg Warriors, who
also played for Team Canada
at the U-17 World Hockey
Challenge. “The guys on that
team were very professional
and really showed me the
ropes as a young kid. It was
a great experience going to
the finals and the Memorial
Cup. Kelly McCrimmon was
also the coach then and I was
very fortunate to be a part of
that. He is probably one of the
smartest people I have ever
met, and easily has one of the
best hockey minds around.”
Although surrounded by
current and future leaders,
one player who really stood
out for Daley in particular,
was the Philadelphia Flyers’
2017 first round selection,
No 2 overall, Nolan Patrick.
“I thought that Patty was
unbelievable both on and off
the ice,” Daley reflected. “He is
one of the best for spending
time with the young guys.
I talked to him a lot during
the course of last season –
everything from my game
to just trying to be a better
person outside and around
the community. I have become
great friends with him and am
happy to see that he’s getting
rewarded for everything he
does on and off the ice.”
While Nolan Patrick
is busy making a case for
the NHL’s 2017-18 Calder
Trophy as the rookie of
the year, Caiden Daley has
returned to Brandon with
some unfinished business.
“Last season was definitely
a bit of an up-and-down year,”
he said. “We had a few key
injuries and didn’t quite go
as far as we would have liked
to. So I’m just trying to build
off of what I did last year and
have more success. It’s also
my draft year this season, so
I’m hoping to get a few looks
from some NHL teams. I’ve
changed my game a bit and
plan to get even stronger and
faster to become more of an
elite player this season.”
Through his eyes, it all
seems easy. But considering
the teenager came back from a
broken leg in just two months,
anything is possible for Caiden
Daley and the Wheat Kings.
“How this season goes
will all come down to buying
into the systems,” he said. “If
everyone is on the same page,
we will have success. We have
four good lines, seven good
defensemen and two good
goalies, so I think that if our
team can bond, come together,
and listen to the game-plan,
we will be just fine.” ❍