When the Moose Jaw Warriors asked Kyle Brodziak to lend his name to the team’s intrasquad game, they didn’t have to go very far to approach him.
“It’s my third time back this summer,” said Brodziak before dropping the puck at the Brodziak Cup Black and White game Sunday. “I really enjoyed my time here. Those are some really good memories. I met a lot of people I’m still close to today.”
Brodziak, 26, is entering his second season with the Minnesota Wild and fourth full season in the NHL. Though he’s been gone six years, Brodziak stopped in the Friendly City on his way home to Edmonton after the Wild’s season and took part in the Warriors’ education fund golf tournament.
“It’s always nice to be back and to be back in the rink. It brings back a lot of memories,” said Brodziak. “Everyone I met (in Moose Jaw) was great. My teammates were always great. I still love coming back to this building. It’s definitely my favourite rink in the WHL to play in.”
Brodziak finished his four-year Warrior career with 81 goals, 104 assists and 185 points 273 games played. He added 17 points in 23 career playoff games.
In 03-04 he was part of one of the most dynamic lines in franchise history as he centered Tomas Fleischmann and Troy Brouwer. It was his last season as a Warriors. As captain he scored 39 goals and had 93 points.
That kind of junior career seemed far off after he scored 10 goals and had 30 points in his first 131 games with the Warriors.
“In my first couple of years there were definitely some tough times,” said Brodziak. “It was my first time away from home — it takes awhile to get used to that. It was the first time in my life that I wasn’t playing very much. You don’t know where hockey might take you in your life, but I tried to stick with it and never lose faith.”
It’s a lesson a lot of current Warriors hopefuls playing in the Brodziak Cup can take to heart.
Brodziak didn’t lose faith when he was passed over in the NHL draft the first time. When he was drafted, Edmonton selected him in the seventh round, 214th overall in the 2003 Entry Draft.
Despite facing long odds, he made his NHL debut before his 21st birthday and stuck with the Oilers for good in 2007-08.
“You have to keep working hard and keep enjoying it. I think that’s what helped me through the tough times,” said Brodziak.
