McCallum builds on goalie bond – Brandon Sun

When Ethan McCallum discusses his close relationship with his Saskatoon Blades goal partner Evan Gardner, it just makes sense to him.

The 19-year-old Brandonite, who is in his third season in the Western Hockey League and second in Saskatoon, couldn't imagine it any other way.

“I think it’s a deep connection,” McCallum said. “If you think positively about someone, I think that applies to you. You never wish bad things on your teammates, you always want the best for them.”

“It's good karma. When you have two positive things like that, two guys that get along well, it just makes everything more enjoyable. When you're having fun, you're going to play your best version of hockey.”

Gardner is a 19-year-old from Fort St. John, British Columbia, who was selected in the second round of the 2024 National Hockey League Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“We collaborated early on,” McCallum said. “We're pretty easy to get along with. I think we both support each other really well. It just gels together. We have a good relationship and another year has only strengthened it even more.”

The six-foot-four, 202-pound McCallum was drafted 39th overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2021 and appeared in 23 games as a 17-year-old rookie for the Tigers, posting a 3.19 goals-against average and .886 save percentage.

In five games with the Tigers last season, McCallum was 1-1-0-0 with a 4.09 goals-against average and .835 save percentage, but after asking for a change of scenery, he was traded to Saskatoon on Oct. 28, 2024, for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick and a conditional 2028 fourth-round draft pick.

In 25 games for Saskatoon last season, he posted a 3.26 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.

This season he has a 3.55 goals-against average, .884 save percentage and a 4-5-0-0 record in 12 appearances.

The pensive teenager pauses for a moment when asked how happy he is with his season.

“It’s hard to talk about,” McCallum said. “I have a lot of regret. I, like the rest of the team, have a barrier of inconsistency, but I feel like I've corrected that after our recent trip to the US. I haven't made any attempts to prove it yet.

“I even had some just inconsistent periods. There were games where I scored zero goals for two periods, and in the last period I just fell apart a little bit.”

“That's my job. I don't think the numbers reflect how I feel about it. My game is getting stronger and it's stronger than my numbers. Hopefully there'll be a little lift over time to get them back where they need to be.”

The Blades have been one of the hottest teams in the WHL to start the season, but they have fallen back to earth in recent weeks, going 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games and posting an overall record of 14-11-2-0 in 27 games.

“We had so much confidence at the start of the season and certainly from the start we knew we could be contenders,” McCallum said. “We had guys that showed a lot of promise last year and we had a great start to the year as well. We're not as young a team as last year, but I think mentally we still have some things to work on.”

“We have a lot of inconsistency right now and we're trying to correct some kinks, but once those are corrected, I truly believe we have a very strong hockey team. Once we figure out consistency and maturity within our team, it will be a good year.”

“You can't be too process-oriented, but I think at the end of the day when we come back to our team and build that consistent layer and slowly climb that mountain, we'll find some luck here and get more wins,” he added.

One of the new faces in the Saskatoon locker room is Czech forward Dominik Petr, who was sent to the Blades by the Brandon Wheat Kings during the draft in May to select promising young goaltender Geoffrey Chan. Peter, with his laid-back and friendly personality, quickly fit into the Blades' room.

“He's doing great,” McCallum said. “He's a great guy, he jokes around with the guys. He's very good at sewer balls, so I never go all out with him, he always wants to play. He fits in well and fits in really well on the ice with our power play and offense. He's helped us a lot.”

McCallum is also used to Saskatoon. He returned with the same preparations, but in a busy city—the metro population is now estimated at 320,000—getting to the skating rink can be difficult. McCallum said his commute to work takes about 40 minutes in the winter.

He recently got a taste of home when he played against the Wheat Kings on November 22 at the Sasktel Center, where the visitors won 3-2 with McCallum making 23 saves.

This was his seventh match against Brandon, with a record of 3-3-0-0, and in the other game he replaced Gardner.

“When it’s a game in Saskatoon, it’s just another game,” McCallum said. “Especially in that game, we were battling some sickness with our team and myself. In that game, it really didn't matter who we were playing, it was just, 'Let's try our best to get two points.'

Things will be different on Wednesday night as the Blades are set to visit the Wheat Kings at Assiniboine Credit Union Place for the second time this season. McCallum enjoys the opportunity to come home during the busy season and see his father Darren, mother Dana, brother Chase and sister Cassie.

“It's fun,” said McCallum, whose team also comes here on Jan. 1 and Feb. 16. “I'll be able to reconnect with all my family members. It was a bit of a shame that I didn't get to see them on my last trip here, so hopefully that will change this Wednesday.

“It’s always nice to come home, especially when we come the night before and I can meet my parents and see my dog ​​as I don’t get to see him too often anymore and reconnect and play at Westobe.”

THIS AND THIS

• CONTROL SURVEY – We've all heard about the tumultuous offensive years of the 1970s and 1980s. How many Wheat Kings players have scored over 50 goals in a season since the 1990-91 season? How many can you name? Has anyone done this twice?

• WEEKLY REWARDS – The player of the week is 19-year-old Everett Silvertips defenseman and Anaheim Ducks prospect Taryn Smith of Porcupine Plain, Sask., who had two goals and five assists in three games last week.

Goaltender of the Week is 19-year-old Prince George Cougars goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen of North Vancouver, who stopped 29 shots in a 3-0 win over the Wenatchee Wild in his only game last week.

Rookie of the Week is 17-year-old Kamloops Blazers forward JP Hurlburt of Allen, Texas, who has two goals and two assists in two games to continue to lead the WHL in scoring. This is the second award he has received.

• FAST COMPANY — Vancouver Giants forward Cameron Schmidt set a 38-year-old WHL record when he scored with five seconds remaining against the Penticton Vees at the South Okanagan Events Center on Friday. He tied the record set by Seattle Thunderbirds forward Dean Sexsmith on January 30, 1987 against the Victoria Cougars. If you're interested in Brandon's record, Bill Derlago set it on November 5, 1977, also against the Victoria Cougars, when he scored six seconds into a 7-7 tie.

• TRADE FRONT — There have been no transactions since November 14.

• BIN BIN — There has been no game discipline since Nov. 8, but on Monday, Lethbridge Hurricanes senior defenseman Matteo Fabrisi earned a one-game suspension for cross-checking a major and game violation against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday.

• UPDATES ARE NOT FOLLOWED BY THE LAW — The WHL's once outstanding website has continued to deteriorate since the Canadian Hockey League forced it and the other two major junior leagues to switch everything to the chl.ca platform.

Stats are no longer updated in real time, the standings can vary wildly depending on where you are on the website, the backend can be shaky for teams, and the schedule is now “updated” and is often impossible to navigate and less user friendly.

Many companies update their website to improve it and make it easier for visitors. I think the KHL should be congratulated for successfully overcoming this trend and moving in its own direction. If they had been smart, they would have scrapped the project entirely and allowed the three leagues to run their own venues again.

• ALUMNI VIEW — Eric Fehr, 40, is the director of player development and assistant coach for the Winkler Flyers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Fehr played 339 regular season and playoff games for the Wheat Kings after being selected fifth overall in the 2000 WHL Entry Draft. He was taken 18th overall by the Washington Capitals in 2003 and played 722 NHL regular season and playoff games over his 17-year professional career.

• UPCOMING WEEK— The Wheat Kings will host the Blades on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., visit the Regina Pats on Friday at 7:00 p.m., and then host the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

• REPLY – Since 1990-91, a Wheat Kings player has scored 50 or more goals in a season six times, with one player doing it twice. They are:

— Darren Ritchie, 62, 1994–1995

— Eric Fehr, 59, 2004–2005

— Mike Leclerc, 58, 1995–1996

— Bobby House, 57, 1992-1993.

— Mike Maneluk, 50, 1993–1994

— Eric Fehr, 50, 2003–2004