Off To Kansas!

Every once in a while, this blog likes to throw some spotlight on players from my home province. I should probably do it more often than I do, but I try to make sure I post a few of these every now and then such as today. The player to the left is from the city of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba where he had a good run with the MJHL's Portage Terriers before taking his talents to Omaha, Nebraska to play for the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he spent the last four years and served as captain in his final campaign with the Mavericks. That player is Dean Stewart, and he officially signed his first professional contract on Friday when he inked a deal with the ECHL's Wichita Thunder!

A shade under five hours to the south of Omaha, Wichita is the ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers and Bakersfield Condors. Stewart had been drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the seventh-round at 188th-overall back in 2016, but it seems nothing ever happened on that front, allowing Stewart to become a free agent as he left Omaha following an outstanding senior season in which he was named the team's MVP, Most Outstanding Defenseman and earned the Biggest Heart award for his play.

"I think he's one of our hardest workers, and it's special how he prepares everyday," Maverick head coach Mike Gabinet told Jordan McAlpine of The Gateway. "What he does on the ice and in the weight room–it's no surprise he's a captain. He's ultra competitive and really sets the bar for how we need to compete here in this program."

That's what the Thunder want to hear about their new defenceman as they're currently battling the Allen Americans for first-place in reshuffled Mountain Division and are one of the top teams in the ECHL this season. Stewart will join a Thunder team desperately needed help on the power-play (4-for-33 this season) and finding some offence from the blue line as Wichita has just four goals from the defenders through nine games. As a self-described two-way defenceman, Wichita can use some of that offensive game he showed over his final two season with Omaha where he scored seven goals in 70 contests.

The Thunder do have former Mavericks teammate and goaltender Evan Weninger on the roster, so Stewart will recognize a familiar face in the dressing room. Weninger, played a game with the Florida Everblades and a pair of games with the Allen Americans, landed in Wichita last season where he played twelve games, going 4-4-3 with a 2.93 GAA and a .917 save percentage, prompting the Thunder to bring back the Saskatoon native this season. Obviously, the communication forged between Stewart and Weninger over their time together at UNO should help both players once Stewart gets into the lineup.

Stewart left Manitoba as a 17 year-old after helping the Portage Terriers capture the 2016 MJHL Turnbull Cup as league champions, and he still has fond memories of what being a Terrier meant. "I just remember looking up to the Portage Terriers – those guys were just my absolute idols," Stewart told McAlpine in February. "I remember when I made the Terriers at 16, that was a dream come true to me, and that was my main goal for life up to that point – I thought that was going to be the end."

As we know, there's more to write in Dean Stewart's hockey career thanks to the Wichita Thunder, so keep your eyes peeled for #28 on the Thunder blue line as this ECHL season progresses. It might not be an Arizona Coyotes contract he signed, but the feeling of getting your first shot at professional hockey in the ECHL after thinking the MJHL was the pinnacle is still a pretty great feeling, I'd imagine.

Congratulations, Dean Stewart, and here's hoping you have an amazing season with Wichita!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!