Game On Magazine 2017 Game On Magazine - Regular Season Edition | Page 28

“
WHEN
YOU WATCH
BRADEN
PURTILL
YOU THINK
OF MARK
MESSIER
”
It’s hard to imagine Purtill
losing his love for the game,
however so briefly. Through the
Christmas break this season, the
6-foot, 190-pound centre had
24 goals and 54 points in just
37 games. He was second in the
league in scoring and was not
only the captain of a first-place
team, but a guy who his coaches
and teammates full support.
“For the hockey fan that
watched hockey in the 80s or
90s, when you watch Braden
Purtill you think of Mark
Messier,” said Pistons head coach
and GM Paul Dyck. “That’s who
he reminds me of. He’s kind of
an old school captain, but he
also plays a 200-foot game.
He plays a heavy game, he
skates well and, really, he
does everything well.
“He’s vocal when he
needs to be, but he
primarily he leads
by example. When
he joined us last
year, it was
2 8 | G AME ON | R EGU L A R SEASON ED ITION 2018
evident early on that he was very
professional in his preparation.
He’s the first one at the rink
for practice, first one here for
games. When he arrives here
he is focused on the task at
hand for that day. Making him
captain was an easy choice for
us. We identified him as captain
earlier than we ever have before.
In fact, we named him captain
before training camp began.
“We’re pretty confident
in our choice. Seeing how he
performed in last year’s playoffs
and seeing how he performed in
the room and how he led us in
the challenging times during the
season. There was really never
any question in our minds.”
For Purtill, being captain
of the Pistons is just another
step on a long hockey road. The
20-year-old Winnipegger can’t
remember a time – other than
that short period during the
2015-16 season – when the
game wasn’t a big part of his life.
“I grew up in Transcona and
had an older brother (Justin
Purtill, a former MMJHL star)
who was playing hockey so I
was just always at the rink,”
he said. “I loved being there
and I fell in love with the game
at a young age. No one could
take me away from the rink.
“I started skating when I was
four and started hockey when
I was five in Timbits. I played
minor hockey in Transcona.
Played for the East End Wings,
the South Transcona Vikings
and Oxford Heights Community
Club. At 11, I went to Double A
Railcats and then I age-advanced
to Triple A Sharks Bantam and
at 15 moved up to the Thrashers
and then went to the WHL with
Tri-City (he was a third-round
pick of the Americans –46th
overall -- in the 2012 WHL
Bantam Draft) at 16. My dad was
a player and my brother was a
player so hockey’s in the family.”
Indeed, in fact for
Purtill, family as played
the most important role
of all in his hockey life.
“My parents (Gail and Mitch
Purtill) have been everything to
me,” he said without hesitation.
“They’ve sacrificed so much for
my brother and me, just getting
us to the rink. They put out the
money for for us to play, too.
I can’t thank them enough.”
Meanwhile, Purtill is having
fun again. “Yeah, it’s fun being
the captain with these guys. My
experience with the captains
I’ve had during my career is
that they all tried to make it
fun and that’s my goal here. I
just want this group to enjoy
the experience. The guys all
get along great with each other
and it’s really just a lot of fun
coming to the rink every day.
“And we have a really good
team. We’re all excited about
the rest of the season. It all
comes down to the basics and
we have a really hard-working
team. That’s what will make us
successful. When we come to
the rink to practice, everyone is
focused and everyone is engaged.
Even away from the rink, we
try to do as much as we can
together. We’re excited about
the next few months here.”
And now, for the first time
in years, Purtill is excited
about the game. He’s no
longer talking about giving
it up. Instead, he’s talking
about a future in the game.
“I want to play next year,” he
said. “Right now, I’m thinking
about playing CIS – I do have
some WHL education money
-- but if I get the chance to play
pro, I’ll take it. Paul knows
so many people in the game,
he’s helping me now. For a
guy who, two years ago, had
given up the game, I’m now
excited about playing for as
long as I possibly can.” ❍