Game On Magazine - April 2017 GameOn-Apr2017-P001-144-ONLINE | Page 20

MANITOBA JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
be in the Western League. He’s just a good-natured kid. Somebody
needs to stick a firecracker up his butt to get him sour.”
Keane certainly has Kuczek pegged. He is, without argument,
one of the nicest, most respectful young men anyone could hope
to meet. But one mistake with a pen, early in his career – at a time
when he was still developing as a player – cut off an option that
might have given him a secondary road to professional hockey.
However, in fairness, if he has another good season in 2017-18, he
could wind up playing hockey for a long, long time.
Dexter comes from a hockey-playing family. His dad, Wayne, and
his mother, Pat, always got him to the rink and helped lug his equip-
ment around, just as they did for his older brother, Dylan.
Dylan was one of the best young players to come out of Manitoba.
He played for Coach Keane on the Canada Games team in 2009,
spent some time with the Brandon Wheat Kings and finished his
junior career with the Portage Terriers.
But Dylan was always a special player who was selected in the
second round (40th overall) of the 2009 WHL draft by the Wheat
Kings. Dexter was taken in the 11th round of the 2012 WHL draft
by the Saskatoon Blades. At that time, a career in the WHL was a
longshot for Dexter.
But as he grew, improved his skating and became more confident,
Dexter became a tremendous player. He never played provincial
midget, but earned a spot on the Portage Terriers in 2013 and has
been a solid MJHL player – with Portage, Selkirk and now the Blues
– for four seasons. Next year, he will be one of those rare five-year
MJHL players.
So why, suddenly, has Kuczek become one of the best junior play-
ers in Manitoba?
“Well, I’m playing with a couple of good players – Levi Cudmore
and Matt LeBlanc and Billy (coach Keane) has really pushed me to
reach my full potential,” he said. “I think my con