Chapter 17: Ethan Stewart

It was a season for the ages.

In the 2023-24 regular season, the Brandon U18 Wheat Kings never lost a game in regulation. They only suffered one overtime defeat. They were 43-0-1-0. Their 87 points were 29 more than the Southwest Cougars and the Winnipeg Wild.

They won nine straight playoff games and a provincial championship in the process. At the Telus Cup Western Regionals, Brandon added another title to their incredible year as they beat Saskatoon in the final. They were Telus Cup-bound.

After losing their first game against Quebec, the team won five straight to advance to the national final. It wasn't meant to be, as Brandon lost in the final against Quebec to finish with a silver medal at the national championships.

In the middle of it all is a man who's now lighting it up at the junior level with the Dauphin Kings. In 44 regular-season games, Ethan Stewart found the back of the net 29 times and had 64 points. He then scored four more times and added 12 points in nine playoff games.

Stewart wasn't done there. He brought his elite skills to the Telus Cup, where he had four points in seven games. It was a season to remember. A near-undefeated regular season, a perfect playoffs, a Western Regional title, and a spot in the national final.

After that season, Stewart joined Dauphin last season. There were some ups and downs in his rookie junior season, but the Brandon superstar always stuck with the process and came to the rink with his hard hat on. In 54 regular-season games, Ethan had 10 goals and 33 points. As Dauphin made it all the way to game seven in the league final, Stewart had a coming-out party in the playoffs. He had nine points in 16 games.

Coming into this year stronger and with a year of junior under his belt, big things were expected, and Stewart has certainly lived up to the hype. As one of the team's assistant captains, Ethan has 19 points in 14 games. He's tied for third in team scoring, having only played 14 times.

Ethan was off to a fast start with five points in three games. He left the team's game with an injury against Neepawa on September 26 and was out of the lineup for almost a month. He returned on October 25 and picked up right where he left off. In his next four games, Ethan had four goals and four assists.

"Yeah, I think I've been playing pretty well. I've been paired with Nicholas Zaharias and Havryil Simchuk, and things have been clicking," said Stewart.

Stewart has seven multi-point games on the campaign. While injury forced Stewart to miss a good portion of the team's schedule, he also missed time as he was invited to the Western All-Star Challenge against the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. That's where the Dauphin King was vying for a spot on Team Canada West for the recently wrapped up World Junior A Challenge.

Stewart had a goal at the All-Star Challenge. Then, when the dust settled, he earned a spot on Team Canada West. Ethan joined Brody Green, Remy Hlady, and Colten Worthington as one of four players from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League to earn a spot on the team.

"Yeah, I was pretty pumped up. Doug Hedley told me on the ice at practice," continued Stewart. "It was an unreal feeling. I was super excited to make the team."

Under the bright lights, the brightest he had ever played on, Ethan came to play. He finished the tournament with one goal and four points in five games. Stewart's biggest game was in a 4-3 shootout loss to Team Canada East. He had one goal and one assist.

"I kind of exceeded my expectations with how I thought I would do," offered Stewart. "I got a lot of ice and minutes. I thought I played well and was happy with how it went."

Stewart and his teammates went winless in the round robin. But they came to play when they had their second shot at Canada East. They won the semifinals, 2-0, to advance to the gold medal match against the United States.

A powerful U.S. beat Stewart and Team West, 5-1, in the final.

Four points on the international stage and a silver medal to bring back home. What an experience and performance for Ethan Stewart.

"It was really cool to get a medal," said Stewart. "I was proud of the team and how we played throughout the week. It was an event that I'll never forget."