Getting to Know: Andrew Fyten
Jason Pirie/hitmenhockey.com
Photo: Candice Ward
Andrew Fyten laces ‘em up then knocks ‘em down.
Gritty, gutsy and hard-nosed are just a few labels that have been applied to the Calgary Hitmen rookie, but from opposing teams that allow the spirited winger to get under their skin, likely deemed unprintable.
And that’s just fine by him.
“I want to be hated,” stated the 17-year-old Fyten. “I want to be the guy that nobody likes to play against.”
So far, so good.
With his tenacious, no-holds-barred style, Fyten has racked up 63 penalty minutes (second most on the Hitmen) to go along with two goals and three assists in 40 games.
“I’m just trying to be myself and create my own brand in this league,” Fyten said. “Over the first half of the season I wasn’t too worried about putting up points. I just wanted to forecheck hard, drive to the net and get my nose dirty. Now that we’re in the second half, I want to keep playing my style but also put up more points and become a more effective all-round player.”
Fyten’s all-business demeanour has caught the eye of the team’s higher-ups, particularly Hitmen captain Colby Harmsworth, a veteran of 209 Western Hockey League games.
“Being a rookie in this league can be nerve-wracking, but there is absolutely no shyness to his game,” Harmsworth said. “He gets right in there and has made himself known. Every young guy has their ups and downs, but he brings an element to the team that has helped us be successful.”
Raised on the family farm on the outskirts of Sundre, Fyten and his four siblings – Tyler, Austin, Caitlin and Seth – spent countless hours honing their skills on the frozen pond.
“Lots of good memories,” said Fyten, before pausing. “It was like a jungle. Both our parents worked at the time so it would be just us kids at home tossing each other around, that kind of stuff. There are still holes in the walls at home that haven’t been fixed.”
His eldest brother Tyler is a former goaltender and goalie coach of the Heritage Junior Hockey League’s Cochrane Generals, while Austin, who dressed for 194 WHL games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Vancouver Giants, has spent the last three-plus seasons playing professionally in both the ECHL and American Hockey League. Sister Caitlin was once a member of the Alberta provincial U18 female team, and now patrols the blueline for the University of Manitoba Bisons, and finally there is 15-year-old Seth – the youngest of the Fyten clan – who has followed in the footsteps of Caitlin and Andrew this season by playing at Edge School.
As much as he learned to handle himself against his siblings on the pond, it was during his first year of Bantam with the Airdrie Xtreme where he grasped the “player you hate to play against but love to have on your team” role.
“I didn’t put up many points that first season, but I worked my butt off and grinded out every shift,” he said. “I not only found out that I could play that type of role but that I enjoyed it.”
His physical presence in the lineup wouldn’t go unnoticed.
The following season in Airdrie, Fyten was named co-captain along with linemate Jordan McConnell. By season’s end the pair would also become co-recipients of the team’s Top Forward award.
After putting together a season that included averaging over a point per game and 100-plus penalty minutes, Fyten would be selected by the Everett Silvertips in the fifth round (108th overall) at the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft later that spring.
From there, Fyten moved onto play for a dominant AC Avalanche Minor Midget AAA team, where he amassed 49 points and 110 penalty minutes in only 37 games.
“That was a fun year,” said Fyten, who was bestowed with the squad’s Heart Award. “We had a really strong team. We didn’t do as well as we would have hoped in the Sutter Cup – making it only as far as the semi-final – but we ended up losing only six games all season. I think about half that team has moved onto junior.”
That year also brought with it news that would forever change the Fyten family. Father Harvey had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
“That year everything changed. It seemed to go from bad to worse,” Fyten said. “I was cut from Everett and I wasn’t too happy about that because I thought I had done enough to earn a spot. And then I thought I had a spot with Olds in the AJHL, but that didn’t work out because they had already signed two ‘98’s by the time I became available.
“I didn’t have a plan for Midget because I thought I would be playing junior. I started taking day trips to junior teams to see if there were any open spots.”
No such luck – at least not until his father ran into a coach at Edge School and told him about his son’s predicament.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Suiting up last season for the CCSHL’s Edge School Midget Prep Mountaineers, Fyten tallied 44 points (22 goals, 22 assists) and racked up a whopping 184 penalty minutes in 62 games.
The Hitmen took an instant liking to Fyten’s rugged game, acquiring his rights from Everett in exchange for a conditional sixth round pick.
Within a year he had gone from having no place to play to suiting up for one of the top teams in major junior hockey.
“I could tell from my first meeting with (GM) Mike (Moore) and (head coach) Mark (French) it was a close-knit group here and it was a team that I wanted to play for,” Fyten said. “And it couldn’t have worked out any better playing close to home while my dad was sick.”
Unfortunately, his father would never witness his son play in the WHL.
While the Hitmen were in Regina for a series of exhibition games, Harvey’s health took a turn for the worse and he succumbed following a courageous and hard-fought battle.
“I remember being pumped for those games because I was going to get to wear the uniform for the first time,” recalled Fyten. “But we got back to the hotel after a game and my mom had called to tell me the news. It wasn’t a good situation, but even though I had only known the guys here for a week they proved that this organization is a family first environment. I had veteran players like (Travis) Sanheim and (Micheal) Zipp pulling me aside for support and sending me texts when I left for home. The support I received from all the guys is something I’ll never forget.”
As fate would have it, in Calgary’s first game following his father’s passing, a playing-with-a-heavy-heart Fyten notched the opening goal before the game was three minutes old in a 6-1 preseason win over arch-rival Edmonton.
“I’m just thankful that my dad got to see the rink and that he was able to be here when I signed,” Fyten said. “I know he was proud that I was signing with one of the better organizations in the league. I feel blessed to have this opportunity and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
