MORE FAMILIAR CONNECTIONS WITH MCBEAN
Like a few other players around Calgary Hitmen rookie camp, defensive prospect Quaid McBean is the son of a former NHLer.
His father Wayne McBean spend six seasons as a defenceman in the NHL in the late 80’s and early 90’s, totaling 211 games with three franchises before retiring in 1994.
Quaid, 15, is a defenceman like his father and hopes to one day follow his father’s path from the WHL to the NHL.
“It has its perks because he’s always there for great advice,” Quaid recently told HitmenHockey.com about having the famous father. “At the same time, I get pushed that much harder so it all works out in the end.”
Quaid never got a chance to watch his father in the NHL, not being born until 1998 when his father had retired.
Quaid developed his game in the non-traditional market of Phoenix, with his dad as his assistant coach last season for the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes.
With not a lot of hockey players in the city, his team is forced to travel around for games.
“We usually play against Colorado, (Los Angeles) Jr. Kings, Detroit, Chicago teams like that,” said Quaid, who stands 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds.
“Normally we go to one off games to L.A., take a bus there and then we have nine out of state tournaments that we fly to.”
It’s a style that should adjust well to the rigors of junior hockey in western Canada where long bus trips are the norm.
“It’s gets really challenging to keep up with school and everything but normally it all works out in the end,” he said.
“You have to certainly have a tutor to keep up though.”
After the season, Quaid knew there were teams in the WHL interested in drafting him at the 2013 Bantam Draft, but he was not aware Calgary was not one of them.
“My friend was on their website and he texted me saying ‘dude, you’ve gone seventh round.’ I didn’t really believe him then I got a text from my dad and he said ‘congratulations.’”
Wayne was an all-star defenceman with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the mid-80’s, and Quaid hopes to someday don the Hitmen jersey.
“It’s a very good chance that I’ll end up playing here, and hopefully it’ll happen one day.”
