Bibeau bringing rookie experience into 18-year-old season

Ethan Bibeau made an impact in the WHL from the moment he stepped on the ice for his rookie year. After scoring two goals in his first three games to start his career with the Raiders, he settled into his power forward type of role. Finishing his rookie campaign with 20 points (9-11) in 65 regular season games, he looked back on how he played.

Q: You got your first taste of the WHL this season in your rookie year… how do you think you settled in, and what do you think of how you performed looking back on it?

A: “I thought I did pretty well. I showed some flashes. I know there are things to work on still, but I’m happy with how I did and with how our team played. We had a pretty slow start to the year, but we picked it up. The group we had was one of a kind, we were so close. Every one of those guys wanted to win. I loved the year I had and I love the team. It was overall unreal.

Q: You mentioned the slow start to the season. It seemed like after the BC road trip, something changed in the team. What do you think changed that made you guys lock in and play solid hockey the rest of the way?

A: “I think at the start we all wanted it. After that start, we all talked as a group and knew how good we could be. We definitely saw flashes of it, but we knew in order to win games, we needed to play our game and do what we could do. As a group we decided that it was go time. I think once we figured that out and knew how good we could be, it just clicked and things started going.”

Q: At the start of the season, you were listed by NHL Central Scouting as a player to watch for the 2025 NHL Draft. Once the draft came around, your name wasn’t called. Does that give you some extra motivation heading into this season to make a name for yourself?

A: “Absolutely. It’s definitely in the back of my mind and I’m going to be pushing for it every day. I want to keep working towards my goal of getting drafted. I know I’ll have to put in the work each and every day on and off the ice. I’m ready to do that, and I’m looking forward to hopefully hearing my name called.”

Q: You had your first experience of playoff hockey at the Art Hauser Centre. How do you think you settled into that? And what can you say about the atmosphere that playing on home ice brings?

A: “Everyone told me how loud it was going to be and how crazy the fans were going to be. The first time I stepped on the ice for a quick lap, it was unbelievable. I mean all year the fans were unbelievable, we have the best in the league. They showed up each and every night. That first series especially with us going down three games to one, they had our backs. They were loud, they were crazy. Game seven especially, it was truly unbelievable. Like I said, we have the best fans and they help us so much. With them being so loud and cheering for us, there’s no place like the Art Hauser Centre.”

Q: Heading into next season with those two rounds of playoff experience under your belt, how do you think that will help you this season?

A: “With those two rounds under my belt, I definitely feel like I have a bit more experience. I’m hoping that we can get further this year. All of us that went through it last year will help the new guys coming in. They won’t have the experience that we did last year, but we’ll help them out and show them that the WHL is a different animal, a different game. Being able to mentor the younger guys and help them with the little things and show them that experience will really help.”

Q: Back to a personal question for you: have you set any goals for yourself this season?

A: “There are definitely a lot of personal goals that I have this season. I just want to be able to be the best I can be every game and every day. If I stick to my game and do everything right, those goals will come. I want to continue to be a work horse and do everything right. If I can do that, the statistical things will come.”