Brandon Sun: Anderson savours final WHL chapter
Photo: Erica Perreaux
CONTRIBUTED BY PERRY BERGSON (Brandon Sun)
Calder Anderson had the best of both worlds during his Western Hockey League career.
The 20-year-old Brandonite was drafted by the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2017 and played three seasons in Saskatchewan before a trade last summer gave him a chance to join his best friend Nolan Ritchie with the Brandon Wheat Kings for their overage campaigns.
“Being able to spend some time away from home the first couple of years really turned me into a man,” Anderson said. “I enjoyed all my time in Moose Jaw and they do a great job in that organization of turning the young boys who come into men. And being able to come back to Brandon for my final year was just outstanding. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish my career off.
“I’m very grateful for everything that’s happened.”
The Wheat Kings acquired Anderson from the Warriors on Aug. 8 for a conditional WHL pick, but the 134th overall pick in 2017 certainly wasn’t guaranteed a spot.
He had to compete for one of three overage spots against a trio of established Brandon veterans, including his close friend Ritchie, forward Riley Ginnell and defenceman Mason Ward.
“There was kind of an elephant in the room throughout camp,” Anderson said. “Everyone knew that one of us needed to go. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about Gins (Ginnell). He’s a great guy and he’s an even better hockey player but I think in the camp and pre-season I handled myself pretty well and kept my composure.
“I knew I could only do what I could do to help myself. That’s all I was worried about. There were times when it was a little nerve-wracking or a little stressful but I thought I handled myself pretty well. I was super happy I was able to stay.”
That news became official when Ginnell was dealt, coincidentally, to Moose Jaw on Oct. 11 after being sent home to Calgary to await a trade a couple days earlier.
That allowed Anderson a chance to achieve a childhood dream of playing with the Wheat Kings.
“I don’t think I ever really got used to it,” Anderson said with a chuckle. “Whenever I did, I would think back to those days up in the stands when I was looking down at all the Wheat Kings a while ago. It was incredible.”
To make it even more remarkable, he also played on a line with Ritchie all season. The two used to joke they would reunite in senior hockey one day and have a chance to skate together again.
Although it hadn’t been on display since their Brandon squad won the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League title in 2019, it was immediately apparent the chemistry they had formed in a decade of minor hockey hadn’t deserted them.
Anderson noticed it in their first preseason game together, which was against Moose Jaw.
“In the third period I was able to make a pass to him and he was able to put the puck in the net,” Anderson said. “Once that happened, I had a big grin on my face knowing that I had my best linemate back. I think that’s where the spark was ignited a bit. He’s an incredible hockey player and he’s been my best friend for 20 years of my life, just about 21.
“Being able to be on the ice with him and get that connection back was just as special as being able to play in my hometown.”
That connection led to some jaw-dropping, no-look passes between the two. And while they didn’t all result in goals, the bond between the two was undeniable.
“I think we just spent so much time together that we began to know everything about each other and where we’re going to be,” Anderson said. “He’s always kind of been the finisher and I’ve always been the playmaker between the two of us. He knows I’m a pass-first guy so he was always ready with his stick on the ice to put the puck in the net.”
In a very odd way, time away from the game last year actually benefited him this season.
Anderson had surgery on Oct. 29, 2021 to correct an issue with his right leg after the kneecap dislocated several times over the past few years.
He initially struggled to get a correct diagnosis of the issue, but after it happened again at Warriors camp, he saw a specialist, and through MRIs and X-rays, they were finally able to determine he had a torn ligament, a stretched ligament and a fractured kneecap.
While he was recovering, he stayed home in Brandon and naturally passed a lot of time with Ritchie and the other Wheat Kings.
“I spent a lot of time with the guys and there were a lot of returning guys this year who played last year,” Anderson said. “I got to know them quite a bit last year and going into camp, it was quite easy for me to feel comfortable and step in and get to know everyone just a little bit better.”
A number of factors allowed Anderson to put up career numbers across the board this season. In 98 career games with the Warriors over three seasons from 2019 to 2022, Anderson had 11 goals, 15 assists and 51 penalty minutes. In 65 games with Brandon this season, he put up 16 goals, 34 assists and 37 penalty minutes.
“I can’t thank the coaches enough,” Anderson said. “They gave me a ton of opportunity, being able to play on that first power-play unit on the back end, and playing with Stew (Ritchie) on a line. I think that combination made it a lot easier for me to put up numbers this year.
“I’ve always felt through my WHL career that I was ready to have a break-out year and that change of scenery from Moose Jaw to Brandon helped too.”
Anderson and Ritchie were noticed for a lot more than just their on-ice contributions this season. They were driving around with teammates Jake Chiasson and Ben Thornton on Nov. 29 after volunteering at Samaritan House when Ritchie noticed a man standing on one of the cement abutments for light poles between the north- and south-bound bridges around 9 p.m.
He circled back, Chiasson called 911 and Anderson got out of the car to speak to the man. He spoke to the man for several minutes as cars drove by until police arrived and were able to coax the man down off the bridge.
When a story about their exploits ran in The Brandon Sun on Dec. 2, the four players became the toast of the international hockey world. On Thursday, the WHL announced he was one of four players in contention for the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the WHL’s humanitarian of the year.
“There were a lot of interviews, a lot of phone calls, a lot of people reaching out and having some super kind words to say,” Anderson said. “I think the biggest thing for me is that it shed some light on the hockey community as a whole with everything that’s been going on with the Hockey Canada incidents. I think it was good for the hockey community and the world to see that there is some good in the hockey world, no matter what’s been going on.
“Especially in junior hockey, junior hockey players don’t have the greatest reputation around Canada. To get that out there and into the world was definitely important. But most importantly, the guy who was involved ended up being OK, which was even better news.”
Anderson said not much has changed with the benefit of hindsight. He thinks all four players were raised to care and they simply did what they had to in the moment.
“Ten times out of 10 I would stop and help that guy,” said Anderson, who added the four occasionally still talk about that night.
Even so, it was still a season that had some significant hurdles for Anderson, even with all the things that went right. His right leg — the one he had the surgery on — was fine, but the left knee suffered as the season went on.
“I was just overcompensating after my surgery,” Anderson said. “I developed some tendinitis and a whole bunch of other things and it ended up being super sore. It’s hard to keep that healthy during the year, especially with being on the ice so much and playing every second or third day and practising on your days off.”
As a result, Anderson worked with athletic therapist Zach Hartwick — “He was a big help” — and spent extra time in the gym.
That enabled him to suit up in his final two WHL games, in Brandon last Friday and in Winnipeg on Saturday.
“It was definitely a weekend full of emotions,” Anderson said.
It also ended with an odd footnote. Anderson scored in the second period on Saturday in what proved to be a 5-3 loss to the Ice. With less than five minutes remaining, Anderson took a high hit from Winnipeg rookie defenceman Jonas Woo and retaliated.
Woo was given a minor for charging, but Anderson was flagged with a major for slashing and a game misconduct, which meant his final game ended four minutes and 11 seconds earlier than planned.
“It was the first time I’ve ever been kicked out and it comes with four minutes left in my last game,” Anderson said.
When he looks back at the last four years, he said being away from home ultimately had a profound impact on him as he grew up in the WHL spotlight. While his game certainly grew, Anderson noted the off-ice changes were also massive.
“I definitely developed a bigger appreciation for a lot more people in my life,” Anderson said. “My parents (Craig and Jen) and my sister (Bailey) have been incredible supporters over the years, my grandparents. Everyone who has helped me along the way, you begin to understand how much time and effort they put in and you try and give back to them as much as you can.”
He said he owes a special thank you to his grandmother Val Anderson, who he lived with this season and to whom he’ll soon be saying goodbye.
With four years of the WHL’s scholarship program available to him, Anderson is planning to attend Simon Fraser University in Vancouver next fall.
The Red Leafs play in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League, but for now Anderson is planning to take a year away from the game to heal.
“I think my body is kind of breaking down a little bit,” Anderson said. “I would love to stay in the game, whether that’s coaching or scouting or whatever happens in the future, but taking a year off hockey is in my best interests. Especially going into school, I want my main priority and my main focus to be on the schooling aspect and be dedicated to that instead of two things at once.
“I’m definitely going to miss the game a lot. It’s been my whole life for the last 20 years, and everything that’s happened in my life has revolved around hockey. I owe a lot to the game, but it’s the end of one chapter and the start of a new chapter, and that’s exciting for me.”
Since Ritchie is likely turning professional and continuing to chase his hockey dreams, that means their roads will once again diverge, at least for a while, just like in the 2019-20 season when Ritchie stayed in Brandon and Anderson went to Moose Jaw.
Maybe that on-ice magic they shared will once again be on display in senior hockey in the distant future, or maybe it won’t. But it’s a bond that won’t be shattered by distance.
“We’re always going to find our way back to each other, no matter what happens, no matter what path he decides to go on and what path I decide to go on,” Anderson said. “In the end, we’ll always end up back together. That’s the most exciting part of our friendship.”
» Twitter: @PerryBergson
