Shipley builds on work ethic in career year
By Perry Bergson
The Brandon Sun
The lessons Luke Shipley learned in hockey may take him a long way, even after the game is well behind him.
The graduating defenceman from the Brandon Wheat Kings, who had a career season as an overager this winter, said it was the culmination of a journey that began in 2019.
“I knew when I came in at 15 that I had a lot of work to do if I wanted to achieve my goals and do what my mind wanted me to do,” Shipley said. “On the mental side, I learned work ethic and to never quit and to stick with it. There are times in my career when I didn’t even want to play hockey. It was a battle and there were times I would go home crying from the rink. As a teenager and young adult, it just tested you.
“To see this year when I had the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey, it’s never quit and keep working.”
Shipley and the Wheat Kings were eliminated in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Lethbridge Hurricanes last Friday.
The six-foot, 186-pound Shipley, who is a right-handed shot, was born in Campbell River but moved with his family to Powell River when he was young.
He was selected by the Victoria Royals in the sixth round with the 122th overall pick in the 2019 draft, and made the jump to the WHL as a 16-year-old for the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, suiting up in 18 games.
He played 66 games with Victoria in his 17-year-old season, contributing two goals, eight assists and 29 penalty minutes.
“When you come in at 16, you’re not physically or mentally mature when it comes to the hockey side,” Shipley said. “There are so many things to learn, and I truly believe it does take two or three years to finally play at this level. Once you finally learn those skills, you have to actually do it and have the confidence to do and show what your skills are… I think everyone is a good player in this league, it just takes confidence and opportunities given to show it.”
HEADING EAST
Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman Luke Shipley watches a drill as he awaits his turn during practice at Westoba Place on Thursday afternoon. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun)
He had two goals and eight assists in 19 games with the Royals when he and forward Tony Wilson were acquired by the Wheat Kings on Nov. 24, 2022 for Teydon Trembecky, a third-round pick in 2023, a fifth-round pick in 2024 and a fourth-round pick in 2026. Shipley and Wilson had both requested trades at the time.
“Change is always scary but I believe change is good,” Shipley said. “I had to take that chance of asking out and wanting a fresh start, and that was really scary and one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in my young life.
“I’m happy I did it. There’s always ups and downs with everything but I’ve made so many relationships, learned so many things, experienced a different part of the world. I’m grateful and thankful it all worked out.”
In 43 games in Brandon that season, he had seven goals and 14 assists. That grew to nine goals and 36 points last season, and new career highs with 20 goals and 57 points this season.
His fine play earned him a berth as an Eastern Conference second-team all-star, and he shared Brandon’s award as top defenceman with Quinn Mantei.
Shipley said he is a small-town kid who was always later to develop. This year it finally caught up to him.
“I was always a good player, but I was maybe a little step behind from my peers in where I wanted to be,” Shipley said. “In the last two or three years, I’ve seen myself always progressing each year and maybe some of my peers were just doing the same. I’ve always had that work ethic and that hunger to get better.
“This year I finally showed it off and I’ve shown or proven what my skillsets or game is capable of. To have success and win was special this year. It feels like the hard work is starting to pay off.”
It certainly paid off in another way.
His commitment to the University of Massachusetts Lowell to continue his hockey and get a degree was announced on Jan. 30.
It was an unthinkable development for the defenceman, who grew up around Junior A hockey as his family billeted players from the local Powell River Kings of the BCHL. He believed major junior did the best job of producing top players, which made his decision to pick the WHL over college easy at 15.
Now he gets both.
“Hearing this year that we were going to be able to double dip and play NCAA and earn a degree and play at the highest level and have four more years of development is unreal and super special,” Shipley said.
“I think it’s really going to help me, being a bit of a late bloomer and late developer. I get four more years playing at the top level and having superior coaches and can improve my physique and weight. We’re lucky.”
FAREWELL TOUR
Overall, Shipley skated in 271 regular season games in the WHL, with 41 goals, 99 assists and 330 penalty minutes. In eight playoff games, he had a goal, four assists and 14 penalty minutes.
He admitted to occasionally reflecting on his farewell tour through the league this year.
“It’s hard to reflect when you’re in the heat of the moment and you’re not really thinking about being done,” Shipley said. “I tried to not think about it because I was trying to stay in the moment but you see these milestones and achievements slowly starting to add up and you realize how you’re doing and you’re contributing to the team.
“When you start signing out of rinks — I think our first rink was Medicine Hat and I was pretty happy to sign out of it because I didn’t like playing in that place, I don’t know if I ever won there with Brandon — so you do and you don’t. You try to stay in the present and do what you can do.”
While he ultimately sought a trade from Victoria, he’s grateful for what he learned from his billet brother, close friend and captain Tarun Fizer, and the people he lived with in Victoria who were like a second family to him.
He’s especially grateful for the lessons he took from athletic therapists JT Ward and Kurtis Freter, who taught him how to look after himself to maximize his potential, knowledge he took to heart.
“That’s probably the most I’ve learned. I’m so grateful to them,” Shipley said. “At the time, I wasn’t particularly happy about all the stuff they made us do but looking back, it honestly probably made me into the person I am and probably changed my lifestyle. I’m grateful to them and forever will be.”
He enjoyed learning what they taught, and now spends time every day on recovery and injury prevention.
FINAL STOP
While the trade to Brandon sent him a long way from home, it was ultimately a journey worth taking. He became very tight with his Wheat Kings teammates. “It’s just a super close group and friends I’ll probably have for the rest of my life,” Shipley said.
“It’s hard to put into words. You’re trying to think about all the memories you’ve had with these guys for the last two-and-a-half years.”
He was also indebted to the Wheat Kings staff, carefully naming equipment manager Scott Hlady, athletic therapist Zach Hartwick, assistant equipment managers Rob Pope and Jody Norminton and equipment assistants Jason Norminton and Aiden Pope.
“They are amazing,” Shipley said. “They treat us so well.”
He added the coaching staff took a chance on bringing him in, and he’s grateful to them as well.
“They believed in me and gave me opportunity,” Shipley said. “I’m thankful to them, and my teammates for being there and helping me whenever I needed it.”
Away from the rink, he billeted with Aaron Bull, and also got close to Dave and Teresa Penner’s family, which includes his girlfriend Ryleigh.
“He brought me in and treated me amazingly and offered his home and his help and guidance along the way, so I’m grateful for Aaron,” Shipley said. “I want to thank the Penner family for putting up with me and treating me like one of their own.”
It’s an overall adventure he’s clearly sad is over, although he was warned five years ago it would happen that way. The end just arrived a little more quickly than he hoped.
“My first two years in the league, all the 20-years-olds had the same little spiel or speech saying ‘Take it in, it goes by so fast,’” Shipley said. “You don’t really think of that when you’re 16, 17. You’re ‘I’ve got three or four years left’ and then you blink and you’re here and you’ve played your final game and you’re starting a new chapter in your life.”
Shipley delivered the same message to the rookies this year, noting there are good days and there are bad days, but it all comes to an end so you have to soak it in while you can and enjoy the little things.
While the next step promises to be an exciting one, Shipley is learning that leaving the past behind can be difficult. But he has no doubt his memories of five years in the WHL will be good ones.
“I think I’ll remember the bus rides, getting in at 4 in the morning, staying up late playing cards, just chatting about life and just being around the guys every day every second,” Shipley said. “Some days you get sick of them but in the end, you look back and realize you’re going to miss them and cherish the memories and the friendships forever.”
