Halfway through the Portland Winterhawks Neely Cup, 17-year-old goalie Luke Brunen is thriving as he prepares for his rookie season in the WHL.
The Winterhawks selected the 6-foot-2, 185-pound netminder in the second round of the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft.
After attending training camp a year ago as a 16-year-old, the Warman, Saskatchewan, native has less nerves.
“I’m feeling like I’m coming in with more confidence, and I know the ropes a little bit better,” he said. “I’m coming in here and not stressed or feel obligated to do anything I wouldn’t normally.”
During the 2022-2023 season, Brunen played at the U18 level with his hometown Warman Wildcats AAA team in the SMAAAHL. He was teammates with fellow Winterhawks rookie forward Carsyn Dyck.
“I’m best friends with (Carsyn). I grew up right across the street from him. We’ve played on the same team probably the last 12 years. He’s like my brother, and I love him,” Brunen said.
After what Brunen said was an up-and-down season for him last year, the work he put in the offseason will be on full display as training camp concludes and the schedule shifts into preseason.
“I really got faster on and off the ice,” he said. “I worked on my strength and speed, which I think will really show.”
In addition to everything off the ice, including living away from home and in a new country, part of the adjustment Brunen will be facing is the jump from U18 hockey to the Western Hockey League.
“The shooters (in the WHL) are faster, they are stronger, they are bigger, and they are older. You have to adapt that way, but I feel like the way I play, I can really show out and show that I can be part of this league,” Brunen said.
One person who figures to play a key role in helping Brunen is Brendan Burke, head goalie coach for the Winterhawks.
“He seems like a good guy, and I’ve been working with him after meeting him a couple of days ago. I met with him over the phone several times over the last six months. He’s got some good concepts, and I’ve got some ideas I want to bounce off him,” Brunen said.
Brunen will be working behind 2004-born import goalie Jan Špunar, who started the majority of the team’s 2023 playoff games.
Špunar, a native of Olomouc, Czechia, has already been serving in a mentor capacity for the younger Brunen.
“I really like being around (Špunar),” Brunen shared. “He’s a funny guy, but sometimes his English isn’t so good, but I love talking to him. He’s unreal and has given me some good pointers about equipment and how to play certain ways and play certain situations on the ice. I think it is really good being alongside a guy like that who is older than me, bigger and stronger than me too, so I want to work up to one day be like him.”
Only three weeks before arriving in Portland, Brunen got a tattoo on his right forearm.
He shared how it includes representation of Warman, a prairie lily, the Canada maple leaf, coordinates to his hometown rink, and arrows with circles on the lines representing his different family members.
Brunen joked how he was hoping to avoid taking too many pucks to that portion of his arm while the area healed.
He will continue to showcase his creative side while deciding how his mask and pads will look this season. “I usually like to keep it simple, but I think this year I’m going to go a little out of the box and do something I wouldn’t normally do. I get ideas from CCM as they come up with an idea that suits me and fits me. They usually come up with some pretty cool concepts,” Brunen said.
Brunen will likely see significant playing time in the preseason when training camp concludes, which gets underway in Everett, Washington, on September 9.
Brunen finished saying, “I think I’m going to have a good season. I know our team is going to be good this year. I want to win a WHL Championship alongside the boys. I think that would be really fun and be part of in my rookie season.”
