Schmiemann learned a lot in WHL career

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/03/2020 (1477 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dom Schmiemann is headed to university in the fall to continue an education that was certainly kickstarted by four years in the Western Hockey League.

The overage defenceman from James River Bridge, Alta., finished his time with the Brandon Wheat Kings last month when the season was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite how it ended, he’s grateful for all he has learned.

“It taught me a lot of life lessons and I met a lot of great people along the way,” Schmiemann said. “They’ve all taught me certain little things about life that will be great carrying on. I can’t point out one exact thing but it was in all aspects of my life as a player and a person.”

Schmiemann began his WHL career with the Swift Current Broncos in the 2016-17 season, spending a season and two months there before he was dealt to the Calgary Hitmen on Nov. 25 as part of a package that saw Matteo Gennaro and Beck Malenstyn head the other way.

It was nearly a year later, on Oct. 6, 2018, that the Hitmen dispatched him to Tri-City in return for a fourth-round selection in 2019 and a conditional fifth-round round pick in 2020.

Brandon acquired him on Oct. 7 for a fifth-round pick in 2020 and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2022. The transition to the Wheat City was helped by the fact it was something he had experienced before.

“You knew what to expect and what you were dealing with after doing it before,” Schmiemann said. “It does help, rather than the first time not knowing what to expect. That helped out a bit.”

Schmiemann walked into a potentially uncomfortable situation. Popular veteran Zach Wytinck of Glenboro was traded to the Regina Pats to make room for him, but the big Albertan said he was immediately accepted and embraced by his new teammates.

“I got comfortable fast,” Schmiemann said. “The guys were really welcoming. It’s always neat going into a new place. I roomed with (Cole) Reinhardt so living with a guy and being around him all the time helps a lot too. It was great, and the coaching staff was awesome. It was a smooth transition.”

Every community has its own personality and Schmiemann said Brandon was a fun place to play. The team’s supporters were eager to engage the players when they had a chance.

“I think it’s the fans,” Schmiemann said. “It’s a hockey city. Everybody wanted to know how you were doing when we went for breakfast every morning, they knew who we were and would ask how the games are going and who the season was going. It’s a really good, tight-knit community. It’s awesome to see and it’s awesome to be a part of.”

His game certainly evolved over four years. The blue-liner said he’s a different player now than at 17.

“I think everything,” Schmiemann said of what changed. “The poise and the confidence with the puck on the back end. Just growing and getting stronger and playing more of a shutdown role. It’s crazy. Looking back now, coming into the league it was ‘Holy cow, some of these guys are massive!’ and now you’re one of the bigger guys on the ice.”

In 272 regular season and playoff games in the WHL, he scored eight goals, added 46 assists and earned 355 penalty minutes.

Upon arriving in Brandon, he was thrust into a leadership role with the Wheat Kings. He was comfortable with the added expectations that brought on.

“I like to lead by example,” Schmiemann said. “I always viewed myself as a leader in the room so it was just being myself and helping out the guys who need help. I think the biggest thing is leading by example because your actions speak louder than words. Being around the guys, everyone was a leader in their own way. It was a pretty unique group that way.”

The results showed on the ice. After a slow start as the team adjusted to head coach Dave Lowry’s approach to the game, they heated up after Christmas and were one of the most successful teams in the league in the second half.

“I think we finally bought in,” Schmiemann said. “For me it was obviously a new coaching staff and a new team and everything, but the other guys they had a new coach this year so they finally kind of bought into what Dave was saying and what he put into play for us. It really helped us out coming back after Christmas refreshed and after that we really took off. Once we found that confidence, we realized what we had.”

That all came crashing down when the season was initially postponed and eventually cancelled due to the pandemic. It was a disappointing end to Schmiemann’s career.

“Obviously it’s a shock,” Schmiemann said. “When we were playing, we never knew that our last game was going to be our last game of junior. There’s nothing really that anybody can do about it. You just have to keep your head up and keep going. There’s nothing anybody can do about it. It was probably the right decision, keeping everyone see and trying to get rid of this virus. It was awfully disappointing.”

He said the worst part will be never knowing just how much they could have accomplished. He expects that will be what he remembers when he looks back in the future.

“I’ll think about what we could have done and how deep we could have went in the playoffs for sure because I think because our game just kept improving every time we played,” Schmiemann said. “Going into the playoffs, it was huge, every game getting better and better and better. I think we would have been a force to be reckoned with. I’ll look back and remember how good we really were.”

Schmiemann plans to use his WHL scholarship money to play at Mount Royal University in Calgary, joining former Wheat Kings Kade Jensen, Taylor Green and Ryley Lindgren, along with Oak River’s Riley Shamray and his former Tri-City roommate Nolan Yaremko.

He only spent the final six months of his WHL career in Brandon, but he was thankful to a lot of people for making this time in the Wheat City so successful.

“The coaching staff brought me in and they had trust in me right away,” Schmiemann said. “It was funny because in my first game I didn’t look very good and they just let me run with it. They’re all great guys, great players. They were phenomenal guys in the room who will go on to do some big things. It’s always exciting to be part of that and watch them grow and watch them get better even as the year goes on. It will be crazy to see where they are next year.

“And my billets, they cared for us away from the rink and I can’t thank them enough for all the things they’ve done for us. Not only me but the other guys as well. We would go over to another guy’s house or have a couple of guys over and watch The Bachelor or hang out. They would always bring us food or make us feel welcome. Hockey is a big part but the people away from the rink always make it extra special.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson