NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward and captain Owen MacNeil readies himself for a face off in the first period of a 7-3 win over the Kamloops Blazers on Feb. 25 at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
There wasn’t a day that went by this Western Hockey League season that Owen MacNeil did not have fun at Co-op Place.
The Medicine Hat Tigers forward very much enjoyed his second full season donning the orange and black and his first as captain.
“It was a lot of fun, we had a really good group and coming to the rink every day with a smile on your face, it’s great,” MacNeil said. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a stretch of wins or a stretch of losses, everyone’s still enjoying themselves and having fun. We have great coaches in front of us, that helps a lot, and they put in a lot of hours. When you have people in front of you doing that, it makes everyone’s life easier. We were just pretty fortunate with the guys we had this year and even the 20-year-olds, they were awesome coming in and helping us in what was a pretty memorable year.”
MacNeil joined the Tigers in a trade with the Spokane Chiefs ahead of the eventual 11-win 2021-22 season. Getting the opportunity to showcase their resiliency while competing for a spot in the postseason and eventually taking part in the playoffs meant a lot to the 19-year-old.
“To be able to do that down the stretch going into playoffs and to be able to make our way in was pretty special,” MacNeil said. “It definitely gives you confidence moving forward in those situations next year, when guys are older and more mature and have been at least a year in the league. Now they kind of know the ins and outs, the schedule and the daily habits you have to do. To be able to go through the things like that, it just gives you nothing but confidence for the future.”
The Calgary product had seven goals and 23 points in 66 games for the Tigers and registered an assist in their first-round playoff series against the Winnipeg Ice. Being in his fifth year in the WHL, MacNeil says he was able to grow as a person and enjoyed getting to do so alongside guys in their first season and those in their last.
He says being captain was made easier by those around him and wasn’t something he focused on, he just led by doing.
“Leadership is just kind of who you are, it’s not something you choose, it’s just within you,” MacNeil said. “Whether you have a letter on your jersey or not, I enjoyed it this year, obviously, that’s nice to be able to wear that but at the same time, you don’t even think about it. It’s just something you do every day, we had a lot of good leaders, so it’s nice when you have a dressing room full of guys who they are able to go up to and it’s not just one guy they are fixated on.”
MacNeil says his plan for the summer besides working out and getting ready for the upcoming season is to give himself a mental break from the day-to-day grind of a season, put a pause on worrying about the standings or the details of the game and enjoy some time off.
Once summer comes to a close he will be heading into this overage season in the WHL, something he says is hard to look at and he hasn’t thought about too much.
“It’s almost an emotional season because you feel like you’ve been in a league a long time,” MacNeil said. “I try not to think about it and still obviously have to come back to try and make a name for myself and make the squad again. It’s nice to kind of have that last year and to do it with two other guys who have gone through the same as you and have been in the league a while, it’s cool to share that with them. But it’s definitely an emotional year.
“I know our overages looked back at how awesome their careers were and then that same time moving on to the next chapter. It’s definitely something you have to look at but also not think about.”
That final season in the WHL is made easier for MacNeil as the Tigers are set to build off their playoff berth with a young core that has another year of experience under their belt. He’s excited to see what their young stars can do and to help them reach their full potential.
“The guys on Winnipeg when we got in the handshake line they we were way better than where we were this year in the standings,” MacNeil said. “Looking at some of the stats, we were top five in offensive stats in the whole league, especially with those teams, it’s pretty cool. We have a lot of really good young guys that’ll probably be drafted and then guys the season after that, it’s a lot to look forward to.
“The biggest thing is just excitement when you have a group like that and what we were able to do to turn it around this year. Then definitely next year is a year where we want to win more than anything. This year was a transition year and we were able to do what we did and next year, we want to be where Winnipeg or Seattle are.”
