Making the jump from Under-18 hockey to the WHL is no small leap.
For Cougars netminder Tyler Brennan, it was an eye-opening rookie year this past season. One which was filled with plenty of growth and development.
Brennan was one of four 16-year-old rookies on the Cougars this past year.
The first-round pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, earned the backup job behind Taylor Gauthier in training camp and he didn’t look back. Brennan earned his first WHL victory in his first start back on October 5th against the Kelowna Rockets.
“I thought it went pretty well,” shared Brennan when asked about his rookie year.
“There were some ups and downs, but overall I think it went pretty well for a 16-year-old rookie season. I can’t really complain. I developed a lot as a goalie and learned a bunch.”
The 21st overall pick in 2018 got into 15 games this past year and finished with a 4-6 record, but by the end of the season was starting to get comfortable in between the pipes following his jump from U-18 hockey (midget) to the WHL.
“The pace of the game. The speed. The players are just a lot stronger. There is a lot to adapt too, but you get a lot of good practices in and some pre-season games which helps a lot,” added Brennan
What also helps the 16-year-old netminder adapt and get use to the WHL level is having Taylor Gauthier as a goaltending partner.
Gauthier also joined the Western Hockey League as a 16-year-old and was extremely helpful in Brennan’s rookie season.
“He is definitely a good goaltending partner to have for my first season. We kind of took the same steps in getting to where we are. I am kind of following his exact career with the team and kind of is good to be behind him for the first year, learned a lot off of him, and we pushed each other to be better each and every day,” stated Brennan.
It’s been a summer of accomplishments for the Winnipeg goaltender, who was named to both Hockey Canada’s Goaltending Symposium and as a camp invite to Hockey Canada’s U-18 team.
Now Brennan is focusing on gearing up for his sophomore season and making sure he is continuing to develop and grow as a WHL goaltender.
“Big one for me is working on my strength. Getting quick and being quicked than I was last year speed wise and power-wise. So I’m just trying to put some strength in my legs and my core and be faster and more controlled.”
Brennan finished the 19/20 season with a 3.34 GAA and a .887 SV %.
