Brent Andrews is the captain of the UPEI Panthers men’s hockey team. “Something I’ve always tried to pride myself in is (having) a good impact in the dressing room and being a leader,” he said.
The A is gone from the front of Brent Andrews’ jersey.
In its place is the C as the UPEI Panthers men’s hockey team’s newest captain, following in the footsteps of Mason Wilgosh, who graduated in the spring.
“Especially being an Islander, for myself, it's something I am going to take a lot of pride in, and it’s definitely a big honour,” the Hunter River native said. “There’s some big shoes to fill. Willy was beloved not only in the dressing room but also in the community.”
But Andrews said he learned a lot from the former captain and knows he doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting on his own.
The leadership group includes Casey Babineau, Ryan MacKinnon and Nelson Armstrong, but goes deeper than the guys with a letter on their jersey.
“You look around the room, and there’s guys that have worn letter with their respective junior teams,” Andrews said outside the team’s dressing room earlier this week. “There’s all (kinds of) guys in there that have leadership as a quality and I think it definitely makes my job easier as captain. I know I can look around the room and there’s a lot of guys to depend for leadership.”
During his final season in Halifax, Andrews and Darcy Ashley shared the captaincy after Trey Lewis was injured.
Ashley and Andrews played major midget, junior and university hockey together. Ashley is not playing this season due to concussions but is on the coaching staff.
Ashley said his former linemate sets a great example.
“You could have probably slapped a letter on his chest as soon as he got here,” he said Friday. “He’s got the task of it now and he’s going to do a fantastic job.”
Ashley pointed out Andrews hard work as one of his strengths as a leader.
“He’s a vocal leader, but also when the going gets tough, he gets going,” Ashley said. “When you have someone who you can lean on — on the ice and in the dressing room — it kind of separates (them) from everybody else.”
Head coach Forbes MacPherson said Wilgosh did a great job of creating a strong culture of leaders that provided him with many options for this year’s captain.
He said Andrews is a quality person, player and leader.
“He brings everything you want in a leader, plus he’s going to be one of our best players,” MacPherson said, noting he’ll see time even strength, killing penalties, on the power player and will be on the ice in the final minute of a period up a goal or trailing by one.
“Not only does he have the strong characteristics of a captain within the dressing room or the community, but also he’s going to be relied upon on the ice.”
Asked for one quality that stands out about Andrews, MacPherson didn’t hesitate in mentioning his involvement on the Mooseheads’ Memorial Cup-winning team in 2013.
“He’s somebody that not only can talk the talk, but has walked the walk,” MacPherson said.
MacKinnon, a Summerside native, remembers playing against Andrews at the Community Gardens in Kensington when the captain was playing for the Gulf Storm. They also played spring hockey together.
“He’s everything you want in a leader,” MacKinnon said. “He leads by example, he says all the right things and he’s one of the hardest working people I’ve ever been on a team with.”
That fact that Andrews has Island roots was not a factor for MacPherson.
“I think it’s great, but it played zero into the decision. He could have been from Russia it wouldn’t have mattered,” the bench boss said. “He is what captains are made of.”
Need to know
Brent Andrews
Who – The captain of the UPEI Panthers men’s hockey team.
Personal – A 23-year-old from Hunter River.
University – Third-year business student.
Size, position – A six-foot-two, 212-pound centre.
2015-16 statistics
Season outlook – “I think we're right there on paper, but it’s still early on in the season. We still have a lot to improve on,” Andrews said. “We’re definitely looking . . . to play in UNB (at nationals) at the end of the year.”
Coach Forbes MacPherson says – “He represents every characteristic that a head coach wants his team or program to reflect.”
Previous captains – A look at recent captains of the UPEI Panthers men’s hockey team.
2013-14 to 2015-16 Mason Wilgosh
2011-12 to 2012-13 Dylan Quaile
2009-10 to 2011-12 Thomas Waugh
2008-09 Justin Donati
2006-07 to 2007-08 Josh Patterson
2005-06 John Brioux
2004-05 Joel Ward
2003-04 Darcy Harris
2001-02 to 2002-03 Aaron MacInnis
1999-2000 to 2000-2001 Dylan Taylor
