Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves

I know this isn't about politics, but here's a good news story about a kid that played hockey in the Crowsnest Pass with our AJHL team the Timberwolves. He was a good hockey player when he was here and hopefully he will do well in his pro career.


Sheahan moves on upBy Tony ClarkeAug 20, 2008, 05:38

With his first professional training camp about a month away, Brock Sheahan is hoping his skating ability and on-ice intensity will catch the attention of coaches.Earlier this summer, the Lethbridge native signed a one-year deal with the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. The Penguins, based in Ohio, are the minor-league affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins.The signing came on the heels of the physical blueliner completing his four-year run with the Notre Dame University Fighting Irish who, this past spring, came within a single victory of capturing the U.S. college hockey Division One Championship; a game they lost 4-1 to Boston College. Making the Frozen Four, as it is referred to, helped put Sheahan on scout’s radar.With his college playing days now over, he has his sights set on starting his pro hockey career by earning a spot on the Penguins roster.“Nothing is guaranteed, but there are a few spots available on the back end and my goal is to make the team,” said Sheahan, who at just under six feet tall and 188 pounds, describes himself as a solid, stay-at-home defenceman.“The past four years at college I was matched up with the other team’s top line and my job was to shut them down and stop them from scoring. It wasn’t my role to fill the net, but rather take care of my own end.”It’s this type of play the smooth-skating rearguard hopes to impress the coaching staff at Wilkes-Barre Scranton with in September.“I’m a solid skater and I think that will be the key for me. I won’t be a flashy player out there, but I feel being a responsible defenceman in my own end is what they were looking for when they signed me.”Sheahan has been training this entire summer, both on and off the ice, with his brother Brody Sheahan, who is currently skating with The College of Holy Cross in the NCAA Division One ranks.He has also been on the ice or in conversation during the off-season with other locals now playing hockey at the professional level. These players include former Lethbridge Hurricanes Kris Versteeg and Rob Klinkhammer, along with Taber’s Devin Setoguchi, who plays for the San Jose Sharks in the NHL.“Talking to these guys has really helped me know what to expect when I head into training camp. It’s only helped me better prepare myself.”The biggest adjustment he will have to make at the pro level, he adds, will be the simple fact players are more skilled and mature, noting he feels he has the speed and physical ability to compete.One thing Sheahan says he has going for him is the brief experience he gained with Albany of the AHL when college finished last April. It was just days after his Frozen Four run with Notre Dame that he signed an amateur tryout contract with Albany for the remainder of the team’s season.“I didn’t get to play in a game, but I took some pre-game skates and practised hard. This really helped me see what I need to do to play at this level.”Sheahan played all of his minor hockey here in Lethbridge, notably bantam and midget AAA. When he was 18, he moved on to play with the South Surrey Eagles in the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.A year later, he manned the blueline with the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves of the Alberta Junior Hockey League before heading to school at Notre Dame in 2004, where just a few months ago he earned a finance degree.While Sheahan admits he one day hopes to be an NHL defenceman, for now his focus is getting the first season of pro hockey under his belt.“I’m looking forward to seeing what professional hockey is all about and proving I belong. If an NHL team came calling in the next few years that would be great. But right now I just want to get better and see if I can make a decent living playing this game, whether it’s in the minors, Europe in a few years, or hopefully the NHL.”