By Craig Beauchemin

Battleford native makes good impression in AHL tryout

Apr 26, 2016 | 11:59 AM

If a 10-game tryout was any indication, Battleford native Bryce Gervais may have a future as a professional hockey player.

After a four-year NCAA career at Minnesota State University of Mankato, Gervais signed an amateur try-out contract with the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves. There, he scored four goals and added two assists in 10 games.

“Sometimes you get put in really good situations and I was playing with great players. My family advisor spent his playing days in the AHL with Chicago, so he had some hook-ups there and felt it would be a good fit for me. It was a great opportunity and I tried to take advantage as much as I could,” Gervais said.

He did admit there were a few other teams interested in giving him a try-out contract.

Gervais racked up 67 goals and 34 assists over his NCAA career with the Mavericks, saying he was happy with his decision to go the college route as opposed to going to the Western Hockey League.

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“It gave me an extra couple years to develop and gain a little more muscle. I was playing against 25-year-olds when I first came into the league at 20. You were playing against men and I’m really happy with my decision.”

Ice time was no guarantee for Gervais in the AHL. The coaching staff told him he would play the first game but afterwards needed to prove he deserved to play more. Gervais earned that ice time with an assist in his first game and a goal in his second.

“After my last game I talked to [the coaching staff] and they said they really liked the way I played. It’s been a dream of mine since I was kid to play professional hockey so it would be awesome to keep that going,” Gervais said.

Though he is from the Battlefords, Gervais hasn’t played at home since he was a teenager. He decided to play his midget AAA hockey in Prince Albert for two seasons with the Mintos. He then went to the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks, before a trade in his second season to the Penticton Vees. He was able to return home in a sense, as the Vees won the 2012 RBC Cup which was held in Humboldt.

While there Gervais did not indicate he would return to the Wolves next season, he hopes to begin a professional career next year. If not as an athlete, he will look for a career in sports management with his degree.

Email: cjnbsports@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @craig_beauch