Pre-school decision a good one for Shipley

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This article was published 16/12/2022 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Luke Shipley is doling out the Christmas presents next week, he probably shouldn’t forget the person who got him into hockey.

The 18-year-old defenceman started to play at age four, but his origin story is utterly unique.

“I got into it because of my buddy’s mom in pre-school,” Shipley said with a smile. “He was playing and his mom reached out to my parents and told them I should join, and I’ve never looked back.”

Indeed.

Shipley was born in Campbell River but the family moved to Powell River when he was young. The community of 13,000 is on the mainland — it’s located 170 kilometres north of Vancouver — but the nearest community of any size is Courtney, which is located a ferry ride away on Vancouver Island.

He said Powell River was a good place to grow up in the sport.

“It was just hard with ferries because we would have to take a ferry to Vancouver Island to play our games,” Shipley said. “It’s a great little hockey town.”

He actually wanted to be a goalie early on but liked scoring goals better so he moved up front. He shifted back to the blue-line for good when he was in novice.

“I realized I could get the puck more playing defence and skate up and down the ice,” Shipley said.

Shipley was a dedicated athlete growing up, playing basketball, baseball, soccer and volleyball. After falling in love with basketball in the summer of Grade 7, he eventually picked hockey instead.

“Back then it wasn’t hockey all summer long like it is now,” Shipley said. “I fell in love with (basketball) but I realized I had a potential future in hockey so I stuck to that.”

His family includes father Richard, mother Michelle, younger sister Addy and older brother Gabe, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2017 WHL draft by the Prince George Cougars but played in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.

The 20-year-old eventually left hockey to become a pilot.

Luke Shipley joined the West Van Academy bantam prep team in his draft year in 2018-19, scoring once and adding 16 assists in 17 games. That was enough for the Victoria Royals to take him in the sixth round with the 122nd overall pick in the 2019 WHL draft.

The defenceman moved to the British Columbia Elite Hockey League’s North Island Silvertips for his rookie year at the U18 AAA level, where he made an even larger impression in 38 games with 11 goals, 21 assists and 116 penalty minutes.

He made the jump to the WHL as a 16-year-old for the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, suiting up in 18 games. Shipley said it was a massive change.

“You’re always watching and kind of doubting yourself in a way,” Shipley said. “ It’s ‘Can you play in that league?’ when you’re younger, and not as mature. Once I got there, I was blown away with how fast, how detailed, how strong, how big everyone was.”

Inevitably, that meant his game had to change.

He played 66 games with Victoria in his 17-year-old season, contributing two goals, eight assists and 29 penalty minutes.

“My skating has improved quite a bit,” Shipley said. “I honestly just think it’s size too and confidence. I think confidence is a huge part of the game and having trust in your game does wonders for moving the puck, skating, holding onto the puck, protecting it, finding the lanes and maybe waiting and changing the angle of a shot.”

The six-foot, 179-pound Shipley, who is a right-handed shot, had two goals and eight assists with the Royals this season in 19 games when he received a giant change of address.

Shipley and 17-year-old Tony Wilson were acquired by Brandon on Nov. 24 for Teydon Trembecky, a third-round pick in 2023, a fifth-round pick in 2024 and a fourth-round pick in 2026. The third-round pick, which originally belonged to the Red Deer Rebels, was acquired in the Tyson Zimmer trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sept. 27.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said Shipley filled a hole for the Wheat Kings.

“I thought he’s brought an element that we needed on our team,” Murray said. “I think he’s provided some offence, and what we talked about when we made the trade is that both these guys are multi-year guys. Luke has come in and looked like a veteran defencemen at the level and we’re excited to have him for a couple more years.”

Shipley’s plane touched down just after midnight on Nov. 25, and he was in the lineup that night for the first of two games against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. They both ended up as losses, and on Nov. 27, head coach Don MacGillivray was dismissed and Murray took over behind the bench.

Welcome to Brandon, young man.

“It went by pretty quick,” Shipley said. “I didn’t really get to know Donny that well.”

Even so, the Wheat City has proven to be a good fit. In eight games in Brandon, he has two goals, two assists and six penalty minutes.

While the only place farther from home he could have ended up in was Winnipeg, Shipley was pleased with the change of scenery.

“It’s been great,” Shipley said. “I love it so far. I’m pretty used to being away from home. I moved away when I was Grade 9 to play hockey at an academy so I’m pretty used to being away from family. The new thing is just the cold, I’m still getting used to that. But I love it so far.”

Shipley said he makes FaceTime calls to his parents virtually every day so he’s not out of touch with his family.

What made the move even better was the reception that awaited him before he arrived in Brandon.

“Everyone, especially the older guys, texted me when I was coming into the airport and asked me how it was going and when I would get in,” Shipley said. “I could tell they were super great guys to come into.”

He said he also likes how Brandon is a smaller city and it’s easy to navigate around.

Shipley is also happy with his team’s focus on community events, such as reading at schools, skating with minor hockey teams and volunteering at Samaritan House. It reminds him of growing up idolizing the BCHL’s Powell River Kings.

“It’s great,” Shipley said. “It feels amazing to give back. When I was a little kid, having a BCHL team in my hometown, I loved to interact with the older players. It made me feel like part of the team. Giving back is such a rewarding feeling, and then you see them coming to our games and supporting us.”

He graduated from high school and while he’s planning to take some university courses next year, he decided to take the season off from his studies to focus on hockey.

Shipley is an avid reader, with one genre that especially grabs his interest.

“Last year I started picking up books again,” Shipley said. “It’s more like self help and motivational books that help your mental side of the game.”

He brought his current book on the last road trip, and thinks there’s a real benefit.

“I think it’s good for my brain,” Shipley said. “It kind of gets it activated before a game. If it’s a bus trip to P.A., you have a couple of hours to kill and get your mind activated before you play.”

His goals for the rest of his first season revolve around the team first. He knows that if he plays well enough to get Brandon into the post-season, that personal success may follow.

“I’ve never experienced the playoff atmosphere so that’s my first goal,” Shipley said. “I’d say the second goal is to go to an NHL camp or get drafted. I just want to win and succeed with this team.”

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