Skinner keen to saddle up with Broncos for another run at WHL championship
Goaltender Stuart Skinner came close to playing for a Western Hockey League championship last season, but his Lethbridge Hurricanes fell two wins short in the Eastern Conference final.
This season, the local product and Edmonton Oilers prospect is getting another opportunity for a run at a title, acquired by the Swift Current Broncos just prior to the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
Skinner, 19, was brought in by Swift Current to backstop an extremely talented side that was loaded up for a championship run.
“When I was told that I was traded to Swift, it was kind of shocking for me, but it was exciting, too,” said Skinner. “They made some big trades and it’s a blessing to be here as a Swift Current Bronco and getting traded to a team like this. It kind of puts on the pressure to have a big year and it’s fallen on all of our shoulders now as a team, but it’s going to be a fun end to the year and hopefully we can go really far.”
The Broncos, currently the second-best team in the WHL behind the Moose Jaw Warriors, made a number of significant trades prior to the deadline, signalling their intentions of going all in for a title run.
Three days before the deadline, Swift Current gave up two firstround picks (2018, 2019) in the WHL bantam draft to bring in veteran defenceman Josh Anderson, 19, from the Prince George Cougars.
Two days later, they acquired Skinner along with forwards Giorgio Estephan and Tanner Nagel from the Hurricanes in a deal that included three draft picks and four players heading the other way.
“Walking into their dressing room, I was kind of surprised how many people I knew,” Skinner said. “Apart from trading for the three of us, they had traded for a couple of new guys too like Anderson, Beck Malenstyn and Matteo Gennaro.
“They’ve made things super easy on us. Right when we came in, they made us feel like family and they made us feel comfortable around the room that we can just be ourselves.”
Skinner made his debut for the Broncos on Friday, stopping 29 shots in a 4-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. The following night, he turned away 20 shots in a 9-1 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings.
For his efforts, Skinner was named WHL goaltender of the week Monday and CHL goaltender of the week Tuesday.
“I was pretty nervous, honestly, about that first game,” Skinner said. “I was talking to my new billets and telling them that I was pretty nervous and that, hopefully, it goes well. They told me it was going to be fine and just to do my best, so I went out there and did my thing.
“I got the shutout, but it wasn’t just me, I have to give all the credit to the guys in front of me and the guys in the dressing room and the coaching staff, they made the job a lot easier on me. There is always six guys on the ice, so it’s not just me. It’s a team game and they helped me get the shutout.”
A third-round pick (78th overall) of the Oilers last summer, Skinner had spent parts of four seasons with Lethbridge before being traded to Swift Current. He had a 14-150 record with the Hurricanes this season with a 3.38 goals-against average and .897 save percentage.
“I thought it was actually going pretty well in Lethbridge. I thought it was going better than what the stats were showing,” Skinner said. “It was a tough year as a team. We were kind of struggling here and there and we were pretty inconsistent and had more losses than wins.”
Skinner attended the Oilers’ rookie camp this fall and played in the Young Stars prospect tournament in Penticton, B.C. He was a better goaltender for the experience returning to the WHL and hopes a lengthy playoff run further aids his development.
The Broncos begin a five-game U.S. Division road trip Wednesday against the Tri-City Americans.
“I think the experience that you’d gain from being on a championship team would be huge,” Skinner said. “I gained so much experience from our run in Lethbridge last year and that was just going to the conference final. I’m excited to see how far we can go in Swift Current. Hopefully, we can go farther than we did last year and then go on to win the Memorial Cup.”