Neuls new to U Sports but knows Huskies-bears rivalry
Centre on line of bangers fitting right in after four seasons with WHL’S Seattle
Donovan Neuls is champing at the bit.
He’s biting that mouthguard really, really hard — ready and raring to go.
Neuls wasn’t in the lineup when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies last hosted the University of Alberta Golden Bears back in December.
But he’ll be there, front and centre, when the Huskies play host to the archrival Bears on Friday night, 7 p.m., at Merlis Belsher Place in Game 1 of their best-ofthree Canada West conference men’s hockey final.
It marks the fourth straight year that these two teams are meeting in the Canada West championship series.
As conference finalists, both teams have automatically qualified for the upcoming University Cup national championship in Lethbridge, Alta., in two weeks.
“Any time you can play in a national tournament or a championship, it’s always something you want to play in — all the big games and stuff,” says Neuls, a 5-foot-11, 198-pound forward from Grenfell.
“It’s pretty exciting. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Neuls missed most of the first half of the season due to injury, including the two-game series at home against the Bears. He returned to the lineup in January on a line with bangers Jaimen Yakubowski and Carter Folk. It seems like a natural fit. “Neuls is a fantastic two-way player so he fits right in,” says U of S head coach Dave Adolph. “He kills penalties. It’s been good.
“He (Neuls) is as advertised. He’s a gamer. He’s a great two-way centreman. He really understands the game. He just has a little glint in his eye. He just loves playing. I think he loves going to school, too. He’s been a great addition.
“He’s everything and more.” Saskatchewan is looking for its 11th Canada West title and seventh under Adolph.
The Huskies will be making their 20th appearance in the University Cup national championship and 15th with Adolph as head coach.
Neuls, who spent four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds before joining the Huskies, is hoping to make a difference and help the Dogs hang another conference banner and win that elusive national championship title.
He says it’s been a “pretty easy transition” from the WHL, “just with the guys helping me out, whether it be schooling or practice.”
“The guys have been great,” says Neuls, who has found a home centring a pair of hard-nosed players in Yakubowski and Folk.
“It doesn’t really matter where I play. With the two guys I’m playing with now, they play it really simple, which I like to do as well. We get the puck in deep and we pride ourselves in being a hard line to play against. That’s what we’re going to try and do this weekend.”
Neuls finished the regular season with four goals and five assists for nine points in 18 games. He had 22 goals and 54 assists for 76 points in 72 games during his final season with Seattle.
Neuls also had 39 points in 49 WHL playoff games.
The key to his game? Keeping it simple. “Beating their D and playing a good 200-foot game,” he explains. “Edmonton’s good off the rush and can score. I think that’s going to be a huge part for my line and myself (to stop that).”
Neuls hails from Grenfell in southern Saskatchewan, but he says it was an easy choice to come up to the U of S to study and play hockey.
“It’s a top-notch program,” says Neuls (pronounced Niles). “They’ve been to the finals quite a few times and that’s something I always like. So it was a pretty easy decision coming here.”
The new Merlis Belsher Place, which is expected to fill up for the Canada West series, helped in the recruiting process even though the building was probably only a little over half-done when Neuls came up for a recruiting visit.
“Seeing it now, it’s special,” he says. “That’s another reason — a big reason — why it was a pretty easy decision to come here. “