For good reason, David Bielik had a tough time narrowing things down when asked what he will remember most about his time in Virden.
The 20-year-old defenceman from Winnipeg is in his third and final season with the Virden Oil Capitals of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He has billeted all three campaigns with Oil Capitals assistant coach Brett Braybrook and his two sons.
“It is extremely hard being able to think of one thing I’ll remember most from my junior career in Virden,” Bielik said. “When I look back, I think it’ll be all the lifelong memories and friends I have made over the course of my time here, which is super special.”
Virden head coach Tyson Ramsey said that Bielik brings many things to the team on and off the ice. This season the 5-foot-7, 150-pound defenceman was sixth on the team in points with 35 in 55 regular season games. Bielik and Josh Lehto tied for the team lead with 14 powerplay assists. Bielik was 12th among MJHL defencemen in scoring.
“On the ice, he is a very intelligent player that sees the ice extremely well and has some of the best edges on his feet that I have seen,” Ramseys said. “That agility can get him out of situations in his own end of the rink and allows him to move pucks up to our forwards. He understands when to join on offence and makes great plays at the offensive blue line. He plays big minutes in all situations and is a leader on the bench.
“Off the ice, Dave is a great teammate and role model for our younger players. He works hard in the gym and spends many hours helping in the community and his billet brothers. Dave has been a tremendous asset for our organization, and we will miss him when he moves on after this season.”
Bielik has worn a letter for two of his Oil Caps seasons. After serving as an assistant captain last season, he co-captains this campaign’s squad with fellow blue liner Trevor Hunt.
“It’s been a huge honour and privilege for me to be able to be a co-captain on our team this year with Trevor,” Bielik said. “I’ve been able to take on the role as a leader and we have such an experienced and veteran group this year, so it is very special to be a part of that.”
Something else that has been special for Bielik is that his twin brother Joey, an Oil Caps forward, has been a teammate during all three of his Virden seasons. What has he enjoyed most about that unique opportunity?
“Just being able to share every part of the junior experience with him,” Bielik said. “We have had so many great experiences and have met a lot of great people during our time here and being able to both share those memories with our family back home is awesome.”
As for the future, Bielik plans on pursuing a post-secondary education. Currently, he is interested in both engineering and business. Bielik hopes to couple his studies with continuing to play hockey.
“Being able to play university hockey has always been a goal of mine so that is really something to keep working for,” he said.
