In less than a decade, Virden has gone from not icing a team to having one of the top organizations in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
After posting the MJHL’s best record in a campaign that came to an end last November due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Virden Oil Capitals will open their 10th season this Friday when they host Waywayseecappo. Virden product Brooks Freeman has designed a 10th anniversary logo for the season.
“The 10th season will be special,” said Oil Caps head coach and general manager Tyson Ramsey, who is in his fifth season with the organization, including serving as a scout and assistant coach. “A very nice accomplishment for all who have been involved with the group in so many different capacities. We are looking forward to celebrating all that over the course of the season.”
The Beginning
Virden opened its new recreation centre, later to be branded Tundra Oil and Gas Place, in June of 2011.
“As people began to enter into the facility for the first time that summer and early fall, it soon became apparent to everyone that we had a first-class, state of the art facility amongst us right here in our community,” Oil Caps governor Bob Berry said. “It wasn't long before people began to realize that this facility would not only allow for bigger events to be hosted here, but that it may also have the capability to be the home of a potential MJHL franchise.”
It helped inspire local, interested people, led by Dale Lewis, to investigate having a MJHL team. Then MJHL commissioner Kim Davis directed the group to the Winnipeg Saints owners, who had expressed interest in possibly selling if the opportunity arose, Berry explained. After jumping through such hoops as an agreement to purchase with Gord Lee of the Saints, the MJHL Board of Governors unanimously approving the sale and relocation, approval by the Town of Virden Council of a request to operate out of the arena, and signing an agreement and tenant lease with the Town of Virden, an April 25, 2012 press conference was held to make the move public. That gave the new organization five short months to prepare for the season.
While work was happening to bring the team to Virden, the Saints were making a run to the MJHL finals. Winnipegger Sean Collins said he recalls hearing rumours of the move during the 2012 playoffs and was informed it was happening during his exit meeting after the Saints fell in the finals to the Portage Terriers.
“I think there was a lot of excitement. Everyone was pretty pumped,” said Collins, who noted he was looking forward to playing away from home.
First Season
The Oil Capitals opened their first regular season on Sept. 21, 2013 with a 4-2 victory over the Dauphin Kings. Dylan Gedjos (2012-2014) scored the opening goal of the game and the first one ever by an Oil Cap. Jon Gaudet (2012-2013) paced the new team with three points on the night. Moosomin’s Kyler Beckett (2012-2015) earned the win in net with 25 saves. Reported attendance was 1,446.
“It was unreal,” Collins (2012-2013) said. “It was one of my favourite games that I’ve ever played in. Everyone was buzzing.”
During the season, Kolby Woods (2012-2014), who billeted with his grandparents Jack and Betty Day, paced the Oil Caps with 17 goals. A defenceman, Collins ended up leading the team in scoring that first season with 37 points in 57 games. However, it was not the scoring plays but rather the buzz around town that he remembers most about his Oil Caps season.
“Having a new team. New excitement. Going around town part of that crew of guys that was experiencing things together for the first time – that was pretty cool,” Collins said. “The town just fell in love with us. It was insane. I don’t think anyone expected that. Every single night the games were sold out and it just seemed like everyone followed us so much.”
Although the team missed the playoffs with an 18-34-3-5 record, head coach and general manager Troy Leslie, the staff, and the organization had laid the foundation for future success. This reporter recalls after the team’s first draft Leslie and his brother Chad, then the team’s assistant coach and assistant general manager, emphasizing the importance of bringing in young men of character to the community. After the first season, the Oil Caps did not miss the playoffs in any season not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2018 Finals
An Elkhorn product, Leslie led the squad for seven seasons before Ramsey took over for the 2019-2020 campaign. In 2017-2018, Leslie guided the Oil Caps to a 40-17-2-1 regular season record and the MJHL finals. The team tangled with the Steinbach Pistons and fell in six games.
“The atmosphere in the rink just made that series a whole lot more fun to play in,” said Morgan Magwood, who co-captained the squad with Dylan Thiessen. “It was most of the guys’ first time seeing the rink being sold out, so it gave us guys a lot more excitement to play. And what I remember most about that team is how close the group of guys were. Everyone in the room was good friends and that’s what made us have success. To this day I am still friends and in touch with a lot of the guys off that team. It was a lot of fun to play with that group of guys.”
Virden’s own Tyler Kirkup (2015-2018) led the team that season with 40 goals and 75 points in 60 games. He now plays NCAA Division I hockey at Bemidji (Minn.) State University. Ben Dalke (2015-2019) received the Oil Capitals’ Cole Hamblin Memorial Playoff MVP Award in recognition of his strong postseason play. Dalke had eight goals and 12 points in 15 games during Virden’s run. As well as Kirkup, Virden’s Tristen Cross (2015-2019) was on that finals squad and hometown product Tanner Andrew also spent time with the team that season.
Christmas Video
In 2013, then Oil Caps marketing manager Lindsey Gullett had the idea of doing a Christmas video. He convinced the team to lip sync and perform to Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of The Year”. Handlebar mustache-sporting defenceman Curtis Houlden (2012-2014) was arguably the star and future Olympians Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers, coached by Virden’s Patty Hole, made a cameo appearance.
“It was just something fun for the fans and it kind of turned into a bit of a team builder as well,” Gullett said. “Then people started sharing it online and it went from there.”
Posted on YouTube, the video had more than 25,000 views after four days. In a 2014 MJHL website article promoting the Oil Caps’ second Christmas video, Gullett said the original had 93,000 hits.
“I thought it would be a fun video for friends and family and the town to enjoy during the holidays, I had no idea the reach it would receive,” Houlden said. “It’s still played at my family Christmases.”
The video even had an impact on the ice. During a game where Houlden was involved in a pushing match with an opponent, a referee told the Oil Cap to calm and down and that “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”
Houlden said he no longer has the handlebars but stated, “However, I do always sport a beard so I’m ready anytime to transition back when needed.”
Next Level
A mission of the Oil Capitals and junior hockey is to prepare players for the next step in their lives.
“A real sense of accomplishment for our board is always seeing our young hockey players move through our system and on to another chapter of their lives, whatever that may be,” Berry said.
For some athletes, the MJHL is the end of their time playing at a high-level level and then they pursue other passions. For example, ex-Oil Cap Soren Frederiksen (2014-2015) is a Winnipeg Realtor.
Berry said it is extra special to see players continue to chase their dreams, move onto a higher level, and realize success. The Oil Caps have helped many players advance to the major junior Western Hockey League such as Virden’s Braeden Lewis (2020-2021), now with the Swift Current Broncos; the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I ranks, including Tanner Andrew (2017-2020) now studying and playing at the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology; American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I squads, for example Oak Lake’s Riley Wallace (2018-2020) and Landyn Cochrane (2017-2018) of Russell helped Minot State University make it to the 2021 championship game; United States Hockey League; and several other college and university leagues and levels.
Some even make it to the pros. Zach Whitecloud (2014-2016), a Sioux Valley Dakota Nation member who grew up in Brandon, was the organization’s first alum to play in a National Hockey League game. The defenceman is about to begin his third season with the Vegas Golden Knights. Homegrown blue liner Wyatt Kalynuk (2013-2014) suited up with the Oil Caps as a 16-year-old before following a path that led to him being a Chicago Blackhawks rookie last season.
“I most enjoyed playing in front of my friends and family every night in the town I grew up in,” Kalynuk said. “Being able to live at home and play junior hockey is something that I was very lucky to do. Playing in Virden against the bigger and older players made me a better player and accelerated my development so I was able to move on to the next level.”
“When we now get to watch Zach Whitecloud play in Las Vegas, and Wyatt Kalynuk in Chicago at the NHL level, we feel that it's a real feather in the cap to our coaching staff and our organization who helped guide these two young men along the way in some part and helped them reach the pinnacle of the hockey world,” Berry said.
Players are not the only people who develop their talents with the Oil Capitals. Staff members have gone onto other opportunities. For example, former Oil Caps marketing manager Branden Crowe is the voice of and the director of social sales and strategic marketing for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. Gullett is now the Manager, Event Presentation at Oilers Entertainment Group.
“A lot of people put a lot of trust in me in the role I was in with the Oil Caps and I just wanted to do everything very professionally,” Gullett said. “Getting to dabble in all facets of the business side of the company, it allowed me to see what I liked and didn’t like to do. It also gave me an understanding and appreciation for what others are doing in the organization.”
Community
The community plays a big role in the junior hockey experience. Oil Caps billet with local families. For some, it is their first time away from home. Sometimes these arrangements are the start of lifelong relationships. Jack Einarson (2017-2021), who captained last season’s team with Brett Paddock (2018-2021), billeted all of his seasons with Doug and Kathi Gatey.
“I have been with the Gateys my entire junior career,” he said in an interview last season. “I only have good things to say about them. They took me in when I was young and truly made it a second home for me.”
Several Oil Capitals over the years have told this reporter they believe the Tundra Oil & Gas Place is the best place to play in the MJHL.
“The fan support in Virden was second to none, showing up to the rink every night was an exciting thing to do when you knew you were going to be playing in front of such committed and loyal fans and it makes you want to play harder because of it,” said former Oil Caps forward Carter Cowlthorp (2014-2017), who went on to play NCAA Division III hockey at Norwich University in Vermont and recently signed to play pro in the Southern Professional Hockey League. “It gives you a certain amount of pride to play for a program that has such strong community support.”
Berry said:
“’Game Day’ is always an exciting time. It's always fun to experience an evening at the rink when the place is full of people from Virden and many surrounding communities, all coming together on a cold winter night to visit and socialize and to watch two teams of young men chasing their dreams, battling it out on the ice. The atmosphere that we get to enjoy as fans when an evening like this is unfolding, and the place is rocking with music and atmosphere, and a close game is playing out on the ice is always memorable. The camaraderie and excitement that both the players and fans get to soak up is something special to be part of.”
As well as cheering on the Oil Caps, the community helps ensure the team survives and can continue to offer players opportunities.
“The attention and detail dedicated to the financial aspect of operating a Junior A franchise cannot be lost, as operating one of these clubs is constantly a challenge,” Berry said. “Without the support of fans and partners, billet parents, and volunteers, making an entity like ours financially viable would be a real battle. We have been extremely fortunate and thankful, for all our community support that makes operating a franchise successful in our community.”
Present & Future
Berry has helped the Oil Caps come to town and grow. He said he is proud the board “is constantly striving to uphold a high standard of Professionalism and Integrity.”
“There are challenges along the way and sometimes tough decisions present themselves,” Berry said. “Our goal from day one was to be one of the top franchises in the MJHL, both on and off the ice. We wanted this organization to be one which young men wanted to be a part of. A place where young hockey players could live in a comfortable environment. One in which they could play the game they love and have an opportunity to develop their skills. An organization where they would have a chance to move on to a higher level of hockey if they chose to. We wanted a hockey club where parents were happy to have their sons be a member of, here in Virden. We envisioned an organization where both the community and our marketing partners were on board and supportive of all we tried to be.”
Berry said, “Our goal since bringing this Club to Virden was always to transition to a not-for-profit, community entity.”
In phase one of the plan, Virden Hockey Ventures Inc. brought the Oil Caps to town. In 2020, the hockey club became a strictly “not for profit” organization. This is phase two.
“The main advantage of this is that it allows us a more favourable tax status,” Berry said. “This then enables us to have more funds stay within the club, that can be used for operational expenses.”
In the future, a third phase will allow businesses and fans to become official shareholders of the team.
“Going forward, we believe that this will ensure that the team is truly a community-owned team and ensure that the club is able to exist and thrive in this community for a long, long time,” Berry said.
