The Prince Albert Raiders won a WHL title in 2019 and over the course of that spring, it seemed like Brayden Pachal never left the ice.
I saw it with my own eyes, as part of the Vancouver Giants radio team during a seven-game final series to which the word ‘thriller’ could never do justice.
Five years on, Pachal’s back in Western Canada as a member of the Flames and while he’s young on NHL service, the 24-year-old has plenty of leadership experience on his resume.
Twice, he’s been a captain: first with those 2019 Raiders, then in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights.
And twice, he's hoisted a championship trophy, doing so with Prince Albert before raising the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights last June.
Here in Calgary, he's got a different 'C' on his sweater, but those past experiences have helped him become the player - and young man - he is now.
“I was fortunate enough to have really good captains throughout my junior career, just kind of learning little things that they take,” Pachal said of his WHL tenure. “Obviously, we had a really good team that year in Prince Albert, that I was captain, there was a big leadership cast that helped me along the way and made my job a lot easier.”
Over his half-dozen games as a Flame, Pachal’s worked his way into a regular spot on the blueline alongside Oliver Kylington, while also bringing savvy beyond his years both to the ice and the dressing room.
When it comes to being a leader in junior hockey versus pro, there are definitely parallels.
But Pachal figures there are also some subtle differences that he learned on the fly through four AHL seasons in the Golden Knights organization, two of which were spent as one of the youngest captains in the league.
“It’s definitely a big difference once you get to the pro level, especially in the American League, ‘cause it’s internal competition, everybody wants to be the next call-up,” he said, "but I think once you get to pro, everybody has a certain set of leadership skills.
“If you come to the rink and do everything right, every day, I think your voice gets heard a lot more.”
As he prepares for week three on the job in Calgary, Pachal’s gotten to know - and gotten to battle with - his new Flames teammates.
And at the NHL level - among the best of the best - Pachal’s come to realize those leadership qualities that stood out to his junior and minor pro coaches along the way are present at every turn.
“I think everybody in that room is a leader in some way,” he said. “It starts with Backs, he’s got the coach’s message and he’s bringing it down to us. Everybody respects him and the veteran leadership in that group, but there’s also that young piss ’n’ vinegar in the room, too, and I think that definitely brings excitement and something to mix in each day.”
For a younger player trying to find their footing in the league, that can also be an imposing environment, but Pachal comes across with just the right amount of self-belief and maturity to fit right in, even as the new guy on the block.
He doesn’t consider himself the boisterous type, instead the product of Estevan, Sask. he’s just quietly gone about his business, dating back to that WHL glory year back in his home province.
“It all starts with that, if you come to the rink and you do the right things and you’re trying to improve, and you’re taking what the coaches give you and doing that every day on the ice, I think that’s where it starts,” Pachal said.
“You gain the respect from your teammates and the coaching staff that way.”
