HUMBOLDT — The strong second half play of Rhett Gibson and Tyler Kutschinski is helping the Humboldt Broncos now and providing continued promise for the future.
Gibson, who turned 20 in January, is in his 19-year-old campaign. Kutschinski is an 18-year-old rookie. They have helped the Broncos to the second-best record in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League at 44-13-0-0, as of Sunday. Both forwards, who are eligible to return next season, have recorded the bulk of their points since Christmas.
“I believe what has allowed me to put up points this year is the confidence Coach [Scott] Barney has instilled in me and it is starting to show, especially as of late,” Gibson said. “I had big expectations for myself this year and don’t feel as if I met them in the first half of the year and Barns was very patient with me and helped me with my confidence to get me back to a level where I can succeed. I believe we are there now, but there is always room to get better and Barns is a perfect coach in order to do that with.”
Playing for the Broncos allows both players to be close to family. Gibson hails from Saskatoon but spent the last two seasons out of the province. Although Kutschinski grew up in Alberta, he has family in the area. His grandparents were originally from the Moseley and Muenster areas – Lois and the late Cliff Kutschinski. Kutschinski recalls his grandfather’s love of the Marysburg Royals baseball team.
“My Grandpa always said they would have given the [Toronto] Blue Jays a good game,” he said. “It’s really awesome to have aunts and uncles and relatives to play in front of even though I am six hours away from home.”
Rhett Gibson
In the 2022 portion of the Broncos’ season, Gibson has racked up 17 points in as many games. He had a five-game point streak in January.
“Since Christmas, he has really bought into the way we want to play and into his game,” Barney said.
This season the 6-foot, 200-pound forward has 24 points and nine goals in 37 games.
“He’s a big, strong guy and he likes to take pucks to the net,” Barney said. “He’s got a heavy, heavy shot. When he’s fully engaged in the game, he’s a really effective player. A player that opposing defencemen don’t want to play against.”
After competing as a 17-year-old for the U18 AAA Saskatoon Blazers, Gibson headed south for 2019-20 to play U18 AAA for the Phoenix Junior Coyotes. For the next campaign, he suited up for the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Drumheller Dragons for six games before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the season.
"I was given the opportunity to play in Phoenix and, after a lot of talks with my family, we felt as if it was an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up on even with how far away from home I was,” Gibson said. “I believe both playing there and in Drum helped me play in leagues with a lot of speed and skill. I believe I am starting to implement that into my game more and more, which is resulting in my success later this year.”
The Broncos traded for Gibson in September. He billets with the Beuker family and said, “I don’t think I could’ve had better luck with billets.” Gibson’s favourite part of playing for the Broncos is the community support.
“The support from the community is second to none,” he said. “People are always wishing us the best wherever we may be in public.”
He is hoping the fans continue to bring that energy in the playoffs. Gibson said he “can’t wait to see the support we get when the puck drops on March 18th at home [against] whoever it is we play in the first round.”
Tyler Kutschinski
Kutschinski has recorded four of his seven points this season after Christmas.
“He’s been playing really well lately for us,” Barney said. “We are really happy with the way he plays. He’s obviously a piece here going forward and into next season. A player we hope can step into a more offensive role next year.”
The 5-foot-9, 171-pounder has three goals this season. Showing his physicality, Kutschinski has 73 penalty minutes in 28 games in 2021-2022.
“He’s been a pretty effective player for us all season,” Barney said. “Obviously we’ve got a pretty deep lineup, so he doesn’t get in every night, but every time he’s in there either he contributes offensively or he’s kind of an in-your face-player, kind of like Brad Marchand [of the NHL’s Boston Bruins]. He gets under your skin.”
Kutschinski grew up in both Grande Prairie and Sherwood Park. He played U18 AAA hockey in that latter community before joining the Broncos. Kutschinski also suited up for one game, in 2019-2020, for the Sherwood Park Junior A Crusaders. He said there were some adjustments to make when moving up from U18 AAA.
“Junior A hockey is faster and has stronger players and a lot more travel compared to U18 so taking care of your body is very important,” Kutschinski said.
In Humboldt, he is billeting with Nancy and Paul Jefferson. He is enjoying his time in the community.
“Humboldt has a fantastic community, and the fans are awesome here,” Kutschinski said. “It’s pretty special when we have 600 plus fans cheering you on at home games. Also, it's pretty cool that almost anywhere is just five minutes away.”
The Broncos last week
Wednesday, March 2 in Humboldt
Humboldt 4, Kindersley 1
Broncos Scorers: James Form, Alex Morozoff, Ethan Zielke, Connor McGrath
Klippers Scorer: Tylin Hilbig
Goalies: Rayce Ramsay, Humboldt, 21 saves on 22; Matthew Presnti, Kindersley, 41 on 45
Attendance: 982
Notes: After a scoreless first period, the Broncos held a 3-1 lead at the second intermission. The Broncos added a goal in the third. In his first game since January, Form recorded two points. McGrath, who leads the league with 82 points in 55 games, had two as well. Ramsay set the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League record with his 40th win in the season.
Sunday, March 6 in Wilcox
Humboldt 4, Notre Dame 2
Broncos Scorers: Quinn Myles, Jared Kaplowitz, Ethan Zielke, Alec Saretzky
Hounds Scorers: Kevin Anderson, Elliot Dutil
Goalies: William Dyke, Humboldt, 25 saves on 27; Ryley Osland, Notre Dame, 34 on 37
Attendance: 322
Notes: The Broncos took a 2-1 first period lead. They added a goal in the second. Both teams scored once in the third. Kaplowitz scored his first SJHL goal.
February Players of the Month
After racking up 10 goals and nine assists in 10 contests, Humboldt Broncos forward Connor McGrath was named the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League RBC Forward of the Month for February. He averaged a goal a game and almost two points.
Broncos goalie Rayce Ramsay was the SaskTel Goaltender of the Month. He won eight of his nine starts. Ramsay had an impressive 1.12 goals against average and a .956 save percentage.
Other SJHL award winners for the month were SGEU MVP of the Month – Kevin Anderson, Notre Dame; Mayfair Diagnostics Defenceman of the Month – Rylan Thiessen, Flin Flon; and Directwest Rookie of the Month – Karsten Kruska, Yorkton.
This Week
The Humboldt Broncos (43-13-0-0) play their final game of the regular season on Friday in Kindersley (24-30-1-1). They have clinched the Global Ag Risk Solutions Division
