Kersey Reich might be a rookie for the Estevan Bruins this season, but he understands what it means to be part of the team, and what the club means to the community.
He’s a local product who played most of his minor hockey in Estevan. And he’s the younger brother of Taylor Reich, who played two seasons with the Bruins from 2011-13.
“It’s obviously something that I wanted to do in my hometown, and it’s nice that I finally get a chance to do it,” said Reich.
There’s nothing better than playing for your hometown, he said, and it’s a great organization with a great group of guys.
Reich left Estevan when he was 14 to play bantam AAA hockey for the Notre Dame Hounds. He then spent his first season of midget AAA with the Notre Dame Argos, and played for the Swift Current Legionaires for two years.
In his final season with Swift Current, he managed 32 points in 44 games.
During the past four seasons away from the city, Reich says he learned a lot. Going to Notre Dame was a big change but a great experience. Swift Current was great to him.
“I learned a lot from my coaches there,” he said.
Playing for the Estevan Minor Hockey Association played a pivotal role in his development.
“I played AA here all of the years growing up, and it just helped advance my hockey career, and get me to the next level. I always had good coaches growing up.”
Training camp this year was a positive experience for him. He thought it had a good pace, and the veterans did a good job of pushing the young players and helping them out.
He felt higher expectations this time around compared with previous camp experiences, since he’s expected to be part of the Bruins this season.
“I think it definitely made it a little more intense, and now I know quite a few of the guys, so that was nice and made it a lot better, and made it a lot more fun,” he said.
Reich has also reached out to his brother about what to expect playing for the Bruins. The elder Reich said he loved playing here, but also reminded his sibling about how important the Bruins are in the community, and to take advantage of the opportunity to play for his hometown team while he can.
“It’s a fun time, and it’s an honour to play for your hometown,” Kersey Reich said.
He recalls that he enjoyed watching his brother play for the Black and Gold.
Ultimately, Reich hopes he can help the team win in any way he can, and he hopes he can have a good role on the team.
“I expect we’ll have a good team, and hopefully we’ll have a good run. We’ll see where things end up. It’s pretty early to tell. But right now looking at the guys I think we have a good group.”
