It’s been a year of change in the junior hockey world and the Red Deer Rebels are taking advantage of the new landscape
Last November, the NCAA Division I council voted in favor of allowing CHL players to participate in Division I hockey. Previously, CHL players were not permitted to play in the NCAA.
The Red Deer Rebels were one team that took advantage of the new rule change, bolstering their blue line with the addition of Keith McInnis and Nate Yellowaga who spent last season with the Brooks Bandits in the BCHL.
The Rebels had previously selected McInnis in the fifth round of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, 91st overall. In 2023, they took Yellowaga in the ninth round, 194th overall.
Both McInnis and Yellowaga would’ve certainly been taken higher in their respective drafts if they were not committed to the college hockey route at the time of the draft.
Rebel head coach Marc Habscheid says both players have adjusted well to the WHL to this point.
“It's been good, they've done a really good job, but they'd be the first to say that it is an adjustment. It's different leagues, better players here, and as good of players as they are, it still takes a bit to get adjusted. The good thing with them is they're really good people, and so they're making the adjustment, and so far so good.”
McInnis is committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth and grew up in Red Deer County. In an interview with The Hockey News, McInnis says he was enjoyed the chance to play for his hometown team.
“It's been good, especially playing for Red Deer, it's pretty special. Being a 19 year old, it's not as big of a jump as it might be for a younger guy. The facilities we have and the way we get treated and everything, it's been unbelievable. Growing up going to games, my grandpa had season tickets. We would go and just have a blast, play mini sticks with Wooly Bully and everything, it was so fun. Now to kind of look down the line and live the dream, it's pretty special, so I'm just soaking it up every day.”
When the rule change came into place last season, several players took the opportunity to make the jump to the CHL mid-season. McInnis says he wanted to finish out the year in Brooks.
“When it opened up, I didn't want to leave the team during the season. To have the opportunity for Brent (Sutter) to be open to taking me after all these years, it really means a lot. It's truly special. It's been unbelievable, my time here has been fantastic so far. I'm excited to see where the future takes me and get to school. But in the meantime, I'm having a blast.”
For Nate Yellowaga, it was an exciting opportunity to play in the WHL and keep his college commitment to the University of Maine.
“It was always the dream, but at the time, you couldn’t have a scholarship and still play in this league.” Yellowaga explained. “Now that that's changed, you can play in the best league for the ages that we're in right now and then still end up going to college. I think it's phenomenal to have that change and keep up with the competition. And in the end, college is only getting better from it too.”
So far on the season, Red Deer sits in ninth place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a record of 5-9-0-2.
Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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