Over the years the Red Deer Minor Hockey Association has produced its share of talented players who have gone on to play at a various levels from junior to the NHL.
One such player is Ty Mappin, who played in Red Deer at the bantam and midget AAA levels, before joining the Everett Silvertips of the WHL for the 2012-13 season. Mappin was first-round pick — seventh overall — by Everett in the 2011 Bantam Draft.
Five years later Mappin has returned to Red Deer with the RDC Kings.
Mappin was born in Red Deer and raised in Big Valley.
“I started playing in Big Valley, then moved to the Three Hills, Trochu area until bantam, when I came to Red Deer,” he explained. “I played two years here and (my career) took off.”
When he did arrive in Red Deer, he made an impression right away. He had 37 goals and 34 assists in 33 games with the Red Deer Bantam Rebels White team and was named the league’s top forward and MVP. The following season, as a 15-year-old, he joined the Optimist midget AAA Chiefs and finished with 19 goals and 23 helpers in 34 games. He played a significant role on a team that won the league title and their second straight Telus Cup national title.
He joined the Silvertips full time in 2012-13, playing 63 games and finishing with five goals and 12 assists.
That proved to be his only season in the WHL.
“That was a bit disappointing but I had fun that year,” he said. “I can take a lot of life experiences out of those games and the way my career has gone has been enjoyable.”
Mappin played briefly with Saskatoon and Prince Albert in the WHL over the next two seasons, but was full time in the AJHL for three years before joining the Kings.
He played with Olds in 2014-15 and started the 2015-16 season in Drumheller before being traded to the Brooks Bandits.
He helped Brooks win the AJHL title in 2015-16 and ’16-17. The Bandits competed in the RBC Cup both years and finished second in 2017.
“My junior career finished the way I wanted it to,” he said. “I played my best hockey the final two seasons.”
Mappin had 22 goals and a AJHL high 68 assists in final season with the Bandits.
Ty said he started thinking of college and university his final two seasons of junior.
“The last couple of years it got to a point where I felt my career would end up at the college or CIS (U-Sport) level,” he said.
This season started a bit slow, but Mappin found his stride toward the end of the first half. He has three goals and six assists in 13 games.