The farewell tour for a group of long-time Red Deer Rebels came to an unceremonious end this week.
A season that looked promising at times finished in a four-game sweep by the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round of the WHL Playoffs.
Although that end was earlier than the trio of 20-year-olds would have liked, it will in no way tarnish what Brandon Hagel, Jeff de Wit and Reese Johnson accomplished this season.
Hagel and Johnson each spent their entire WHL career in a Rebels uniform. They both signed three-year NHL contracts with the Chicago Blackhawks and will report to the American Hockey League Rockford IceHogs together on Friday.
“It’s pretty nice that I don’t have to go alone. Me and Hags are good buddies. I don’t think it could have worked out better,” said Johnson, who had 27 goals and 26 assists this year, along with being one of the top faceoff men in the WHL.
#Blackhawks prospects Brandon Hagel and Reese Johnson have their WHL season come to an end with Red Deer’s 4-1 loss in Game 4 as Prince Albert sweeps the first-round series.
— 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏 Cain (@brandonmcain) March 28, 2019
Playoff stats
Hagel: 4 goals, 2 assists
Johnson: 1 goal, 1 assist, 61 FO%
Johnson served as captain during a career year and was given that vote of confidence long before the season started last spring. He said during his time in Red Deer, he learned about as much about hockey as he did about life.
“I can’t say enough about Red Deer. I’ve learned a lot over the years,” said Johnson, who suited up in 187 games for the Rebels.
“I was telling Brent (Sutter) in my meeting that I think I learned more about life over the years than I did about hockey and I learned a lot about hockey. So it just tells you how much I learned about life.”
Hagel had a season for the ages during his final campaign in Red Deer with 41 goals and 61 assists. He set a new all-time franchise mark for assists, moved into second all-time in points with 279 and was the first Rebel to eclipse the 100-point plateau since Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in 2010-11.
A long way from the kid who signed in Red Deer as a 16-year-old after starting that season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
“It’s been crazy. My first year was a long one but after that, it absolutely flew by and I’m going to miss it a ton. Obviously, coming from junior A and not even knowing what the NHL Draft was. It’s been a whole crazy four years,” Hagel said.
The 20-year-old Morinville native was dealt a hit to his confidence in the summer when the Buffalo Sabres left him unsigned. Hagel was eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft, but wasn’t selected there either. When he returned to Red Deer Hagel looked like a completely different player, leading to a pro-contract with the Blackhawks.
“It was huge for me. What happened, happened earlier in the summer. Brent (Sutter) kept me motivated and never let me have my head down. I just kept moving forward and ended up having the year I had,” Hagel said.
Your final @boosterjuice Three Stars of the season:
— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) March 28, 2019
⭐️: @jdewit11
⭐️: @ReeseJohnson98
⭐️: @Bhags9
Thank you Jeff, Reese and Brandon for giving your all to this team, and our community. Congratulations on your incredible @TheWHL careers! #RDR #PAvsRD #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/eUUkhncLJW
De Wit was the final prong in the Rebels dangerous 20-year-old trio. He also posted a career year, during a season which he wasn’t sure if he would even have a place to play. After he passed through overage waivers in the summer, Brent Sutter, the man who drafted de Wit, called and it couldn’t have worked out better.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better situation to finish my career at home where it started. I’ve had my bumps along the way in this league, it happens. It’s made me grow as a player and a person. I can’t thank Brent enough for bringing me back,” de Wit said.
“I felt like I was pretty fortunate to play with Hags the majority of the year and Johnny. They are heading off to the AHL right now. I played my role pretty well this year. Brent and I talked at the start of the year, it was to be big-bodied and go to the net and it paid off for me.”
He played a career-high 66 games for his hometown team, with career highs in goals (27) and assists (17). He’s drawing plenty of interest at the USports level and is considering his options for next season. After more than 300 WHL games, he said it was surreal to recognize it has all come to an end.
“It’s crazy. When I was playing minor hockey, I never thought the WHL was a thing that was going to come true,” said de Wit, a first-round WHL Bantam draft pick by the Rebels in 2013.
“When you’re 10 or 12, you think it’s such a hard league to play in and make. In some ways it is. It takes a lot of work ethic and hard work. The fact now, I’m finishing my career where it all started is pretty surreal. It’s something I get to tell my kids about.”
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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