Mark Edmands

Experience is a tangible quality that often gets overlooked, but it is consistently proven to be a benefit and Mark Edmands is using his experience to have a break-out year with the Estevan Bruins.

The 18-year-old defenceman (he will turn 19 later this month) has almost matched his output from last year, in a third as many games, as the 5-foot-11, 174-pound Regina product has one goal and seven assists in 17 games this season while last year he had 3-8-11 totals in 51 contests.

Prior to joining the Bruins, Edmands had played two full seasons with the Regina Pat Canadians of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, but as a 15-year-old he appeared in five games with the Pat Canadians – registering one assist – and that experience helped him step into a starting role the next season where he helped his hometown Pat Canadians capture a league title.

Edmands never missed a game in his two full years with the Pat Canadians scoring 10 goals and assisting on 29 more in 88 regular-season matches while he also chipped in with a pair of helpers in seven Telus Cup games in 2015 when the Pat Canadians brought home the bronze medal from the national championship.

In his final year of midget hockey, Edmands got into a pair of games with the Bruins and that set the stage for his rookie campaign last season. Now he is using a full year of experience in the league to his advantage and helping the Bruins once again challenge for the overall and Viterra Division leads in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

With another season of junior eligibility remaining after this year, Edmands will undoubtedly be called upon to provide further leadership and with his experience that will follow suit quite nicely.