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WHL Red Deer Rebels

Anders off to Stellar Start in Final WHL Season

March 11, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release


Someone, be it Oscar Wilde or Will Rogers - or both - once said that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.

But how about a final chance to impress pro hockey scouts?

Ethan Anders is currently working on just that as the Red Deer Rebels' No. 1 netminder in this abbreviated 24-game 2021 WHL season.

So far, so good.

Anders, like the entire Rebels team, experienced an up-and-down 2019-20 campaign, posting a 3.76 goals-against average and .888 save percentage in 35 games.

Through four games this year his numbers are far superior. The 20-year-old has recorded a 2.87 GAA and .905 save percentage and has clearly been one of the team's better players.

"I'm feeling really good out there so far," he said. "It's been a different year but it's been fun to just play hockey again. It had been so long for all the guys.

"Every game we get is awesome. We're just going out and having fun, working hard and competing and enjoying every minute of it."

While some of his younger teammates are occupied with high school studies - taken virtually as all the players are confined to the Centrium - the fourth-year Rebels stopper is finishing an online university course in macroeconomics, a project he undertook in January.

Anders is eyeing a future in the business field, but at the same time he's open to pursuing a career in pro hockey if the opportunity arises.

There's no time like the present to display his maturity and abilities to the talent evaluators whose presence is quite obvious in otherwise virtually empty arenas.

"The only people in the stands are the media people and the scouts. You know the scouts are there, you just don't want to worry about that too much," said the native of Pilot Butte, Sask. "You just want to go out there and play your game."

There are those who see the current season as more of an exhibition run with playoffs unlikely to take place. But, of course, team success most often coincides with individual success, and vice versa.

"For myself and the other 20-year-olds as well as the other kids trying to showcase themselves, we're definitely not looking at this as an exhibition season," said Anders, who will turn 21 in September. "We're looking at it more as a regular season.

"And like Brent (GM/head coach Sutter) has mentioned, every game should be like a playoff game so just go out there and showcase yourselves every night."

Anders partially credits his solid showing in 2021 to his off-season training regimen. He skated with a group of players from the Regina area and worked with two goaltender instructors in the Saskatchewan capital.

"One guy has a goalie shop where I was skating and facing shots a few times, and the other ran goalie skating sessions where you worked on movements, trying to get as efficient as possible," he said.

The Rebels, after losing twice in regulation time and once in extra time, posted their first win of the season last weekend. Anders foresees more success to come this spring.

"All the returning players came back better. They all had good off-seasons and are all looking stronger," he said.

"And the young guys coming up look really promising for this year and a couple more years as well. We're definitely looking better than last year and in years to come these guys will definitely be a better hockey team than this year."

The Rebels return to action this weekend with a three-game set versus the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The clubs meet on Friday and Sunday at the Centrium and on Saturday in Lethbridge.

Just notes: The Hurricanes had a Central Division bye last weekend after opening the previous week with back-to-back losses to the 4-0-0 Edmonton Oil Kings. The 'Canes were outscored 14-3 over the two contests. Winger Justin Hall scored two of the Lethbridge goals with the other credited to center Noah Boyko . . . Forwards Chris Douglas (3-0), Jayden Grubbe (1-2) and Ben King (1-2), along with defencemen Chase Leslie and Kyle Masters, both with a trio of assists, share the Rebels scoring lead with three points apiece . . . Red Deer's power play is operating at a 12.5 per cent success rate, while Lethbridge is at 7.1 per cent. The penalty kill numbers are 87.5 per cent for the Rebels and 55.6 for the Hurricanes.

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