At the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft, 233 players heard their names called before the Portland Winterhawks selected Marcus Nguyen. Almost six years later, Nguyen has left most of those 233 players in the dust.
From an 11th round pick to a star on a Brandon Wheat Kings’ squad fighting for a division title, it’s been a wild ride for the Calgary native. With 281 games and over 200 points under his belt, to say Nguyen has outperformed his draft position would be an incredible understatement.
“Being an 11th rounder, it’s hard to come into the league and earn your way through it,” said Nguyen. “I worked for everything and when I think of younger me and myself right now, I’m proud to say I’ve come a long way.”
The Winterhawks must have known early on that they were getting more than an 11th round pick’s worth of production out of Nguyen. He put up three straight 20-goal seasons in Portland and was part of some juggernaut teams that went deep in the playoffs.
In Brandon, however, he’s found another level still. The 20-year-old forward cracked the 30-goal barrier for the first time in his career (he now has 34 on the season) and the 60-point mark as well. Along the way, he racked up his 100th goal, his 100th assist and, naturally, his 200th career point.
“You go through a career and you don’t really think about it at the start,” Nguyen said. “But it’s my last year and looking back on it now, it’s pretty cool to see yourself getting 100 goals and 100 assists.”
One particularly special experience in Nguyen’s career was the deep playoff run he went on last season with Portland, in which he had eight goals and 17 points in 18 games. With the Wheat Kings knowing they’ll be in the playoffs (and dueling it out with the Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders for top spot in the East Division), Nguyen’s playoff experience will be invaluable.
“The pace and work ethic, all year we’ve been kind of working on it,” said Nguyen. “We’ve shown a little inconsistency but this is the time of year where it’s the most fun. You’ve got to enjoy it, have fun, go out there with all your teammates and just battle and work every day.”
Next season, Nguyen will be at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. When he committed to the NCAA, he became the first Wheat King in modern history to do so.
