The last twelve months have been a whirlwind for Ethan Young, and before he knew it, the Regina-born defenseman was the voice of experience.
That experience has come quickly after a year in which he accomplished more than many players will their entire careers. After winning the TELUS Cup with the Regina Pat Canadians last season, Young was back at the tournament again this spring after smashing his previous offensive totals (and everyone else’s for that matter) and getting into his first WHL games with the Brandon Wheat Kings.
“Before we left, all of our rookies, guys who hadn’t went before, guys who were in their first year of AAA, they were asking tons of questions about what it was like, what to expect, what was the competition like,” Young said. “To have that experience meant a lot because I knew everything that was going on.”
The experience showed on the ice. Not only was Young a physical force (something he noted his entire team picked up on with relish), he set new TELUS Cup records for points by a defenseman both in a single tournament (14 in seven games) and all-time (19 in 14 games). It’s an impressive pair of records, but not ones the rising star on the blueline wanted to focus on while the tournament was in progress.
“I don’t like hearing about records, because I feel the pressure when I hear a record is beatable,” Young explained with a chuckle. “Usually I’m pretty good with pressure, but sometimes you just like to play your game. My dad told me after one of the games that I was three points away and I thought, ‘Ah, I didn’t want to hear that, I was doing so well.’ I’m more of a team guy, personal stats don’t really matter to me.”
For someone who dislikes hearing about records, however, Young was certainly setting a lot of them. His 74 points in 41 games were the most by a defenseman in the Saskatchewan U18 AAA ranks in the modern era (the last defenseman to post more points did so at a time where the league played nearly twice as many games). He finished his 16-year-old season with more than quadruple the 18 points he posted in his 15-year-old campaign, and that was a perfectly respectable total to begin with.
“My confidence went up drastically,” he said. “The first five games of the season, I felt way faster. The coaches could trust me, they put me on the ice in almost every scenario, and it helped my confidence so much. I knew I had put tons of hours into hockey in the summer, but I didn’t actually expect it to help me as much as it did. A lot of points is one thing, but being around the guys when you’re putting up numbers and winning games, that’s most important.”
The season with the Pat Cs wasn’t the first indication that Young had taken a gigantic leap forward. He raised eyebrows aplenty in his training camp with the Wheat Kings, a standout in both his physical play and his poise with the puck. He carried that momentum into the exhibition games, where his steady play continued.
“I heard from a few dads and scouts, ‘You’re having an unreal camp, just keep doing what you’re doing.’,” Young said. “That’s obviously a confidence booster when you hear stuff like that. Coming out of training camp and the Black and Gold game, I realized I actually had a chance of cracking the roster.”
Young said it was disappointing at first not to make the roster, but in hindsight he adds it turned into the best thing for him. Not only did his offensive confidence grow by a leap and a bound, he also made his WHL debut anyway, joining the Wheat Kings for their longest road trip of the season and collecting an assist in his very first WHL game.
“The best thing about calling me up and giving me that opportunity to get my toes was just practicing those good habits,” said Young. “Even in morning skates, they practice way differently than we do in AAA. It reminded me to keep practicing those good habits every time you’re on the ice. The ultimate goal is to make the team next year, so I needed to build those good habits.”
In hindsight, making the Wheat Kings at 17 instead of at 16 (he turns 17 on June 2) looks to have been just the right thing for Young on several levels. The developmental side is apparent (one look at his stats tells you much, though not all, of that story) but Young comes away from 2025-26 with a plethora of fond memories.
“This season was one of the best years of my life,” he said. “I had so much fun. The guys were all great in the dressing room, it was a blast. TELUS Cup, not many people get to do that in their lives, and to get to go twice is so special. I’m really glad I got to go for one last go-around. Obviously it wasn’t the outcome we wanted but it’s still an opportunity that I understand not many people ever get, which is really cool.”
Young came home from his second TELUS Cup with a bronze medal to go along with the gold medal he won last year, which will look good in a trophy case that also includes back-t0-back Saskatchewan U18 AAA titles and the league’s defenseman of the year award for 2025-26. It might seem like Young has a spot with the Wheat Kings sewn up for next season, but he’s not approaching his next training camp with that mindset.
“Not many things in life are given to you, and I just keep thinking that there’s a chance I might not make that squad,” he said. “That’s what motivates me through every workout and every skate. Thinking there’s a chance you might get sent back home, I don’t want to ever feel that feeling, especially when I have high goals for myself.”
Young added he’s focused on adding some muscle to his 160-pound frame, which means a lot of meals and a lot of time in the weight room over the offseason while still working on his skating and shot.
