Mulcahy's Hard Work Pays Off

On Friday, November 30, 2012, Brett Mulcahy was named the captain of the Surrey Eagles. The 19-year-old forward, who is in his second season in Surrey and third year in the BCHL, is having his best offensive season to date. But Mulcahy has had to overcome his fair share of adversity to reach this point.

After a pair of strong seasons in the BC Major Midget League with the Okanagan Rockets, the Kelowna native made the jump to the BCHL at the age of 17 with the Westside Warriors. Mulcahy posted 11 points in 34 games in the 2010-2011 season with the Warriors, but he was sidelined midway through the year by an injured wrist that required surgery. The following season, Mulcahy didn’t make the team out of training camp and was released.

“Obviously, when what happened in Westside happened, it was a shock,” said Mulcahy. “You feel like your world is crashing down.”

But that’s when he received a phone call from Eagles Head Coach and General Manager Matt Erhart. It was a call that has changed his junior hockey career.

“When Matt gave me a call and asked me to come to Surrey, it turned out to be a great fit,” said Mulcahy. “I couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else now that I’ve been a part of this organization.”

In his first season with the Eagles last year, Mulcahy played more of a checking role and was counted on to win face-offs and kill penalties, but Erhart could see that the young forward was capable of more.

“Sometimes as a 17 or 18 year-old in the BCHL, you don’t get the opportunity just based on having older guys on the team,” said Erhart. “He’s a player that really comes to work everyday. He really trains hard, works hard in the summer and works hard at practice. Those guys are the types of players that continually get better, and we’ve seen that this year. He’s taken the next step from maybe more of a checker last year, to a complete player for us this year.”

With his increased role and improved offensive output, Mulcahy is enjoying playing the game more than ever, but he still yearns to improve and keep growing as a player.

“It’s nice to finally break out and be happy with my game a little bit,” he said. “Obviously, I’m never happy with my game. I still want to get better, but compared to the last two years it’s a lot of fun to come to the rink now.”

Now that he has the captain’s ‘C’ firmly stitched to his jersey as well, Mulcahy feels humbled to be leading the team, but he also truly enjoys playing a leadership role both on and off the ice.

“It’s a huge honour. There are a lot of guys in that dressing room who could have been named captain, so I’m excited to get the opportunity,” he said. “It’s sort of the style I’ve played all of my life. I’ve worn a few ‘C’s and ‘A’s in minor hockey. I think it’s just who I am and what I bring to the table.”