EVERETT — Dennis Williams was sitting his office prior to training camp last August when he noticed a commotion.
“I heard a player saying ‘hi’ to everybody,” the Everett Silvertips head coach said. “You could hear him down the hallway and he was very personable, welcoming and excited to see everybody. I remember he came in and said, ‘Hey how you doing? I’m Matt Fonteyne.’
“That says a lot about a player’s character when he’s taking the time say hi to everybody.”
People around the Silvertips organization told Williams that Fonteyne was probably going to be his first captain in Everett. That statement proved prescient as Fonteyne shared the honors with fellow overager Kevin Davis.
While linemate Patrick Bajkov rewrote the Silvertips’ offensive record book this season en route to earning a contract with the Florida Panthers, it was perhaps Fonteyne who benefited most from Williams’ open offensive style with 35 goals and 53 assists.
Yet Fonteyne is not worried about the NHL and he is busy applying to universities. If a professional contract materializes in the next few months, that is fine. If it does not, that is fine too.
“If that was an option that would be awesome, but I’m not opposed to going to school,” Fonteyne said. “It’s really good hockey and being able to get a degree and use the scholarship program that the league provides you is pretty special.”
It was a special regular season for Fonteyne and the Tips as they won their second straight U.S. Division banner. Their quest for a special postseason begins at 7:35 p.m. Friday at Angel of the Winds Arena against archrival Seattle.
Family forged on the Canadian prairie
Val Fonteyne still lives with his wife, Anna, in Wetaskiwin, an Alberta prairie town of about 12,000 an hour south of Edmonton, several blocks from where their grandson Matt grew up.
Val played for the Seattle Americans and the Seattle Totems in the old semipro Western Hockey League back in the 1950s and went on to play more than 800 games in the NHL. Val taught Matt how to skate as a toddler. Matt remains very close to Val and Anna, as well as maternal grandmother Miriam Timoffee, who lives across the street from the elder Fonteynes.
“My grandparents are a big part of my life and I’m pretty thankful and lucky to be able to see them as much as I do back in the summer,” Matt said.
The Silvertips took Matt in the third round, 66th overall in the 2012 bantam draft. Everett was a somewhat known commodity because of Val’s time playing in the Puget Sound region and because fellow Wetaskiwin native Cole MacDonald was already a Silvertips prospect.
As a small-town, family-oriented Canadian kid who was only 15 when he made the Silvertips roster in 2013, Fonteyne relied heavily on MacDonald and older Tips players like Kohl Bauml, Carson Stadnyk and Josh Winquist for guidance.
Fonteyne now mentors Everett’s younger players, particularly 16-year-old center Reece Vitelli, who rooms with Fonteyne on the road.
“I truly think you absolutely win with guys like (Fonteyne),” Williams said. “He didn’t start at the top, he worked his way up, and I think that’s why he’s so appreciative of it, and can really relay to the younger players that it doesn’t come easy. He’s put in his time and it’s great to see him fulfill it through the regular season.”
A career season
Fonteyne recorded just 24 points over 130 games in his first two WHL seasons. He nearly doubled that with 16 goals and 32 assists in his third season, but held firm with 20 goals and 27 assists last season.
Few saw his 88-point breakout season coming this year in his final campaign — Fonteyne included.
“Not really, no,” he said with a laugh. “I didn’t really have too many expectations personally coming into this season. I just kind of wanted to do well and enjoy my last year.”
It took some time for Fonteyne and the Tips to adjust to Williams’ emphasis on pushing the puck up ice. It was a major shift from the offensive strategy employed by the Tips under former head coach Kevin Constantine.
“With his skill-set we want him in the middle of the ice so he can dish and keep his speed up and he was, at first, I think a little hesitant with all that,” Williams said. “But I think as the year has gone on he’s been able to do that without jeopardizing being dependable in the defensive zone. He’s been able to balance that quite well.”
It culminated with a WHL player of the month award in January when Fonteyne tallied 12 goals and 13 assists in 13 games.
“I think when you put his hard work and his skill together that’s what you get,” Bajkov said of his longtime linemate. “He’s had a great year for sure.”
‘A heart and soul player’
Being a captain is about more than points, and that is where Fonteyne truly excels. He is a go-to source for media members league-wide, an impressive trait for someone who does not consider himself a “vocal guy.”
“If something needs to be said I’ll say it, but I’m not a big call-out guy — I’m more of a talking one-on-one guy,” Fonteyne said. “If someone needs someone to talk to or anyone needs help I think guys are pretty comfortable to be able to come up and ask questions and see what I would do in a situation or see what I have done in the past or even just to talk to someone. It’s always nice to have someone to talk to. I like being that kind of guy in the room.”
He is a fan favorite and frequently makes public appearances at local elementary schools. Fonteyne twice won the organization’s community relations award and was also named the team’s “Unsung Hero” this season while appearing in all 72 games for the second time in his career.
Whether he ends up with a pro contract or plays Canadian university hockey next season, Fonteyne will have left an indelible mark following his five-year career with the organization.
“His play is infectious to our players and that’s someone you want to follow,” Williams said. “What’s been really beneficial is using him as an example. He plays the game right. He doesn’t cheat the game and he’s an honest hockey player and I think with honesty like that he gets rewarded and has had his best season on an offensive side, but also on the defensive side he’s been terrific.
“He’s been a heart and soul player.”
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.