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Bradly Goethals skates Friday with the Everett Silvertips

Published 1:30 am Friday, November 18, 2016

By Jesse Geleynse Herald Writer

The Everett Silvertips acquired forward Bradly Goethals more than a month ago from the Brandon Wheat Kings. Goethals briefly reported to Everett before heading home for personal reasons Oct. 19.

Goethals is now back in downtown Everett and skated with the Tips Friday afternoon.

“I had to go home for some family issues, but other than that I got that sorted out,” Goethals said. “(I’m going to) leave that behind me and focus on what I have now in front of me.”

Hailing from Ile-Des-Chenes, Manitoba, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Goethals already has a number of connections on a Silvertips roster that includes seven other Manitoba natives.

“I was really excited (when I was traded),” Goethals said. “I know a few guys and played against a few guys. So I thought it would be pretty easy coming in here and gelling with the guys.”

Everett goaltender Mario Petit is from Ile-Des-Chenes, while rookie defenseman Montana Onyebuchi teamed with Goethals last year for the Eastman Selects.

Then there is Everett forward Devon Skoleski. Goethals and Skoleski go back to their “Atom” days as 11-year-olds teammates. Skoleski’s hometown of St. Adolphe is nine miles from Ile-Des-Chenes, and the duo is now sharing the same billet family.

“We are always close and always put together to score goals,” Goethals said. “It just carried on to here now. It is awesome to be here with him.”

Speaking of goals, Goethals brings prodigious scoring abilities to Everett. He led the Manitoba Midget Hockey League in scoring with 74 points and goals with 41 while playing for the Selects last season.

“All you know is his resume coming here,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine said. “He was one of the best offensive players in junior hockey the level below our level.

“For me it’s kind of like ‘Moneyball,’” Constantine continued, referring to the Michael Lewis book examining the trend of using sabermetrics in professional baseball scouting. “They went and looked statistically at the best players and tried to bring them in figuring if you can do it at one level you can do it at the next. The question is, can he repeat what he did last year at one level below our level – can he do it at this level? That’s worth exploring.”

There appears to be no timetable for Goethals to step on the ice in a game. Everett plays a notoriously detailed and disciplined structure that takes time to learn. Goethals will be given plenty of time to absorb and adjust.

“We’re not in a rush,” Constantine said. “When he feels ready and we feel he is ready then we’ll try to get him in and that may take a month. I don’t know yet. And then on the other hand weird stuff happens. If he had been here a week ago he’d have been playing because we needed bodies. Somewhere in there is the formula. We’re just really playing it by ear. He’s got some pretty nice offensive gifts and he’s just gotta get a basic foundation of what we’re doing.”

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