The Brampton Beast entered the 2013-14 season as one of the Central Hockey League’s two new franchises (the St.Charles Chill being the other) and lone Canadian team.  With a wealth of Canadian players on their roster, the Beast look to fill the hockey void left by the Ontario Hockey League’s Brampton Battalion who relocated to North Bay.  So far, the Beast are admirably carving out their own identity.

One of the new Beast players, center Calin Wild, is entering his fourth CHL season after recording 76 points over three seasons with the Texas/Fort Worth Brahmas franchise.  This season’s move to the north has provided a variety of adjustments for the 26-year old. 

“The new season is awesome, minus the cold weather,” joked Wild.  “The rink and facilities are great and really well taken care of.  At the moment I am learning my way around Ontario, but everything is good so far.”       

Getting reacquainted with Canadian winter weather will be an arduous task for the Winnipeg, Manitoba native as the Beast are currently between two large road trips.  “We just got our second longest road trip out of the way, which was 11 days, and we have a 17 day trip coming up after this weekend.”  

The long road-trips do however offer some positive perspective.  “It’s good in a sense that you become real close with your teammates, but the biggest adjustment is that you miss your family, and regardless of how nice a hotel is, sometimes there is nothing like sleeping at home.”

Long road-trips are something CHL players like Wild have become accustomed to, but for the Beast, the journey is much longer. The closest geographic rival is the Quad City Mallards, who are over 900km or 550 miles away.  With the distances covered by CHL teams, the League tries to adapt its schedule into three game series where two teams will play each other over the course of a weekend in the home city.

“With the series of three games, you are able to prepare for a team coming in and learn some tendencies, which is nice.  Every weekend especially at home kind of feels like a playoff series.  In the locker room you treat it like a playoff series where if you can come out 3-0 or 2-1 you’ve had a successful weekend.”

The Beast are currently sitting in fifth place amongst the ten-team League with a record of 5-3-1, which is an accomplishment for a team many had counted out before the season event started.  “There were some doubters of the team here in Brampton, but since we’ve started, everything has been great.  It definitely has a different feel.  It’s really nice to come home and play in a market where there is a deep understanding and passion for hockey.  Fans love hockey and everything that comes with it,” added Wild.

While Wild is getting used to living in Canada once again, it was here where he built the foundation for his future career in professional hockey and beyond.  “I am very happy I went to University in Canada and got my degree while playing hockey.  I came from a pretty good hockey program at the University of Manitoba where we had a lot of practice time to focus and develop our game.  I think just being able to practice more and having less games was really valuable transitioning into my professional career.”

Part of the benefit for a lot of student-athletes in playing for a University program has as much to do with the future as the present. Wild not only honed his skills as a player, but as an academic.  “I graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce with a focus on Logistics in Supply Chain Management.  It was really beneficial for me to earn a degree.”

When asked about what advice he has for fellow Canadian University players looking to become professional hockey players, Wild replied, “Never quit working.  Work hard, and work smart.  I also think it’s very important to be a pro every day.  That means when you show up to the rink and put your gear on, be ready to compete and get better every day.”

After graduation, Wild signed with the Texas Brahmas of the CHL.  It was a different environment for someone from a hockey-mad part of Canada like Winnipeg.  “It was quite an adjustment.  I rarely saw hockey highlights on TV.  Based on my interactions, a lot of people in Texas seemed to view hockey as more fighting on ice rather than the finesse and skill based game it is.”

Wild’s tenure with the Texas/Fort Worth franchise came to an end when the club ceased operations following the 2012-13 season.  “As things unfolded it became more clear that Texas wasn’t going to be around this year.  I knew I would become a free agent, but didn’t think I’d be going to Brampton.”

Wild notes his role as a PHPA Player Representative has been beneficial in his time as a player.  “As players, we are fortunate the PHPA really has our back and is willing to fight for us.  After becoming a Player Rep and gaining more in-depth experience with the processes, CBA negotiations, meetings, and just talking to your peers you actually realize how important the PHPA is and how many resources and opportunities there are for players.”

“The hockey world is tighly knit, and everyone comes together.  What blew my mind at the PHPA’s summer Player Rep meeting is the size of the union and seeing the guys from other leagues come together to help each other, regardless of their level.”

Only time will tell how the CHL’s only Canadian team will perform this season, but Calin Wild has a positive outlook at the team’s northern locale.  “It actually feels like hockey season when you have to wear a jacket to the rink as opposed to kicking on some flip flops and walking over.” And with that, Wild feels at home again.