EDMUNDSTON, N.B. — EDMUNDSTON, NB - Hitting the road is nothing new for any junior hockey player, but Ewan MacDonald is really logging a lot of mileage this season.
The Antigonish native, a second-year goaltender with the Edmundston Blizzard of the Maritime Hockey League (MHL), is in the midst of his sixth call-up with the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
MacDonald has certainly become accustomed to the more than 630-kilometre, almost nine-hour drive from the northern New Brunswick community to Sydney, where the Eagles nest.
In the most recent conversation this campaign, a day before he travelled to Saint John to meet the Eagles for a road game versus the Sea Dogs, the Antigonish Minor Hockey Association (AMHA) product reflected on the experience.
"The organization has been unbelievable - making it easy for me to go back and forth. They accommodate me the best they can and make it super simple," MacDonald said of the Eagles.
"I love the group and the organization, so it has been easy for me to say 'yes' to whenever they need me to join them."
The highlight, of course, has been his first QMJHL start, which came Nov. 27, when he was between the pipes for a 4-3 home loss - in a shootout - to the same Sea Dogs at Centre 200.
“It was awesome,” MacDonald said of the mid-week start in front of the home fans, noting Eagle goaltending coach Charles Grant “eased me in.”
As for adjusting to the speed of the game in the QMJHL, he noted he benefitted from his MHL experience and the high-level hockey in that league.
“That was a big part of why, I think, I was ready,” MacDonald said of the jump to that level.
Sharing the milestone with family and friends, including his parents Ken MacDonald and Lisa Gourley, made the experience even more memorable.
“It was a tough one to lose, but I was really happy with how I played,” he added.
MacDonald praised the "great fans" of the Eagles.
"It was a lot of fun," he said.
(As of press time, MacDonald had not seen any action in his most recent call-up to the Eagles.)
The 18-year-old, who won a national midget championship - the Telus Cup - with the Cape Breton West Islanders in 2017, has played 11 games for the Blizzard this season, posting a 6-3-0-0 mark, along with a 3.56 goals-against-average and a 0.886 save percentage.
"It has been going well," MacDonald said earlier this season, noting the Blizzard had undergone "a lot of changes," both with personnel and coaches.
He added the team has gotten "more and more confident" as the season progressed.
"It is a great place to play and I really love the fans," MacDonald noted.
Last season, the six-foot, 188-pound athlete was invited to attend the Halifax Mooseheads' training camp, but was later assigned to the Blizzard. He was a free agent invite to Eagles' camp in August.
As for the strengths of his game, MacDonald said he is “pretty well-rounded,” noting his ability to stay on his feet and help his defensemen.
"I think I am able to stay calm," he added, agreeing that has been beneficial during his time with the Eagles.
MacDonald traced his "mental toughness" back to having played in several highly-competitive match-ups as an Islander.
Before his two seasons with Cape Breton West, he skated with the Nova Bantams - now Novas - of the Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League for one campaign.
"Expectations remain being available when they need me and playing my best whenever I am there," MacDonald said of the connection with the Eagles moving forward.
He added he will continue to soak up as much as possible from Cape Breton's "great goalies" - Kevin Mandolese and William Grimard - as well as Grant.
"Both of them (Mandolese and Grimard) have been great to me and I try to watch them and learn as much as I can," MacDonald said.
If bouncing back and forth between Edmundston and Sydney - along with points in between - wasn't enough, MacDonald continues to take a couple online business courses through Acadia University in Wolfville.
And, it is safe to say, no matter what happens the rest of this season, the goaltender will be keeping a suitcase packed and nearby.
