Wunder Off To Strong Start In Canadian Jr. Hockey

DRUMHELLER, Alberta---The last time we saw Levi Wunder on a pair of skates, he was standing by himself in the middle of the ice at Compuware Arena in Plymouth.

Tears were streaming down the face of the Escanaba High School captain after his team lost in the Division Two state semifinals to Livonia Stevenson. He saluted the fans that night, collected a bunch of post-season awards, and then weighed his options.

Photo courtesy of Drumheller Dragons.

And that brings us to Drumheller, Alberta, a town of some 8,000 people about an hour northeast of Calgary. Wunder signed to play Junior "A" hockey with the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

It's a 16-team lead featuring some of the best 18-to-20-year-old players from across Canada...and a few imports from America.

For Wunder, who routinely burned by everybody to score hat truck after hat trick during his three years of high school hockey, playing in this league was an eye-opener.

"One thing I can definitely say is that it's a constant battle," Wunder said Wednesday night in a phone interview. "Day in, day out, you're always fighting for your job. Some days, you could get the 'scratch' and you may not be in the lineup. Fortunate enough for me, I've been able to play in all twelve games."

And in those twelve games, Wunder has shown that he's ready for the next level. He has eight goals and six assists for 14 points, tied for the team lead in scoring.

Levi Wunder Full Interview with Jack Hall.

"I've been fortunate enough to get out there with some great guys," Wunder said. "My ice time has been great. Killing penalties, getting some penalty-killing time. I've had first and second line opportunities. So I just think going into practice, and working hard every day, it definitely pays off when you can show Coach what you've got."

One thing Wunder noticed is the speed of the junior game.

"I thought I was pretty fast," Wunder said, then added with a chuckle, "But now I've got guys running right by me. It's a hard league to play in. Every team is a battle."

Just like he did here in Escanaba, Wunder spent time at a school in Drumheller.

Wunder, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound left wing, shattered every Escanaba High School scoring record on the books. He had 136 goals and 113 assists for a total of 249 points in three seasons, averaging better than three points per game.

In his senior season, Wunder scored 46 goals and 46 assists for 92 points, tops in the State of Michigan.

Wunder was a First-Team All-State selection, and was runner-up for Mr. Hockey.

He says he's adjusting well to life in the small town of Drumheller, which is 1,500 miles away and a 24-hour drive from Escanaba.

Wunder had lived in Marquette during his freshman year of high school while playing for the Midget AAA Marquette Electricians, but this is a whole different experience.

"It's definitely different," Wunder said. "I've had an ordeal with my credit card once or twice already. But it's a smaller town, so that's not much different from home. They pack the rink every night and the fans are great. The community is awesome."

Just like old times: Wunder scores on a breakaway Tuesday, courtesy of the Drumheller Dragons: https://soundcloud.com/nathandcrosby/wunder-scores-on-a-breakaway-shorthanded

There are a few things familiar. Wunder's uniform number is 21, just as it was in high school. And the Dragons colors are Orange and Black, just like in high school.

Wunder, who turned 19 last Sunday, is eligible to play in the AJHL for two seasons. After that, he's hoping to make the jump to a higher professional hockey league, or perhaps at an NCAA Division One university.

He may be playing in another country, but Wunder still looks back fondly on his three years with the Eskymos.

He could have played for other junior hockey teams, especially after his junior season, but chose to play high school hockey.

"I definitely do not regret staying and playing until I was a senior in high school," Wunder said. "It was some of the best three years of hockey, up till this point. I'll never forget all of the memories and the things that went on in the community."

Drumheller is 5-7-0 on the season so far, but Wunder says that will turn around when some injured players return to the lineup.

You can follow Wunder and the Dragons team at http://www.drumhellerdragons.ca/ . There are links there where you can see/hear games on-line via FastHockey.com.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

11/20	7:00 PM	at Alpena Wildcats	1 - 2 (L)	0-1-0

11/21	1:00 PM	at Alpena Wildcats	7 - 2 (W)	1-1-0

11/24	7:00 PM	at Kingsford Flivvers	3 - 2 (W)	2-1-0

12/1	7:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	3 - 2 (W)	3-1-0

12/5	5:00 PM	Houghton Gremlins	1 - 0 (W)	4-1-0

12/7	7:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	13 - 0 (W)	5-1-0

12/12	1:00 PM	Hancock Bulldogs	2 - 5 (L)	5-2-0

12/18	5:00 PM	at Midland Dow High School	1 - 3 (L)	5-3-0

12/19	12:00 PM	at Midland Chemics	5 - 3 (W)	6-3-0

12/30	7:00 PM	Painesdale-Jeffers Jets	8 - 1 (W)	7-3-0

1/3	1:00 PM	Cheboygan Chiefs	8 - 0 (W)	8-3-0

1/8	7:30 PM	Central Algoma, Ontario	4 - 1 (W)	9-3-0

1/9	1:00 PM	Central Algoma, Ontario	9 - 2 (W)	10-3-0

1/15	4:00 PM	Macomb Dakota	5 - 4 (W)	11-3-0

1/16	12:30 PM	Grand Haven High School	10 - 0 (W)	12-3-0

1/19	7:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	2 - 0 (W)	13-3-0

1/21	7:00 PM	Calumet Copper Kings	2 - 4 (L)	13-4-0

1/28	6:00 PM	at Chelsea Bulldogs	3 - 3 (T)	13-4-1

1/29	10:00 AM	at Romeo High School	3 - 5 (L)	13-5-1

1/30	12:00 PM	at Berkley-Ferndale United	4 - 4 (T)	13-5-2

2/4	7:00 PM	Kingsford Flivvers	4 - 1 (W)	14-5-2

2/13	1:00 PM	at Houghton Gremlins	3 - 3 (T)	14-5-3

2/19	5:00 PM	at Calumet Copper Kings	2 - 2 (T)	14-5-4

2/20	1:00 PM	at Hancock Bulldogs	2 - 3 (L)	14-6-4

2/25	7:30 PM	Negaunee Miners	8 - 3 (W)	15-6-4

3/1	7:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	1 - 2 (L)	15-7-4