Bruder packs a punch
Andrew Bruder has defied the odds.
Just two years ago, the Woodstock native was playing junior C for his hometown Navy Vets after failing to make his AAA team the previous season at the minor midget level.
Fast forward and the big winger has become an important depth piece for the Niagara IceDogs.
“My dad was always very helpful. He always kept telling me I was good enough and I would get a chance eventually,” Bruder said. “I’m just glad Niagara gave me that chance. It’s definitely awesome to have that chance and capitalize on it.
“It was a different route but I’m glad it happened because it made me the person I am.”
IceDogs coach Billy Burke is well aware how unlikely it is to go from junior C to the Ontario Hockey League.
“It’s extremely rare to be able to make that jump in two or three years,” he said. “He’s a big, tall kid who grew into his body.
“He came from a small town and he was just playing hockey for the fun of it and then he played junior C and realized maybe there was something here.”
The IceDogs signed Bruder as a free agent and he worked with assistant coach Kris Sparre where he continued to impress the organization and made the team last season as a 17-year-old rookie.
“He played a limited role last year, but was able to grow on that as has been able to become a real solid player,” Burke said. “The biggest thing for him is his hockey IQ and he’s fearless. It’s guts and his IQ have allowed him to play different roles and excel.”
Bruder collected four goals and 11 points last season in 52 games and was on his way to topping those totals when he suffered a sprained ankle in a game versus Sudbury.
The injury appeared more serious at the time and Bruder admitted he wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen.
“I had everything flash through my mind,” he said. “I didn’t know when I was going to come back and I didn’t know what was wrong at first.
“Luckily, it was just an ankle sprain.”
Bruder worked hard on rehabbing the ankle and rejoined the team for the first round of the playoffs versus North Bay, where he contributed a goal in Game 3 and an important fight in Game 5 as the IceDogs knocked off the Battalion.
“It’s pretty rare,” Bruder said, of his fight that saw him drop the gloves with Luke Burghardt less than two minutes into the game. “I like doing stuff like that for the boys. It was a big game and with playoff momentum, I wanted to get that in.
“I wanted to fire up the guys.”
Burke said the club appreciated Bruder sacrificing himself.
“He did that all on his own,” Burke said. “It was a great read at that point in the game and series to step up and it showed incredible courage and character and the guys responded. We were up 1-0 two minutes later.”
Bruder also showed he can contribute offensively.
“It’s not a fantasy team, it’s a hockey team,” Burke said. “Guys need to play their roles and play them well. A guy like Bruder is a great example of the depth on this team. We lost Matthew Philip in Game 4 and Bruder was able to step in and play with Lodnia and look great doing it.”
Bruder appreciates he isn’t asked to be a go-to player on offence.
“I’m not the points guy on the team but I like to be the guy who gets the guys going and I feel like I’ve been doing that,” he said. “We have guys who will get the points. That’s big on a team. Everyone has to know their role and everyone knows that.”
The IceDogs take on the Oshawa Generals beginning Friday at home in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. Ottawa and Sudbury meet in the other Eastern final.
“It’s a lot of fun. This is the best time of the season,” Bruder said. “Everything is crunch time, but we’re also winning so it’s so much fun and it’s a great team to be on.”
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