By / James Shewaga

Jordan DePape didn’t know quite what to expect this season.

But suffice it to say, the 16-year-old right-winger couldn’t have imagined starting his Junior hockey career like this.

Assigned to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Winnipeg Saints following training camp with the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings, the Winnipeg-native has proceeded to lead all MJHL rookies in scoring with 21 goals and 57 points through 42 games in the 2008/09 campaign.

“My first goal was, of course, to make Brandon, but it didn’t work out that way and then I came back here and I didn’t know if I would be able to put up those numbers,” said DePape. “But it has been going well so far.”

Indeed. DePape has been an instant impact player for the Saints, who were ranked 10th in the country in the Canadian Junior A rankings and sported an impressive 37-9-0-3 record through 49 games.

While he came in as a highly regarded prospect, DePape’s ability to score at the junior level right off the bat has surprised even his head coach, Doug Stokes.

“Certainly we have gotten more from him than we expected,” said Stokes. “He’s basically a young boy in a man’s body and he’s a very determined individual who has exceeded where we thought he would be at this point.”

Following the Christmas break, DePape took his scoring touch to Port Alberni, B.C., where he was one of the top snipers for Team West at the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with four goals and five assists.

Brandon’s third-round pick (61st overall) in the 2007 WHL bantam draft, the 5-11, 182-lb. DePape is hoping his MJHL career will last just one year. He is determined to crack the Wheat Kings’ lineup next season when Brandon will serve as the host team in the 2010 
Memorial Cup.

“That’s where my mind is, that’s where I want to play next year, especially with the Memorial Cup,” said DePape. “That will be an experience of a lifetime.”

In the meantime, DePape is enjoying life in the MJHL and the rare chance to play hockey on the same team as his older brother, 20-year-old Ryan DePape.

“We’re playing together for the first time ever, which is a really neat experience,” said Jordan DePape. “It’s something I will never forget for sure. I never, ever thought that would happen, but it has.”

News & notes
The Saints are mourning the loss of forward Jordan Mistelbacher, who passed away on Jan. 12, just one day after celebrating his 19th birthday. Mistelbacher had just been assigned to the MJHL’s Saints by the Everett Silvertips at the WHL’s Jan. 10 trade deadline. “The Winnipeg Saint organization is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic news,” said Saints GM Wayne Anderson in a team statement. “Our deepest sympathies and prayers are extended to Jordan’s family.” The cause of death was not immediately released.