Hofer brothers together again

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This article was published 02/12/2020 (1763 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joel and Ryan Hofer were born only two years apart but their far-flung careers have meant they’ve lived separate lives during hockey season.

It’s taken a pandemic and a code-red shutdown in Manitoba to put the two brothers together in one place once again.

Naturally, the ice has been a perfect place to reconnect and the Hofers responded to the closing of arenas around the province by building their own rink in the front yard of the family home in Headingley.

Their sheet of ice is a little piece of heaven, even if the construction process wasn’t perfect.

“Me and my brother, we were just kind of bored in the house,” says Joel, a 20-year-old goaltender coming off an all-star season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. “With everything shut down we thought we might as well build a front rink.

“So we got to it and found out that our whole yard is sloped. That was tough but we added boards to the low side a couple weeks later and that’s been good so far. We were out three or four hours (the other day).”

An old-school approach, suggested by dad Steve, had a minor flaw. 

“When we were younger we had a rink but there was already snow on the ground and so he didn’t put a liner down,” says Joel. “So he was telling us we don’t need a liner — you’re fine with water and the ground. But we were doing research on the best ways to build a rink on YouTube and we’re doing everything we can, right? Every single one said, ‘use a liner.’

“So the first first three days we were watering the grass basically, just wasting water and then we finally went to Home Depot and got a liner.”

A finished outdoor rink has set the stage, finally, for some one-on-one showdowns.

“I haven’t been able to shoot on him at all (for the last six years) but I have been watching him and every year he improves,” says Ryan of Joel. “It’s been really fun watching him and finally I get to actually shoot on him in the front yard. So it’s been good stuff.”

The challenge is there for the 6-3, 180-pound Ryan, an 18-year-old forward with the MJHL’s Portage Terriers.

He will travel west after Christmas in a bid to earn a roster spot with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, and who better to test his goal-scoring prowess against than his brother? It’s the same guy who went 5-0 with a 1.30 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage in backstopping Canada to a world junior championship a year ago.

Joel came from nowhere, without the benefit of playing AAA hockey in Winnipeg, before eventually developing into a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL draft by the St. Louis Blues. Now he’s preparing for his first pro season, likely with the Blues’ AHL affiliate in Springfield, Mass. 

Ryan wants to emulate his brother’s lead.

“I kind of see myself as a late bloomer as well,” says Ryan. “I played AAA when I was 13. And then the year after that, I got cut from the Hawks and the Monarchs and ended up playing AA. Because of my size I wasn’t ready. And then I played (AA with the St. James Canadians) and after that I went to (Pursuit of Excellence in) Kelowna like my brother.

“My first year there I did pretty well and then a year after that was when I really started to notice I was starting to grow more and make more progress in the gym.”

Debuting in the junior ranks under the direction of hard-boiled Terriers head coach Blake Spiller has been excellent preparation for the next level.

“He’s honest, right?” says Ryan of Spiller’s coaching methods. “He doesn’t sugarcoat it so, in my opinion, I think that’s really good because the truth hurts but it’s effective.”

He’s also learned from his big brother. 

“Being in the same household as him, I see his habits,” says Ryan. “He’s always a hard worker when it comes to improvement, so I’ve been picking off of that and kind of just like his way of going at things. It’s been good to work out with him and be quarantined with him for the past six months.”

Joel, meanwhile, will head to St. Louis in the coming days to train for the start of Blues camp after Christmas. For now, the pecking order appears clear since the off-season trade of veteran Jake Allen to the Montreal Canadiens. Jordan Binnington is firmly established as the No. 1, with career AHLer Ville Husso likely to fill the No. 2 role. The fight for jobs will come at the AHL level. 

“Yeah, they’ve got their NHL guys and they signed (former Calgary Flame) Jon Gilles,” says Joel. “He’ll be in the (AHL) or he’ll be pushing for a job in the NHL. Obviously, time will tell but then there’s me and Adam Fitzpatrick… Obviously, going into camp I’ll be looking for a job in the AHL. I’m just going to do my best and do everything that I’m capable of to make that dream come true.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14