World Juniors Recap – Canada 5, Sweden 1
They were members of the talented Don Mills Flyers team, and now minor hockey teammates Brandt Clarke, Brennan Othmann and Shane Wright are together again in the World Juniors
Three players, a minor hockey team and a legacy that continues to be built. After joining forces in minor hockey, Brandt Clarke, Brennan Othmann and Shane Wright have taken the hockey world by storm and reunite to compete for gold at 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
In 2016, Clarke had just moved from Ottawa to Toronto for his U14 AAA season. He joined in Greater Toronto Hockey Leagues (GTHL) Don Mills Flyers, where he was introduced to two other players who were new to the team: Othmann and Wright.
“I didn’t actually know who any of them were [was], I only knew some of the other guys at Don Mills, Clarke explains. “But we clicked straight away, we were the new guys. We talked, we gelled early and there’s just a connection there. They’re two special players.”
Othmann and Wright had previously played against each other, but never on the same team. During a spring tournament, Flyers head coach Marc Slawson singled out Wright for Othmann and said he would likely play with him.
“I watched Shane on the ice and you automatically saw that he stood out, and I was excited to see him play,” Othmann says. “He’s a really good player.”
On the ice, the three Don Mills Flyers quickly found chemistry with each other.
“I think we fed off each other really well,” Wright says. “We understood where each other was on the ice, we react and read each other on the ice. We’ve just always had that chemistry.”
The team was a force to be reckoned with. In the three years Clarke, Othmann and Wright wore the Flyers logo, they won three straight GTHL championships, the 2018 All-Ontario U15 AAA Championship and the 2019 OHL Cup after going 30-0-3 in the GTHL during the 2018-19 regular season.
But the team also faced setbacks. In the midst of their U15 championship campaign, Flyers goaltender Roy Pejcinovski was killed in a triple homicide along with his mother and 13-year-old sister, Vana, in Ajax, Ont.
“In that situation, you either come together or you scatter, and our team obviously came together,” says Othmann.
“It was definitely something that still sticks with us every day,” adds Clarke. “I still think about Roy every day.”
With Pejcinovski in their hearts, Don Mills continued to play for their netminder for the rest of their time together, culminating in the 2019 OHL Cup. Although the Flyers trailed the Toronto Red Wings (which included World Juniors teammate Adam Fantilli) 4-1 after the first period, they battled back to push the game into overtime.
“Clarke stole the puck from the other team and gave me a little high flip pass,” Wright explains. “I skate on it, and we had a 2-on-1 with me and
[Othmann]. I did it and he did the rest.”
OT glory for the Don Mills Flyers! Shane Wright makes a 2-on-1 pass to Brennan Othmann who buries it for the crown @GTHLHockeypp @03DMF 2019 #OHLCup driven by @UnderArmour Master. pic.twitter.com/tOIlvpr7eu
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) March 19, 2019
– That match was so special. We came in with a lot of adversity and we wanted to win it for our goalkeeper Roy and his family, says Othmann. “It’s kind of funny to think about it: Clarkey to Shane, Shane to me. That way it looks cool on the box score. It’s my favorite Flyers memory and it’s my favorite memory with the two of them.”
After the OHL Cup, the trio went on their own hockey trips. All three players were selected among the top four picks in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. Wright became the fifth player to receive exceptional player status and was first selected by the Kingston Frontenacs. Othmann was taken second by the Flint Firebirds and Clarke was taken fourth overall by the Barrie Colts.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Clarke says. “We’re all first-round picks. We’re all going to other places around the continent, but when we got word that the three of us were going to be together again and play on the global stage like this, it was really cool. We’re all texting to each other immediately… when I saw them at the airport I went up and gave them a hug.”
The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship is the second time the Don Mills trio has reunited on the international stage. In 2021 they won gold at
IIHF U18 World Championship. Wright led the Canadians in scoring with 14 points and a Canadian record nine goals, Othmann had three goals and three assists and Clarke chipped in with two goals and five helpers.
Although their teams are scattered across North America (all three were also first-round NHL picks), the three Flyers remain in touch. They have an active group chat, they will find time to play golf or ice skate together, or play NHL series video games to stay in touch. But despite the distance, the connection is as strong as it was at Don Mills.
“That chemistry has stayed the same, just like how we were in minor,” Wright says. “It will always be there, that bond and that trust [we
have].”
Being able to play in multiple world championships alongside two of your buddies from your minor hockey team is an unlikely feat. But Clarke, Othmann and Wright push each other to be the best they can be – and that payoff is evident on the ice.
“To do this with Shane and Brennan, the two guys I consider brothers to me, it’s really special,” adds Clarke.
“These two have been amazing all the way since I was 14,” says Othmann. “It’s been a crazy few years. There have been ups and downs for all of us but at the same time it has been an incredible journey and it has been an incredible time with them. To finish it off at the World Juniors will be something special.”