Some players just seem to win wherever they go. Although his career is young yet, Chase Surkan is rapidly emerging as that type of player, much to the delight of the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The 2009-born forward started the winning in his 14-year-old season, right before the Wheat Kings selected him 14th overall, when his Regina Pat Blues won a provincial championship. He kept it going as a 15-year-old the very next season, winning first a provincial title, then a regional one, and finally a national championship with the Regina Pat Cs. And just last week, he added another championship to his already-impressive resume when his Team Canada Red won gold at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
“It’s an unreal feeling, especially when you’re getting to represent your country at a tournament like that,” Surkan said. “It’s obvioulsy a super cool feeling.”
Of all the championships Surkan has amassed so far, this one may not have had the longest road (the tournament only lasted five games) but it brought Surkan to his highest level of competition. The best of the best from around the CHL and the world were his opponents (and teammates), yet he and Canada Red still found a way to win.
“It was super fast and super skilled, all the best players from Canada basically,” said Surkan. “I had two great linemates who are probably going to be NHL stars one day.”
Despite being quick to offer credit to his linemates, Surkan was no passenger in this latest championship, just as he hadn’t been in the previous two. He finished the tournament with seven points in five games, continuing a run of success that goes back (at least) to the start of this WHL season in which he’s scored 12 goals in 12 games so far.
“Through the preseason, the first (12) games with us and then into the U17s, he’s been excellent,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We’re beyond the point of it being a fluke that this kid is producing points. He’s a point producer and is very gifted in that regard.”
Surkan’s road to the gold medal offered an opportunity for a Pat Cs reunion. He shared the championship with former teammate Boston Tait, now with the Wenatchee Wild.
“We connected instantly as soon as he got there,” Surkan said. “We didn’t miss a beat.”
And then there was his gold medal game opponent, Team Canada White, which was headlined by a longtime teammate and friend of his in Maddox Schultz. Schultz and Surkan won both the U15 and U18 championships together, piling up points off the chemistry they’d formed over years, but for this championship game they ended up on opposite sides, with Surkan getting the last laugh.
“It was super cool to play against him,” said Surkan. “I’ve given it to him a couple of times already about how he lost and I won, so that’s been awesome.”
The gold medal is part of what’s been a whirlwind six months for Surkan. He helped lead his hometown Pat Cs to a TELUS Cup, scored his first WHL goal in his season debut, picked up his first WHL hat trick, and now has represented Canada internationally for the first time.
“It’s gone by really fast but it’s been a memorable six months, for sure,” Surkan said. “I’ve taken every day step by step and it’s been awesome.”
It may have been Surkan’s first time wearing the maple leaf on the international stage, but if Hockey Canada is wise, they’ll come back to him again later on. After all, when it comes down to crunch time, the high flying forward has a growing track record of coming out on top.
