It was a good journey, but Burnaby’s Nico Bruno has turned the page and is already into the next chapter.
The Grandview Steelers veteran is putting hockey on the backburner, taking courses towards apprenticing as a plumber.
A key component to the Pacific Junior B Hockey League club’s offence the past two seasons, Bruno looks back at his junior career with few regrets and a lot of good memories.
“My junior hockey career was a great time, one of the best times in my life,” said Bruno. “In my second year we made the run to the (league) final; that was a good experience. … We had a really strong team that year with a lot of depth. We had four lines that could score.
“In the first round we won in Game 7 which was a great battle against Richmond. Against Delta in the second round we probably played our best hockey of the year that got us to the finals.”
While that experience was never replicated, he wrapped up his Steelers career by being named the PJHL’s Most Inspirational Player earlier this month.
The honour recognizes someone who made a contribution in and out of the dressing room and who helped his team elevate their game. It was a surprise, but Bruno noted it was an award he shares with his family and teammates.
“Obviously it means a lot. I put in a lot of hard work the last four years and to finally be recognized means a lot, not only to me, but my family too,” said the 20-year-old. “For all the times they supported me, and all the hard work that came to conclusion. Winning an award like that definitely means something special.”
Over the past two seasons, Bruno occupied one of the team’s top-two lines and averaged nearly a point per game – counting 79 points over 85 games.
His first two seasons were all about finding his comfort level, playing various roles and contributing in different ways.
That’s where his blue-collar work ethic helped pave a path to a leadership role with the club.
“From midget hockey to junior was a big step forward. (Junior) is a lot faster, a lot bigger guys you’re playing against, it was a lot more physical,” he noted. “Going into my rookie year I didn’t really have a whole lot of expectations, but I just tried to work hard every game and let my play do the talking.”
Over the past two seasons under head coach Stevan Matic, Bruno became a key veteran who contributed in a variety of roles – from penalty killing, top-line minutes and offensive generator.
It was a process, but one the Burnaby Winter Club product made eagerly.
“He’s a Steeler through and through,” noted Matic. “The way he carried himself on and off the ice, how he helped and worked to set a tone for his teammates was always about putting in 100 per cent every shift.
“He definitely worked his way up to (the No. 1 line). Last season he got an opportunity to play with (veteran) Adam Rota on the wing, and (Bruno) was hard on the puck, blocked shots and created scoring chances.”
This past season he counted 11 goals and 29 assists over 42 games, over streaks of wins and losses. Momentum would come and go, but Bruno said players worked hard to establish more consistency right up to the playoffs.
Getting swept by the eventual playoff champion Delta Icehawks wasn’t due to effort, he said.
“I think (Delta) over-powered us physically, they took it to us physically and we didn’t really have a response for that. We gave a good effort every night but it just didn’t work out in our favour.”
Along with netminder Cale Dolan, who was recognized by the club as this year’s MVP, Bruno brought a blue-collar attitude to the rink, where rolling up the sleeves and getting down to business was the framework for success.
He remembers Grandview’s run to the league final during his second season, and how work ethic was key to that march.
“After the year we made the run to the final I definitely felt like more of a leader,” said the Burnaby North alum. “I had a really good playoffs that year. Going into the following year, in my 19th year, I really stepped up in the room, my leadership skills improved and I kind of took off from there.”
