Retooling and rebuilding has been the theme this year for the Swift Current Broncos, months after winning the 2018 WHL Championship.

A total of 32 different skaters have suited up for the Broncos so far this season, tied for the third most in the WHL with Edmonton and Moose Jaw. Only Regina (34) and Kootenay (38) have seen more players in the lineup.

As the hockey operations staff continues piecing together and building towards a winning roster, head coach and director of hockey operations Dean Brockman spoke on the progress the first half of the season.

"We have a long ways to go to get back to where we want to be - where this team was last year - but we feel we've went through the first phase, got a lot of results, maybe not in the win column," Brockman explained. "You've got to find positives every day, and I think if we find positives and get those victories, they'll continue to work hard and do the right things."


By the Numbers

The Broncos currently sit in last place in the 22-team WHL standings with a 6-24-1-1 record.

Swift Current sits 20th on the powerplay, converting at a clip of 15.5 per cent. They also have the 18th-ranked penalty-kill (74.2%), racking up the eighth-fewest penalty minutes per-game (11)

The Broncos are also dead-last in goals-for with 69, allowing the third-most goals-against (137)

Also the longest winning streak and winless streak in the first half of the season came consecutively for the Broncos.

Swift Current fell in eight-straight contests, starting October 16 in a 6-2 road loss to Vancouver, ending in a 2-1 shootout loss to Kootenay.

The very next game on November 2, the Broncos topped Lethbridge 5-4 in overtime. They made it a season-high two-game winning streak with a 4-3 overtime win the next night over Edmonton.

The Broncos currently have the youngest team in the WHL, with an average age of 17.65 years.


Stepping back to view the bigger picture, Brockman used the team's production and effort in a home-and-home with the Prince Albert Raiders, compared to early-season film, to gauge the progress.

"I went to the rink this morning and found I think it was our first exhibition game, and I played it to (assistant coaches) Scotty (Dutertre) and Brandin (Cote). You watch that, and you watch the game last night, and there's the progress. I know that's small rewards or whatever it is. I see our guys getting better."

"Certainly we want more advancement, and we're going to demand more things of guys in the second part. But, I know where we were, and I've know where we've come from. I look even at our 50-man player-protected list, I think we've made strides there."

The Broncos break out of the Christmas break with a home-and-home against the Warriors, starting December 27 in Moose Jaw.