Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – If Brett Epp were a jersey collector, he'd need a new closet for all of the teams he's played on since graduating from minor hockey in 2015 with the Edmonton-based Canadian Athletic Club.
The MacEwan Griffins are the 13th team that he's played for over the past decade since in nine different leagues.
"I love the game of hockey, but I think I love the places it's taken me more," said Epp, who is using his final season of university eligibility to suit up for the Griffins in 2024-25. "I've been pretty fortunate and blessed to be able to go to so many different towns and meet so many different people through the great game of hockey.
"I was talking to Ryley Appelt today, who has spent his whole time at MacEwan and that's really cool to be able to put your feet down in one spot for a few years. It just wasn't my path."
To summarize, Epp has suited up for (in chronological order): the Drayton Valley Thunder (AJHL), OCN Blizzard (MJHL), Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL), Nichols College (NCAA III), Nipissing University (U SPORTS), Newfoundland Growlers (ECHL), Vermilion County Bobcats (SPHL), Fayettesville Marksmen (SPHL), Norfolk Admirals (ECHL), Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL), St. Walburg Eagles (SASHL) and Wetaskiwin Longhorns (NCHL).
This weekend, he will continue his final U SPORTS season with the Griffins as they kick off the second semester with a home-and-home series against cross-town rival Alberta (Friday, 7 p.m., Clare Drake and Saturday, 5 p.m., Downtown Community Arena, both Canada West TV).
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"What a great way to jump back into it to see one of the top teams," said Epp. "It's going to be a good test for our group, for sure. It's been a good Christmas break, but I think we're all ready to get back to it. It will be a good challenge for our team, but I think we're heading in the right direction here."
The Griffins are 7-7-2 and eight points ahead of Manitoba (3-11-2) for the final playoff spot in the East Division entering the second half. Alberta tops the division and all of Canada West at 13-3-0.
Brett Epp will lead the Griffins into their first action of the second semester this weekend against the Alberta Golden Bears (Rebecca Chelmick photo).
Goaltending will be key for the Griffins to find success this weekend and Epp has the capability to be a strong presence for the squad. Upon his return from an injury that kept him out of 10 first semester games, he stopped 60 of 64 shots against Regina Nov. 22-23.
"I've been really impressed with his play so far," said Dailey. "He's an older guy who has got some experience. The other thing I've liked is just how he treats the younger guys, especially his goalie partners. He's a really good teammate, helps them out and is able to bounce ideas off them.
"That was kind of the expectation coming in. I knew he could help us win games, but I knew he could also mentor some of the younger guys. He's done a good job of doing that so far."
At age 27, Epp is among the older players in U SPORTS, but his experience has been invaluable with lessons that needed to be learned.
"They all brought their own positives," he said of his journey. "My time in (NCAA) Div. III was good, challenging. I also was dealing with an injury there. It taught me a lot about taking care of my body. I think I showed up as a freshman pretty out of shape, thinking a little too much of myself that I didn't need to work as hard as I should.
"I learned after that year – it was very humbling – that you have to put in the work no matter where you're at."
Brett Epp spent the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons with Nichols College in NCAA Div. III (Courtesy, Nichols College Bisons).
That's a lesson that's stuck with him and allowed him to reach the ECHL level. His first game with the now-defunct Newfoundland Growlers came on the road in Allen, Tex. with his parents in attendance from Edmonton.
"That game was an interesting," he said. "I think the majority of our team got COVID. I think there were 18 guys who couldn't play, so they were calling up guys out of beer league.
"So, we had less than an East Coast roster playing in an East Coast game and it was (not ideal) for your first game. But all in all, it was a cool experience and I'm glad I got the opportunity to go in there."
The pandemic also affected his previous U SPORTS tenure at Nipissing in the OUA with his first season (2020-21) cancelled and his second (2021-22) halted halfway through.
"I really enjoyed that town – North Bay – it was a great group of guys there, as well, just like MacEwan. Then with COVID again, they postponed their season. I decided to not sit out anymore and wanted to keep playing, so I continued on to minor pro hockey after that."
Brett Epp was playing well in his first U SPORTS experience at Nipissing University, but the pandemic limited him to just six games between 2020-22 (Courtesy, Nipissing Lakers).
That led to stints with a few different teams before Epp needed to take care of himself and heal some old injuries.
"I played the past two years with a torn labrum (cartilage in your hip) and a femur growth from being a goalie – a sharp edge that was causing some impediment," he said. "So, I knew I needed surgery and after that year in Newfoundland, I kind of experience how hard the life is in the East Coast Hockey League and the SP (Southern Professional Hockey League) that I figured it would be a good time to get the surgery."
Then his Edmonton goalie coach Jamie McCaig of ATC Goaltending connected him with Dailey and the timing was perfect to return to U SPORTS with the Griffins searching for a veteran goaltender after graduating both Ashton Abel and Thomas Davis last season.
"Talking with him and hearing his experience in the COVID year and in professional hockey, it seems he kind of got the raw end of the stick a couple times, which is unfortunate for him," said Dailey. "But what that also tells me is he's a resilient person. He's able to continue to work regardless of what happened. Maybe he didn't like what happened, but it didn't deter him from continuing to work and continuing to find places to play.
"It also shows a passion for hockey and a passion for wanting to play. Those are both things we're looking for at MacEwan; we're looking for passionate people and people who really want to be here and play hockey, and we're also looking for mentally tough people who can handle adversity and keep working."
Brett Epp aims to finish the season strong for the Griffins and continue playing hockey after that (Rebecca Chelmick photo).
As for Epp, he'd love to continue his career to even further locales after graduating from the Griffins program.
"I would love to sit here and tell you I know what's going to happen, but I'm just going to leave that up to the future," he said. "I would love to keep playing, I would love to possibly go explore some other parts of the world – maybe go overseas, if I can.
"At this point, I'm really just focusing on the second half of the season and seeing how far we can go."
