‘It would mean everything:’ Rebels’ Nimegeers seeking Esso Cup win

Brooklyn Nimegeers is looking to end her Regina Rebels career with a national title.

The defenceman helped lead the Rebels to their second consecutive berth in the Esso Cup – the Canadian under-18 women’s hockey championship tournament.

The Rebels won the West region’s berth in the tournament by sweeping the Winnipeg Ice in a best-of-three series.

“It’s so exciting. Our team is going in with a lot of confidence, especially going to the Esso last year. I think our team is prepared and really excited to see how we do,” the Rebels’ captain said.

The Rebels finished with a bronze medal at last year’s event after beating Nova Scotia’s Northern Selects 5-1.

“Our team has trained a lot and we’ve had a lot of practices and a lot leading up to it. I think we’re really ready and have a super good chance at winning it all,” Nimegeers said.

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It’s one last chance for her to win a title with the team before she heads to New Jersey to play at Princeton University next season.

“It’s going to be a big change but I’m super excited for it,” Nimegeers said. “The coaching staff stood out to me and Princeton is a great school – I never expected to go to a school like that. It just stood out to me amongst all the other schools.

“All the coaches were on national teams, which I found really cool. They have a lot of experience and I thought they would be able to shape me into a great player.”

It’s going to be a big change for Nimegeers, who was born and raised in Moose Jaw.

“I’m ready for change. I feel like I have been here a long time but I feel like I’m a homebody so it’s going to be different,” Nimegeers said. “I think it’s going to be a great change.”

Nimegeers grew up playing boys hockey in Moose Jaw.

“It was super great – I was super close with all those boys and definitely, I feel like it set me up for success being in a physical league like that,” Nimegeers said. “I feel like it helped me going into girls being a physical and strong player.”

She eventually joined the Moose Jaw Mavericks U13 female team.

“It was a lot different but it was a good league,” Nimegeers said.

But then she joined the Rebels, making the trek from her hometown to play and practise with the Regina team.

“The drives were long in the beginning, but I am used to it by now four years in. So it’s kind of just part of my routine. My first year, I got to drive with one of the girls who was also on the team; that made the drives easier and quicker,” Nimegeers said.

Nimegeers’ talents were noticed by the U18 league and she was granted exceptional status, which allowed her to play with the Rebels as a 14-year-old.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic affected her rookie season with the club.

“I was super nervous going in, just as a little girl going against a bunch of the older girls,” Nimegeers said. “It was super different with the COVID year and it was hard to adjust right off the bat. The second year was a lot better and it was great.”

She has grown into a leader both on and off the ice.

On the ice, she finished fifth in league scoring with 40 points in 28 games. As the Rebels’ co-captain, she’s also been a leader for the younger players on the team, as they dealt with a incident that saw their head coach suspended and then replaced near the end of the regular season.

“I think I’ve grown in a lot of different ways. I came in as a shy, quiet, mute little girl and now I’ve transitioned into a leader, which is super great. As a player, I have become a lot stronger and I have learned to lead a lot,” Nimegeers said.

“We were able to adjust well and support each other through it all. We have the same team we started with before our coaches were changed. We have the same mindset and same goal as before.”

Even though current Rebels head coach Kim Perepeluk has only known Nimegeers for a few months, he noticed her leadership right away.

“You can tell just by the way they carry themselves. She is mature for her age, a very good student, (has a) good work ethic (and is) always smiling and having fun. I think if you enjoy coming to the rink, that’s half the battle with today’s kids,” Perepeluk said. “She has a real bright future ahead of her.

“It’s not very often you get a player who is a complete defenceman. She is very good defensively, very responsible and very good with her one-on-ones and her positional play. At the same time if you look at her statistics, she has been able to contribute offensively – she runs our first power-play unit and she is certainly one of the better defencemen I have seen at this age group.”

Now the focus for Nimegeers and the Rebels is trying to win an Esso Cup, with the tournament getting underway on April 21 in Vernon, B.C.

“It would mean everything. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it,” Nimegeers said. “It would be a great way to end.”