Gilbert Brule: A Giant in the Making

By Lucas Aykroyd

At 5-10 and 165 pounds, Gilbert Brule isn’t the biggest player in the WHL. But since breaking in with the Vancouver Giants this season at age 16, he’s towered above his peers as one of the league’s most gifted scorers. Already, scouts project Brule as a high first-round pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

“I’ve never seen a 16-year-old who has Gilbert’s skill level along with his competitive nature,” said Giants head coach Dean Evason.

Those elements translated into a point-per-game pace for the rookie centre in the first half of the season. Brule went neck-and-neck with veteran first-line pivot Adam Courchaine for the team scoring lead, helping the Giants’ bid for a prime playoff berth in the Western Conference.

This isn’t the first time Brule’s stepped in and dominated offensively. He racked up 32 goals and 25 assists with the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires in 2002–03. Previously, his 152 points with the North Shore Winter Hawks prompted the Giants to take him first overall in the 2002 WHL Bantam Draft.

Big numbers yield big comparisons. “We had Scott Gomez when I was in Tri-Cities, and his career speaks for itself,” said Vancouver GM Scott Bonner. “Gilbert is as good at 16 as Scott was at 18.” Brule has also been likened to NHL standouts such as Steve Yzerman, Brendan Morrison, and Darcy Tucker.

Yet at this early stage in his career, statistics and analogies don’t fully capture the essence of Gilbert Brule. You have to see him working his magic on the Pacific Coliseum ice.

Keeping his head up, Brule stickhandles and passes the puck with the poise of a much older player. The shifty, right-shooting forward sees the ice well, and when the opposition tries to crowd him out, he responds to the physical challenge.

“He competes very hard and plays the game with an edge,” Evason said. “That allows him to be a special player.” But Brule hasn’t let his early success go to his head.

“Linemates are huge,” said Brule. “You can’t do anything by yourself in this league. Both my linemates right now, Mitch Bartley and Darrell May, are huge keys to my success. They’ve helped me a lot and pushed me through the tough times.” Brule has known Bartley for five years, and their chemistry is obvious.

Brule has also emerged as a special player on special teams. Playing the point with the man advantage is a big responsibility for any forward, but he’s fit in well with his smart reads and cross-ice passes.

“I’m comfortable in that role. I’ve been playing there most of the year. When I’m able to feed Adam Courchaine, he usually buries the puck, so it’s pretty nice to be passing to a guy like that.”

So far, Vancouver fans are excited about what they’ve seen from Brule, the 2002 winner of the BC Hockey Hall of Fame’s Minor Hockey Player Achievement Award. Since he’s a local boy, it’s no wonder his feats receive extra scrutiny from the media and public.

“I’ve felt some pressure, but most of it’s been from myself,” said Brule. “You want to play up to everyone’s expectations.” He recently wrote an essay for high school that discussed the rigours of making hockey your life at a young age. He first laced up skates when he was four years old.

Brule could have chosen to live in North Vancouver where his parents, Chris and Lori, are based. Instead, like his fellow Giants, he’s being billeted in nearby Tsawwassen.

“It’s a little weird, but I want to be near my teammates and at the same school they attend. I don’t want to be 45 minutes away from everyone else.”

Heather King, the local school board trustee billeting Brule along with her husband Dean, confessed she didn’t originally know much about hockey: “I said, ‘Who are the Giants? Is this basketball, or football, or hockey?’”

But that’s created an ideal living situation for Brule. Getting away from all the hype, he can catch up on homework with a tutor assigned by the Giants, enjoy his favourite chicken and mashed potatoes, and head out for the next hockey game with a clear mind.

This young star isn’t afraid to set goals for the future. “I would love to get Rookie of the Year in the WHL,” said Brule. And few would be surprised if he cracks the 100-point barrier next year with Vancouver.

Of course, his current focus is on helping the Giants take the next step. Brule was called up to play for Vancouver in the opening round of last year’s playoffs versus the Kelowna Rockets. The memory of being swept 4-0 and outscored 24-5 still stings, although he did chip in one goal.

“I just want to see our team make the playoffs and go past the first round. Last year was our first year in the playoffs, and I want to start winning there and maybe go to the Memorial Cup.”

That would be a great venue for him to showcase his skills. Along with the likes of fellow 16-year-old wunderkind Sidney Crosby, Brule is part of the new wave of creative, finesse-oriented forwards that Canada is breeding.

Unlike Crosby, Brule wasn’t chosen to represent his country at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Finland. But he did earn another honour, playing for Team Pacific at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in St. John’s, Newfoundland. His chances of wearing the Maple Leaf at the 2005 World Juniors in Grand Forks, N.D., are excellent.

He knows that the comparisons and critiques will keep coming, even from angles that aren’t necessarily justified. The French-Canadian sound of “Gilbert Brule” raises the question of whether he was named after Quebec-born superstars like Gilbert Perreault or Rod Gilbert. But no, it’s just his dad’s heritage. “I don’t speak any French, but I’ve got these names, so people think I’m French,” Brule said with a grin.

Or how about the number 17 he wears? Is that a tribute to Jari Kurri of the 1980s Edmonton Oilers, a team whose style Brule admires? “No, I just couldn’t get 7 or 77. Anything with a 7 is pretty lucky for me.”

With an expected high selection in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Brule should be well on his way to joining fellow North Shore Winter Club graduates Paul Kariya and Brett Hull.

“I’ve got a few years of growing left to do. I definitely want to get bigger and bulk up a bit. But it’s not a huge concern, because it’s going to happen eventually.”

For Gilbert Brule, the biggest and best is yet to come.