SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — As a youngster, Riley MacDougall shared in one of the significant moments in the 40-year history of the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals.
The six-year-old MacDougall was on the ice celebrating the Capitals’ double-overtime win over the host Dieppe Commandos in the winner-take-all final of the 2009 Fred Page Cup Eastern Canadian junior A hockey championship in Moncton. His father, Kenny MacDougall, was the Caps’ head coach that season.
One of the memories the MacDougalls have from that Sunday afternoon in late April is posing together with overtime hero Mike MacIsaac for a photo with the Fred Page Cup.
“Being around for that was pretty special for me,” said MacDougall, a first-year engineering student at UPEI. “Now being able to play (with the Capitals), and trying to recreate something like that, is pretty special.”
“Being around for that was pretty special for me. Now being able to play (with the Capitals), and trying to recreate something like that, is pretty special.”
- Riley MacDougall
The 18-year-old forward from Stratford is in his sophomore season with the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) team. After recording 15 points in 49 regular-season games on a veteran-laden squad last year, MacDougall is looking to “elevate” his game while taking on more responsibility.
“I’m trying to be a bigger player in scoring more goals, make more plays and try to lead by example a little bit more,” said MacDougall, who can play both the wing and centre.
Perfect teammate
Capitals head coach Billy McGuigan described MacDougall as the perfect teammate – an individual everyone loves to be around and a combination of sarcasm and funny characteristics produce an “infectious personality”.
But, on the ice, MacDougall, who has three years of junior A eligibility remaining, is all business.
“He’s a player whose role is a hard-working guy who plays a defensive style and is in your face,” said McGuigan. “He’s gritty and is the type of player who will get under the (other) team’s skin, and he’s hard to play against. Those are the characteristics I like about him.
“He’s more of a shut-down, gritty type of guy at this point in his career, but I think there is some offensive upside that will come with some time.”
Road to Caps
MacDougall’s road to the Caps included three different programs in three years. After playing under-15 with the Eastern Express, MacDougall played his first year of under-18 eligibility with the Luke Beck-coached Charlottetown Bulk Carriers Pride (now Knights) in 2017-18. The Capitals drafted him in the eighth round, 89th overall, in 2018.
MacDougall captained the Charlottetown-based Mount Academy Saints’ under-16 team during the 2018-19 season before joining the Capitals.
“(Playing with the Pride) was a great experience for me, and there was a great coaching staff,” said MacDougall. “Then, at the Mount, I really developed as a player and a person. It was a great opportunity, and it led me to come here.”
Numbers
A look at Riley MacDougall’s statistics from recent years:
2020-21
Summerside, Maritime Junior Hockey League
GP G A Pts
3 1 0 1
2019-20
Summerside, Maritime Junior Hockey League
GP G A Pts
49 6 9 15
2018-19
Mount Academy Saints
Prep School Hockey Federation Under-16
GP G A Pts
13 11 7 18
Mount Academy Saints
East Coast Elite League
GP G A Pts
15 3 12 15
2017-18
Charlottetown Pride
N.B./P.E.I. Major Under-18 Hockey League
GP G A Pts
30 6 5 10
2016-17
Eastern Express
P.E.I. Major Under-15 Hockey League
GP G A Pts
30 19 21 40
Like most players who transition into junior A hockey, the five-foot-nine, 155-pound MacDougall said it was a big jump and did take some adjustments.
“You don’t realize how big it is until you make it,” said MacDougall. “The speed is different, but even the style of play and how you have to carry yourself is different than minor hockey.”
McGuigan said MacDougall transitioned well, and he always comes to the rink ready to compete.
“Every day at practice, he works hard, he works hard in games, he’s tenacious on the forecheck and defends well,” the bench boss said. “He has a good IQ and understands how to play.
We like him, and he’s a good team guy.”
Close to home
MacDougall doesn't have far to look for advice. He consistently seeks feedback from his father, who has extensive coaching and playing experience at many levels.
Along with coaching the Caps, the senior MacDougall played four years of junior A, including serving as team captain, with the Forbie Kennedy-coached Charlottetown Abbies.
"After I play a game, I usually ask him, 'What could I have done better here?’ And he usually has something to tell me,” said Riley. “He gives me great feedback, good or bad, after every game. That’s something I am glad to have.”
Game Day
Summerside Western Capitals’ game day notes:
- Next game – Saturday at 7 p.m.
- Where – Eastlink Arena.
- Opponent – South Shore Lumberjacks.
- Records – Capitals: 2-1-1 (won-lost-overtime losses); Lumberjacks: 0-7-0.
- At home – Capitals: 1-0-0.
- On the road – Lumberjacks: 0-3-0.
- Points leaders – Capitals: Owen Gilhula (3 GP, 2-2—4); Lumberjacks: Bair Gendunov (7 GP, 3-5—8).
- Previous meeting – Capitals won 4-2 in Bridgewater, N.S., on Nov. 13.
- Quote – Caps head coach Billy McGuigan: “I thought we had a good game in South Shore. We stuck with our plan for 60 minutes. Our team is a hard-working team, and we are hard to play against. I don’t think anything comes easy when you play us, and that was the theme of the last three games. Over in South Shore, I felt we dominated aspects of the game, and were the better team.”
Jason Simmonds is a sports reporter for The Guardian.
