Quiet and Confident, 18-year-old Defenceman gets Management's 'Seale' of Approval

September 13th, 2020
North Saanich, British Columbia

It takes a little while to get to know Matt Seale.  He does not walk into a room by kicking the door open and announcing his arrival.  No, he is measured and careful and does not say or do anything that makes one question where he is coming from.  But that all changes when he walks through the gate and onto the 200' x 85' sheet of ice.  This is his place and the Panthers are expecting him to kick down a lot of doors. If the VIJHL did not notice Seale last season, they certainly will this time around.

The skilled and willing defenceman came to the Panthers camp a couple years ago and althought he did not crack the lineup, it certainly had nothing to do with his performance.  Hockey Canada has a ticky-tack rule that only allows two 16-year-olds to play on a Junior team and although Seale was as good or better than some of the older defencemen in the Camp, he was caught up in the crossfire of the dreaded rule book.  The youngster was playing with the Saanich Braves Midget squad and was affiliated to the Westshore Wolves but was injured and it looked like his season was over.  The Panthers have a Medical Staff that is at the quality of a Major Junior Club and Head Coach Brad Tippett had Seale in to see a Sports Doctor in a matter of days.  And within a few weeks, Seale was back playing the game he loved.

"I have never spoken with Matt about it but I think that had quite a bit to do with him coming out last Spring and then signing here," explained Pete Zubersky.  " A lot of his friends were here and I think that Matt and his family felt really comfortable with our on-ice Staff as well as our medical group of people.  To say we are comfortable with the Seale family is an understatement.  They are fantastic people and fit in like a glove here on the Peninsula."

Zubersky spoke a bit more about the player.  "Matt played in the Prospects Game last January up in Nanaimo when the VIJHL took on the PJHL.  We were not at all surprised he was picked as one of the top six Prospect defencemen in the League.  It takes a bit of time to get to know Matt, he is careful coming out of the chute.  But once he feels comfortable, you can see his great personality.  He cares about the Club.  He wants to win.  He is a winner."

Seale was asked for his thoughts, his comments were meaningful:  "Last year I got the chance to play with easily the most tight-knit group of guys since I started playing hockey.  The 20-year old veterans whose final season of hockey unfortunately got cut short brought a lot of experience and leadership to the team, but as the season went on, I saw confidence work itself right through the lineup.  This year it’s a new season and there’s a lot of new faces, but I think everyone agrees that the goal is still the same as before: a championship title.  With our first few official practices in the books and a chance to get a good look at the rookies at full skill and speed, things are looking good for the season opener."

Head Coach Brad Tippett on his prized D-man:  "Matt is poised to make a big leap forward.  He is a big right-handed skilled defensemen which are hard to come by.  Coaches only truly find out how valuable a player is when he is not in the lineup.  The shoulder injury that sidelined him in the playoffs last season left a big hole that was impossible to fill.  He will quarterback one of the power play units this year.  Matt is a very solid and fine young man.  He carries over his excellence from the rink into the classroom. He thinks the game very well, is coachable and maintenance-free."

The Panthers schedule is still a bit up in the air but it is starting to come into focus a bit more each day.  It does appear that the Club will open on the road in Esquimalt at the Archie Browning Arena on Thursday, October 1st against their arch-rival Victoria Cougars and then will be right back at the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre the following night for their home opener when they play host to the same Cougars Hockey Club. 

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