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Mychan travelling to chase pro hockey dream

Seven seasons after Jesse Mychan played for the Flin Flon Bombers, he still loves lacing up his skates at the competitive level.
Mychan

Seven seasons after Jesse Mychan played for the Flin Flon Bombers, he still loves lacing up his skates at the competitive level.

The Saskatoon product, who suited up in Flin Flon for 2009-2011, is currently in his fourth stint with the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL, which is two steps below the NHL. Mychan’s five-year pro career has included seven teams in five leagues on two continents.

“What keeps me playing hockey is I’m fortunate enough to play a sport I love for a living,” said the 25-year-old, who got married last summer. “Getting to travel the world with my wife while I do it is an added bonus. I’ll play until my body won’t let me anymore.”

Mychan came to the Bombers in the 2009-2010 season. He split that campaign between Flin Flon and the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. The next year the forward had 31 points in 56 games while also accumulating 200 penalty minutes.

“What I remember most about Flin Flon was the atmosphere at the games,” he said. “Any day of the week it was a packed Whitney Forum and the guys loved playing in front of that crowd. Still to this day, one of the craziest and fun places to play in my career.”

After his time with the Bombers, Mychan spent two seasons in the Western Hockey League split between Everett and Tri-City. He then embarked on what has been an interesting pro career. In North America, Mychan has spent most of his time with the Loveland, Colo.-based Eagles. He also has been called up for stints in the American Hockey League, the NHL’s top farm league, with Portland, San Jose, and San Antonio. In Europe, Mychan has played for teams based in Wales, Germany, and Austria.

“I have enjoyed all my European experiences…the hockey is different over there. Not a lot of hitting, but more skill and speed. The ice is bigger so you have more time to make plays and skate the puck.”

Mychan has had some interesting experiences overseas. His first game in Germany was in his team’s sold out home arena of 6,000, he said. The contest was tied 1-1 after two periods. Early in the third, Mychan’s Ravensburg Towerstars were on a power play. He scored from the point on a snapshot.

“I skate over to the glass and jump into it like a normal celebration. Little did I know it was the away team’s fan section. That’s a big no-no in Euro hockey. As a brawl almost breaks out in the stands I’m getting showered with German beer and whatever they can get their hands on to throw at me. After a 20-minute delay and getting the ice cleaned, I head back to the bench only to have my whole team laugh at me and tell me ‘Now you know, Canadian boy.’ I learned my lesson after that.”

Mychan’s wife, Brett, has traveled with him wherever he plays in Europe. The couple is working on scheduling a trip a bit closer to home for Mychan.

“We plan on visiting Flin Flon this summer so I can show her where my career started and how fortunate I was to play in such a great hockey town and live with such great billets in Brenda and Garnet Tessmer,” he said.

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