Kainai Nation's Tallman inspires Indigenous youth and his teammates with hard-nosed, two-way play
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
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1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Manitoba | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 2 for 4 | 0 for 3 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 3 (6) | 4 (8) |
| Shots on Goal | 16 | 28 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – When it comes to warriors on the ice, few can match the intensity with which Brody Tallman plays the game.
Already out twice this season on injury stints, the hard-nosed second-year Griffins men's hockey defenceman didn't change his game one bit upon returning to the lineup earlier this month.
There he was against Trinity Western, going all out and even crashing hard into the boards – a moment where fans were holding their breath to make sure he popped back up OK.
"I try to keep it the same," said Tallman of his unabashed all-out style. "I feel if I alter my game, that's probably when I'll get hurt. It's just more natural for me to go all out, all the time.
"I've dealt with injuries a lot in my career, so I know how to manage them a bit. I find if I don't go 100 per cent, I'm more prone to getting hurt."
Tallman will lead the Griffins into weekend action vs. Manitoba (Friday, 7 p.m. and Saturday, 2 p.m., both Downtown Community Arena, Canada West TV). The game is MacEwan's Stick Up For Pride Tape contest.
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Tallman, who has seven points in 11 games so far this season with the Griffins, was initially hurt in their second game of the season Oct. 4 at UBC when he blocked a shot with his wrist. That kept him on the shelf for three games before he returned Oct. 18 against Mount Royal.
But he suffered a high ankle sprain Nov. 8 at Regina and went two months between games.
"It's been very up and down and hard on him mentally – just to stay with it and keep working," said Griffins head coach Zack Dailey. "I'm happy he's getting rewarded for his attitude and how he's handled those injuries."
Brody Tallman grimaces after crashing hard into the boards against Trinity Western earlier this month. With two separate injury stints under his belt already this season, fans collectively held their breath, but he returned undeterred (James Maclennan photo).
It's been huge for the Griffins to have him back in the lineup as his competitiveness is paying off on both ends of the ice. He had three assists in MacEwan's two-game sweep of Trinity Western Jan. 9-10.
"He's worked hard to make sure he's ready to go when he gets back," said Dailey. "It's something that's important to our group. His rush defence was something I've challenged him on and it's gotten significantly better. So, you can tell he cares about wanting to be good.
"I'm happy to see him producing offensively. It kind of comes naturally when you do things right. For him, it's an assurance that he's on the right track and doing some stuff right. Important for our group, his physical play, simple (game), willingness to eat pucks … he's just a really good guy who cares about our team and being successful."
Growing up in the Lethbridge area, Tallman – a member of Kainai First Nation – looked up to his cousin Wacey Rabbit, a trailblazer for Indigenous hockey players - logging hundreds of professional games all over the world, including 309 in the American Hockey League.
"Wacey's been one of my biggest hockey role models since I was going into junior," said Tallman, who finished his junior career in 2023/24 as captain and MVP of the AJHL's Canmore Eagles. "I look up to him a lot, talk to him daily and miss him lots. He's doing good in Vancouver (assistant coach with the WHL Giants), doing good things there.
"He was kind of a trailblazer for us native athletes – him and handful of others. He was one of the main ones who led the way for us young, native athletes, especially hockey players, to go and prove we can do something in hockey, sport, career, life, anything. He's a big part of my life, for sure."
Now Tallman is that mentor for younger Indigenous youth, a role he has willingly embraced.
"It makes me proud," he said. "I have my role models – Wacey, Judd Blackwater, Colton Yellow Horn, Winston Day Chief. There's a bunch of guys I can list off that I look up to, and I hope I can be a role model for as many aspiring Indigenous athletes as well.
"I work hard to really make my community and my people proud."
Brody Tallman keeps the net front clean for goaltender Eric Ward against Trinity Western on Jan. 10 (James Maclennan photo).
Tallman is a big part of the reason the Griffins have already clinched a Canada West playoff spot, something accomplished last Saturday when Trinity Western lost to Manitoba.
"That's great," said Dailey. "I'm really proud of my guys. They've done a lot of work to get to this point, so I'm super proud of them. But again, we want to be a program where that's the expectation. When we get into camp, we don't have to talk about making playoffs because that's our expectation is to be there.
"What we really want to focus on is winning and being good in playoffs. Last year, we got a small taste of victory – that one win was awesome and guys loved it, and that's the feeling we want to get back to. Lots of work to do still, but certainly very proud of our group."
There is still tons to play for as MacEwan trails cross-town rival Alberta by just one point for second place in the West Division, which comes with a coveted first round home playoff series. No. 3 has to go on the road.
"It's going to be some of the most important games of the year, these next four weekends," said Tallman. "We're in a battle for second. To get a home playoff game would be massive and to have that momentum going into playoffs with guns a blazing, riding a high horse (would be) huge for our confidence. Just going to be ready to go for playoffs."
