OKOTOKS, AB (March 17, 2025) – Brennen Hocher, the 17-year-old defenceman from Calgary is in his second season with the Okotoks Oilers.
Hocher’s 2024-2025 season didn’t get off to the start he wanted as he battled an injury, but he has now been in the lineup regularly, showcasing why he got a commitment from the University of Omaha-Nebraska last season at the age of 16.
Before joining the Oilers last season, Hocher played for Edge in Calgary, the same school his current roommate and teammate Ryan Boyce, grew up playing for.
“His parents are really accommodating. It’s like my home away from home; I love being there,” Hocher said about the Boyce family. “It’s just really nice. Obviously, it’s still in Calgary, so it’s close to my actual house, where I can just bounce between places. Like during my injury, it was huge being able to go back home and talk with my parents. So, yeah, it’s great.”
The Boyce’s live about a 15-minute drive from the rink, which has made it easier for Hocher to make practices and attend school at HTA in Okotoks.
“It’s great living with Boyce; he’s a great kid. Love going to school with him, It’s a lot of fun,” he added.
While both Hocher and Boyce attended Edge in Calgary, this season is the first time the two have been teammates for a full season. While they didn’t play much with each other at Edge, both Hocher and Boyce shared the ice with Landon DuPont who has been impressing in the WHL after being awarded exceptional player status this season to play for the Everett Silvertips.
“I mean, it’s clear he’s a different player. I could tell it from the first practice. It’s just he sees the game in a way that’s different from everybody else, and he deserves all the praise he gets. He’s really humble, nice kid,” Hocher said about DuPont. “I remember he came out to a couple of (Okotoks Oilers games) last year. It was great to see him; he’s a great guy, happy for him; unbelievable player, and looking forward to seeing where his career goes.”
Hocher explained that while they are both defencemen, they play a different style of game. Hocher did say though that he has taken a few things from DuPont’s game and implemented it into his own game, for example how DuPont sees plays and gets his head up before he gets the puck.
Landon isn’t the only family member of the DuPonts that Hocher is familiar with as he has played with Landon’s older brother and was coached by their dad, former Calgary Flame, Mickie DuPont. Nolan and Hocher while playing Bantam together, last year they played on opposite ends as Nolan was with the Blackfalds Bulldogs for the 2023-2024 season.
“Great brothers, love those two guys, and yeah, I hang out with them quite a bit,” he said about the DuPont brothers.
During the Christmas break this season, Hocher had the chance to share some ice with former Okotoks Oilers, Jagger Tapper, Kade Turner, and Sam Huck.
“I was looking for ice. I needed ice so I could get back after the break, and I was just like, why not? It was a lot of fun, good seeing those guys. Even for a fun practice, it’s cool to see how fast they are and how they made steps toward college, it’s awesome,” Hocher said about sharing the ice with his former teammates from last season.
Not only was Hocher happy he got to hang out while playing some puck with Tapper, Huck and Turner, but he also mentioned how nice it was to have former Oilers captain Dean Spak take part in a practice earlier this season. When Spak came down from Alaska-Fairbanks of the NCAA for the Oiler practice, Hocher made sure to ask him about how the season was going and how his studies were going. Hocher praised his former teammates for helping him mesh with the team early last season and help him grow.
“They did a great job taking me in. I joined mid-year, which is never easy,” he said. ” They pulled me in like they showed me the reins, all of them were great, There wasn’t a single guy on that team who wasn’t a leader and didn’t help me, even when I was struggling at times. Guys were there to lift me up. It was huge for me.”
Hocher notices a difference in play with the Oilers officially playing in the BCHL this season. He said last season when they played teams like Olds they were able to let off the gas a little bit, where the teams across the BCHL are competitive and you have to bring your A-game every night.
While the Oilers played the Alberta teams in the BCHL many times, including last season after they made the jump into the BCHL, the majority of the teams the Green and Gold have played against this season for the first time in franchise history. This means the road trips have got a bit longer than they were last season. Hocher said the road trips are a bit different from last season explaining that they are a lot longer, but added that it gives the team a longer time to hang out during the trips which has been fun and helped the team bond.
Once Hocher has finished his junior hockey career, he will be off to the University of Omaha-Nebraska to play post-secondary hockey. He mentioned that last season he had a couple of schools inquiring about a commitment but felt the opportunity that Omaha-Nebraska was offering was something he couldn’t pass up.
“I didn’t want to leave them hanging for too long, and I just thought that scholarship is too much of a gift to let linger. When you let stuff linger like that, they become unsure, then you become unsure, so I think it was best to get done right away and I’m super thankful for those guys and how they showed me around their rink when I went there. It’s an unbelievable spot,” Hocher said about the University of Omaha-Nebraska.
Hocher is ecstatic about the opportunity to play in the NCAA at some point in his career.
“I dream of it, that’s for sure. I can’t wait, I wish it was happening right now. Obviously, I got to develop and it is what it is, but yes, super looking forward to going there. Like, for my fly down, it’s an unbelievable spot,” he added.
He also mentioned seeing Victor Mancini, a New York Ranger prospect at the time and now a Vancouver Canuck at the University of Omaha-Nebraska during his visit. Hocher said it was fascinating to watch him skate and practice.
While Hocher is excited for the future, he also loves his time in Okotoks and wearing an Oilers uniform.
“This place means a lot, like I’ve been down and up here being just close to Calgary, so I know what the city’s about and now I understand what this team environment and this culture is about. The fans are amazing, even when I was injured, I had fans coming up to me all the time,” Hocher said about Okotoks. “It’s unbelievable here, the support, and yeah, I can’t wait to keep moving forward with this team because there is just such a great town behind it”.
None of this would have been possible for Hocher without his parents Heather Smith and Josef Hocher.
“They are both unbelievable parents. They supported me through the highs and the lows. This year they were huge for keeping my mentality strong, like with the injury. I had a broken wrist and then I was about to come back in November. Then I learned that my thumb tendon snapped right as I was getting back. So, I had to call them (Hocher’s parents) right away. They were letting me know everything was going to be ok. Just stay the course, keep being fit, believe in yourself, and you’ll get an opportunity later in the year. They’ve lead me to where I am now, and I’m playing, I feel a lot happier and it’s only due to them. They played a big part in that. Obviously growing up, they were the reason why I love the sport so much, and they paid for my skating, sticks, my equipment, like I can’t be more grateful for them,” he praised.
Hocher would also praise his older sister Camryn for helping him become the person he is today. Camryn is currently attending Mount Royal University.
“She’s been a big mentor my entire life. I’ve learned a lot from her. Like how to navigate certain situations. I have never been much of a public speaker, but just seeing how she interacts with other people has helped me find new friends. She is a very well spoken individual. She loves helping kids, she’s inspired me to do more volunteering. I used to work at the libraries with her before in the summer. She’s unbelievable,” he said about his sister.
While Camryn did take part in a ton of sports like competitive swimming, hockey was not her thing.
“My parents always said that if she really was passionate about sports, she would be better than me, which I agree,” Hocher joked about his sister being a better athlete. “She is naturally athletic. I think it’s unfortunate that she didn’t play hockey, but I understand and she’s doing great now with what she’s doing.”
Hocher’s parents have made sure to come watch him at Viking Rentals Centre, as for his sister Camryn, she avoids the rink ever since a previous incident that happened at a game she went to when Hocher was younger.
“So, the last time she came to a game, the reason why she doesn’t come to games anymore, I was in Pewee and we were in a tournament in Montreal. She was standing in the stands and a puck, like a guy on my team shot a puck into the stands and hit her straight in the head. She was so upset. She was done. I think it’s just a superstition thing where she hasn’t come to a game ever since. I don’t blame her at all after that,” he explained about why his sister doesn’t come his game anymore.
As for the Green Army, Hocher sees and hears everyone at the games.
“These fans are amazing just how much they show up and how much I get to talk to them,” Hocher mentioned. He thanked the fans for coming up to talk to him while he had to sit in the stands during his injury this season and said how cool it was to talk to the Green Army about some of the older players who have left, as well as reminiscing about the Oilers and Bandits second round series from last season.
10 questions with Brennen Hocher
What is the most embarrassing song on your playlist?
“I’ll do Born this Way by Lady Gaga”
What is your go-to cheat meal?
“Oh I would say a really good takeout Chinese meal. Like the chow mein, the fried rice. I like the beef and broccoli a lot, or peeking duck. Peeking duck is unbelievable. I’ll eat 10 things of that for sure if I had to.”
If you could meet anyone in the world, alive or dead, who would it be?
“Maybe Gordie Howe. Yea, just kind of see what hockey was like back them. Talk to him about his experience in the NHL. Obviously he’s a legend of the game, so yeah.”
Favourite player and team growing up?
“So, I’ll say they aren’t my favourite team now. I used to be a Capitals guy, that was before they won the cup. I think when I played for the Alberta Cup that was my answer to. I loved Ovi (Alex Ovechkin) and the Caps.”
Favourite movie and TV show?
“Movie, I would say 21 Jump Street. TV Show, I’ve really got into Suits. I think that’s my new favourite.”
What song gets you pumped up?
“I would say Iron Man by Black Sabbath.”
Would you rather go to the past or the future?
“Go to the past, buy a couple Bitcoins and become rich.”
Best chirp you have ever said or heard?
“I don’t say a lot of chirps, so I’ll say one that was given to me by Hughie Hooker on Brooks last year. He called me Jesse Puljuarvi. I mean, I know I look a bit Finish, that’s for sure. I didn’t know what to say to that.”
Where in the world would you go if I could snap my fingers and get you there?
“Tokyo. Japan just in general is a perfect blend of old culture mixed with the new technology. I think that’s just right up my wheelhouse. Especially turning 18 this year. I would love to go to some parties there and I think it’s just a super cool spot where a bunch of urban centres, but really cool nature, like Mount Fuji. So, I think that would be the spot to go.”
Who on the team would you have as an emergency contact?
“I’d say Tobey. Fellow D-man, I feel like I have got to know him pretty good. Seems like a reliable guy, I mean, I drive him home a lot, so surely he owes me a favour.”
Bonus
Favourite sport other than hockey?
“I used to play baseball, played in the Cal Ripken World Series before. I’ll say that’s my second favourite, definitely not as intensive as hockey, but yeah, really fun.”
If you could relive any day, what day would you choose?
“The day where Dean Spak scored in game six in overtime versus Brooks. I miss that day. I was on the ice and it was one of the happiest moments I’ve ever lived. Probably the best moment on the ice I’ve ever had, The crowd going crazy and just an unbelievable moment. I really miss that moment for sure.”
What is your secret talent?
“I play the piano. I don’t play really anymore, but I was like grade eight level of piano. My parents put me in it because they thought piano helps your brain and cognitive function. I think it helped me quite a bit with hockey too.”
Written by: Scott Savard
Photos: Chad Goddard
About the Okotoks Oilers
The Okotoks Oilers are a not-for-profit, community-run junior hockey franchise competing in the BCHL and operating out of Viking Rentals Centre. The Oilers are currently in their 20th year of play and their first full season since officially joining the BCHL in January 2024. For more information, visit okotoksoilers.com or follow the Oilers on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
