Turner McMillen has developed into a reliable forward for the Prince Albert Raiders. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nolan Kowal

Turning heads

Turner McMillen turning heads in Hockeytown North

Feb 23, 2024 | 5:00 PM

Prince Albert Raiders fans wouldn’t have known his name at the start of the season, but they certainly know it now.

Forward Turner McMillen has been excellent since arriving in P.A., putting up 11 points in 19 games while playing a hard-nosed style.

The recently turned 21-year-old was acquired by the Raiders via the Estevan Bruins of the SJHL back in January.

“It’s really good here,” said McMillen, who also spent parts of five seasons with the Kelowna Rockets. “The guys are unreal…I’m getting a lot more comfortable with the guys, the game, everything. Getting back up here [to the WHL level] took a little bit of getting used to, but it’s good.”

The Carievale, Sask. native admits he loves to play physical and mix it up on the ice.

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“I love getting into it, whether it’s chirping, hitting, fighting, that’s how I try to play,” he said. “Corey Perry, Brad Marchand, I try to play like those guys,” he said.

Raiders Head Coach Jeff Truitt agrees that McMillen has added a new dimension to the lineup.

“He’s in our top six [forwards] for sure…he adds power, he’ll hit, he has a good shot, makes good little plays,” Truitt said. “Some people won’t really realize the little plays that he does make in order to free up teammates and create space. You might not see it live, but when you go back on the tape and take a look at it, he does a lot of good things correctly.”

“For a 21-year-old now, you need that. You wouldn’t expect that from a 16 or 17-year-old, but from a guy like him who’s been around, he’s been very impactful.”

The P.A. Raiders currently occupy one of the final playoff spots in the WHL’s very competitive Eastern Conference with 12 regular season games remaining on their schedule.

“It’s tight. [The standings] are tight for sure. These points are big,” McMillen said.

Finally, there wasn’ much hesitation on McMillen’s part when asked which rink in the league is his favourite.

“I’m going to have to say the Art Hauser Centre…I love it.”

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com