A few minutes with...Dan Welch

The Brahmas newest forward talks about his career and joining the Brahmas

Shortly after getting word that he had been traded to the Texas Brahmas, Dan Welch was on the road to North Richland Hills to make today's practice at 10am. I spoke to Dan while he was driving through New Mexico. We talked about his career, the trade and his strengths as a player, among other things. Here is some of our conversation.

Q: So when did you find out about the trade?

A: I knew that they had to make some decisions. He (Kevin McLelland) said something after the game on Friday. I knew that they had to make some decisions and I knew I was probably one of the guys that I would have to make a decision about but I didn't get word until right before practice today (Monday).

Q: Were you surprised that you were going to the Brahmas?

A: I didn't know. I didn't really know who was interested; I didn't know if I would be traded; I didn't know if I'd be released...I was kind of going with an open mind, not knowing really what was going on.

Q: Not a bad deal, getting traded to the league champions though?

A: Yeah, you can't complain. If you're going to get traded, life could be worse.

Q: Have you ever been down to Texas before, outside of your time playing with the Wildcatters?

A: I haven't. I've been told it's almost like two different countries - Beaumont and the Dallas area.

Q: Yeah, that's for sure. Now, you've been around for a while; when I first heard that you had signed with Colorado, I was thinking that you were a newer player. I didn't realize how much pro experience you've had...

A: Yeah, there's a lot of stickers on the suitcase (laughing).

Q: This all started with the University of Minnesota, with the Golden Gophers?

A: I played three seasons there and then I went to Manchester for most of three years; I played a little bit, I think about 10 games in the East Coast League and then, I kind of saw the writing on the wall a little bit, where, you know, you weren't quite going to make it to the NHL, so I took a chance with Europe.

Q: How did you like that - you started out in England, correct?

A: Yeah, you know, people ask me what's the favorite place you've been. They're all so different. The hockey is different, the people are different, the food is different. England, to me, was the most fun. France had the best food, Switzerland had the best scenery. Denmark had the best nightlife. It's like - one thing or the other.

Q: That's a nice way to get to see the world, while playing hockey, eh?

A: Yeah, you know you can't complain. You get a chance to do this at a young age and see the world. You really don't know what you've done until people talk about going to Europe or you're watching a movie and you're like "Oh, I've been there." It's kind of surreal.

Q: You ended up down in Beaumont for a season with the Wildcatters. How did you like it down there?

A: I enjoyed it. We had a great rink down there. We had a really, really good team. Philip Shipp, the equipment manager was down there with me. We had a really good team; a lot of good players. It was too bad because they had a beautiful rink - they just couldn't quite support the team there.

Q: So you moved on to Idaho and played there for a bit before going out to Totempo in Denmark and you played there with a former Brahma, Brandon Benedict...

A: Oh yeah, me and Benny - we played in Texas together and then me and Benny and two other guys who played in Texas, Tim Cook and Scott Champagne, lived in a house together in Denmark, about 15 minutes from downtown Copenhagen.

Q: Things went South with the team declaring bankruptcy - any regrets about how that all went down?

A: Actually, it worked out beautifully for us. We got to go to Denmark; our team was OK and then we all got to come back. Because of the laws in Denmark, we all got our money because the team went bankrupt. Some teams just stop paying, but our team actually went bankrupt so the government had to pay you three months' salary. So what was nice about that was, we all got to go where we wanted to go, instead of worrying about money. I know Benny had friends down in Texas and I had a first cousin in Boise, which was the first thing I thought of. I heard Boise was a good place and my first cousin was there - our parents lived about five blocks from each other, so that's kind of how I made my decision.

Q: How did you end up getting recruited to Colorado?

A: Well, what happened was, I have an agent and we were looking in Europe. I kind of wanted to go places that were nice areas to be in and where people cared about their hockey. The CHL was more conducive to that compared to the ECHL, because of the call-ups and everything around that. It worked out too that, like when I came back from Denmark last year, I was considered a veteran and I think they changed the rule and all of a sudden I have this year and next year of not being a veteran. So, Colorado called and they were very enticing. Mr. Stewart and Mr. McLelland did a good job recruiting me. I thought at the time, it was the right place to be.

Q: So you started the season playing against the team you'll be playing with. What was your impression of the Brahmas in the games you played against them?

A: I think they're a good team. I think they are at the high end of skill. You can kind of see that they have systems...teams like the Brahmas, they might start out a little slower than other teams because they are more system-oriented and it takes a bit of time for teams to get accustomed to that. You can tell they have discipline, you know, within their systems...goaltending is plus plus. So, it's a good situation.

Q: Did you have much familiarity with the team before playing against them, or much familiarity with the CHL?

A: You know what? No. I knew not one person on my team in Colorado before going there, which was kind of weird. And I don't know anybody on the Brahmas team.

Q: For you as a player, what do you consider to be your strengths?

A: Well, I think I can skate. I think that's, you know, bread and butter's a little strong but I think, you know, that's where I still make my money - I can skate. I think I play the game right, if that means anything. I'm not going to take guys one-on-one all the time when we're up two to one or stuff like that. I think I know how to penalty kill, I think I know how to play with the lead; I think there's other stuff like that sometimes, maybe goes unnoticed. I think that's a strength of mine and I take pride in that.

Q: Are you excited about getting down here and getting right back on the ice?

A: Well yeah, as you can tell, I'm on my way down there to get to practice tomorrow morning (Tuesday). I'm excited. It's always a new adventure. It's always interesting. You always want to see where you fit in. It's a nervous energy type thing.

Dan made it here safe and sound and was on the ice for this mornings practice session. There was a lot of talk today about Brett Jaeger's call up to the Houston Aeros. The practice ended a little early and Dan and the boys headed over to the volleyball courts to get a work out of a different kind.

Welch is a very likeable young man and should have no problem fitting in. We'll look forward to seeing him play for the Brahmas, instead of against the Brahmas, this Friday night from Bossier City.

Photo Credit: Steve Stoner/Loveland Reporter-Herald