Former enforcer now scoring points with hometown team

Jon Mirasty was once considered one of, if not, the best fighter in professional hockey.

But Mirasty, a 38-year-old Cree from Flying Dust First Nation in Saskatchewan, who estimates he had about 500 fights during his hockey career, said he doesn’t even remember the last time he dropped the gloves.

“It’s been a long time,” Mirasty said. “I don’t remember when it was.”

That’s because Mirasty is no longer employed by a team primarily to serve as one of its enforcers.

He doesn’t even get paid to play the sport any more, but he still laces his skates. These days he suits up for his hometown Meadow Lake Broncos, members of the Saskalta Senior Hockey League.

The 12-team men’s Senior A circuit features clubs from Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Mirasty bounced around to six different teams during his junior days. Then he quickly made a name for himself during his first pro season, 2003-04, with the California-based Bakersfield Condors in the ECHL (formerly East Coast Hockey League).

Mirasty racked up a whopping 358 penalty minutes during his 56 regular season appearances in his rookie campaign with the Condors.

As a pro, Mirasty also played with two other ECHL franchises, Elimra Jackals and Greenville Grrrowls.

He also spent four seasons in the American Hockey League with the Syracuse Crunch and two years playing abroad in the Kontinental Hockey League, one season in Russia and one in Kazakhstan.

Mirasty also spent portions of six seasons in the Quebec-based Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey, a league known for its extremely physical play and numerous fights.

The 2019-20 campaign is Mirasty’s first full season with the Broncos. So why does he continue to play now even though he’s no longer earning a paycheque from the sport?

“To let my kids watch me,” said Mirasty, adding his three children did not attend or were too young to remember the majority of his pro games.

Mirasty’s son Triston, 17, is now away from home chasing his own dreams by playing for the California-based Fresno Monsters, a Junior A franchise in the Western States Hockey League.

Mirasty also has two daughters, Ava, 8, and Bexlee, who is two.

Instead of being an enforcer now, Mirasty is one of the offensive leaders for the Broncos.

He earned 14 points (four goals and 10 assists) in 14 regular season contests. And he’s collected six points in his first seven playoff matches.

Broncos’ manager Darryl Wourms is thrilled to have Mirasty on the club’s roster now.

“It’s a blessing,” Wourms said. “He does so much on the ice and off the ice for this team.”

Mirasty is also well known in his community and not just because he’s a former pro hockey player.

For the past couple of years, he’s been working as the recreation director for the Flying Dust First Nation, located a couple of kilometres north of Meadow Lake.

And he’s a rancher, raising horses and cattle.

Mirasty was also the owner/operator of a Tim Hortons franchise in Meadow Lake. He sold that business less than a year after opening it in 2016.

Mirasty and his Meadow Lake teammates will be looking to extend their season on Friday. The Broncos currently trail the Hillmond Hitmen 2-0 in their best-of-five league semi-final series.

One thing that is pretty much guaranteed is that Mirasty will not be involved in any fights with the Broncos.

Wourms said Mirasty is frequently challenged by opposing players who are well aware of his past reputation and are looking to make a name for themselves.

“He will not do it,” Wourms said of Mirasty’s lack of interest to engage in fisticuffs now. “He just looks away. He knows he can hurt them really bad. He’s determined to show everybody he’s more than just a fighter and that he is a hockey player.”

Mirasty, a left winger, usually finds himself playing on one of the Broncos’ top two lines.

“He’s averaging a point per game in a senior league that is ultra-competitive,” Wourms said.

The fact that Mirasty is an offensive weapon with the Broncos does not surprise Wourms. That’s because he had served as the head coach of a Bantam AA team that Mirasty played for when he was a teen.

“He was fearless when I knew him back then,” Wourms said. “He was getting lots of points when he was younger. I knew he had the hands and the talent.”

Though Mirasty said he’s not sure how much longer he’ll continue to play the sport, Wourms believes he won’t hang up his skates any time soon.

“He’s aged well,” Wourms said. “I think he will play a couple more years with this team.”