Pulling on a CBR Brave jersey for the first time this Saturday will stir up a strange mix of emotions for Wehebe Darge, with his debut game pitting him against his former teammates.

A proud product of South Australian ice hockey, Darge has been a stalwart of the Adelaide Adrenaline since his rookie debut in 2009. After seven seasons with the Adrenaline, the 2016 Australian Ice Hockey League MVP says that the decision to sign with the Brave didn’t come easy.

“Making the decision to sign with another AIHL club was one of the hardest things I’ve done”

“Adelaide has been very good to me; those guys are some of my best mates”.

After playing back to back seasons – in Australia and overseas – since 2012, the 25 year old made a decision earlier this year to take a break. With plans to travel at the end of his season with the Peterborough Phantoms, he wanted some time to rest and think about his future.

“After playing for five years straight with little more than a couple of weeks off between seasons I thought it was time to take a break, look for new experiences and think about what I was going to do after hockey”

Talking to Wehebe, you get the sense that for him life is an adventure that he takes one step at a time. Despite having decided to sit the season out, the lure of playing in the AIHL once again bought him back.

“In February I told the guys in Adelaide that I was taking the season off but as time went by I realised how much I’d miss it”

Darge says his decision to sign with the Brave can’t be put down to any one reason. While he recognises there will always be speculation around player movements, for him the decision is as much about his own personal journey as it is about hockey.

“I set myself a goal of creating new experiences this year and the decision to sign with Canberra, at its heart, grows out of that”

“I think playing for the Brave gives me a good shot at being part of a championship winning team but it goes much further than that”

“I’ve played against Blunden, Wudrick and Safar and when I saw they were all back this year I wanted the chance to play with such a well established import grouping”

“I also really like the style of hockey the Brave play and I think it’s a style that’s well suited to me”  

“That’s not to take anything away from Adelaide – they are an amazing club, have been very good to me and are looking very strong this year. But ultimately, I might only have a couple of seasons left and I want to focus on experiencing as much as I can while I still can”.

Darge also points to the much-maligned ‘Brave Cave’ as weighing on his decision.

“I’ve played around the world but nothing compares to the cauldron-like atmosphere inside that Canberra rink.”

“I can’t wait to see what it’s like to play there in Brave colours – I think it will be an amazing experience.”

Wehebe arrived in Canberra this week and says he’s also looking forward to pursuing some new work opportunities and using the time to start planning for life after hockey.

“I’m also looking forward to meeting new people and the experience of living and working in another Australian city.”

“While I think I’ll play overseas for a couple more seasons, I really want to start to get a plan in place for life after hockey and this sabbatical is an important part of that”

Darge lists his two championships as his career highlights – one with Adelaide in 2009 and one with the Dayton Demonz in 2014 – and hopes to add a third this year.

“There’s nothing like winning a championship and I think the Brave have been building towards it for the last couple of years”