Ask anyone in Yellowknife’s hockey community who’s been around long enough about the surname Mujcin.
You’ll get more than one person who would talk about that guy named Mirsad.
Mirsad Mujcin was one of those young stars from the NWT capital who ended up playing in the major junior ranks — parts of three seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). Now it appears his eldest son could be following in his footsteps in the junior hockey realm.
Decker Mujcin has officially signed a letter of intent to play with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints for the 2022-23 season. The team made the announcement on Feb. 1 and the 17-year-old forward is excited to get the chance to make the jump to the next level.
“I was actually at their training camp earlier this season and played in some exhibition games,” he said. “I thought to myself that’s where I wanted to be, if I could play there. It’s a good atmosphere in the lockerroom and I wanted to play in Alberta, to be honest. The AJHL is more my playing style.”
Mujcin is poised to join former Cariboo Cougars Brody Dunne, who signed with the Saints in 2020, and Hunter Brown, a 2021 recruit. In a statement announcing the signing, Rob Sklaruk, the team’s general manager, said he was thrilled to add another member of the Cougars to the team.
“Decker plays a hard, physical game and possesses a high level of compete,” Sklaruk said. “He is extremely powerful, with an relentless desire to drive the net. Mujcin is incredibly skilled in tight and is exceptionally creative with the puck.”
Mujcin was born in the capital in 2004 and made the move with his family to Prince George, B.C., in 2014. He’s spent the last four seasons with the Cariboo Cougars AAA program in the B.C. Elite Hockey League. This season, he’s with the U18 squad, where he’s racked up 16 goals and 15 assists in 26 games as of press time.
The letter of intent means he will attend camp again — Mujcin said he still has to crack the starting line-up — but he said it’s nice to be able to focus on the rest of this season.
“I still have to prove myself,” he said. “I know what my plans are now and I can just go out and finish up this season strong.”
It’s been a whirlwind season for Mujcin and not just because of Covid-19. He came down with a case of it in December, sidelining him for a few days, but there were other hurdles.
“Our school was shut down (due to Covid-19) and the flooding we had in the province caused us to miss some games,” he said. “We’ve been making up the games we missed now so we’ve been really busy.”
As he prepares for junior hockey, Mujcin said his father has given him a few pointers on what to expect and how to conduct himself.
“Going to camp with Spruce Grove showed me it’s nothing like minor hockey,” he said. “That’s something my dad told me — it’s so much different because you’re playing against adults at that level. He also told me to be good to the billet family.”