From Macklin, Saskatchewan to Medicine Hat, Alberta, the Bonnyville Pontiacs were the development spot for one of the newest bright talents in the WHL – Dayton Reschny.
Just look up at the WHL Highlight of the Night from Oct. 25, where Reschny scores his 4th goal of the season to beat the Kelowna Rockets in overtime, and the Tigers picked up yet another win. They’re sitting 3rd in the WHL East Division and the former Pontiac is playing top line minutes.
Signed to a WHL Scholarship in September, Reschny entered training camp as an unknown, and he’s made the most of his opportunity.
“I've tried to come in and put in an honest effort every day, and just make sure when I go home at the end of the day, I feel good about myself,” Reschny said.
“So far, it's been working out.”
For the Bonnyville Pontiacs, it’s no surprise.
Reschny played just 24 games as a Bonnyville Pontiac, but was one of the most naturally gifted players with the puck in recent memory, as injuries abruptly ended his season during a dominant point streak.
He plays like the puck is a string connected to his blade. It appears effortless.
Maybe hockey is just in his blood.
Dayton’s cousin Cole was drafted in the 1st round by the Calgary Flames at the 2025 Entry Draft and is playing with North Dakota. His older cousin Austin played 153 AJHL games with Okotoks, Grande Prairie, and Drumheller, and currently suits up with SAIT. His younger cousin Anderson is 15-years-old and playing U18AAA with the Saskatoon Blazers.
But the bloodlines also molded a special connection to the Bonnyville Pontiacs.
General manager Chad Nelson is related to Dayton through marriage, and played against Dayton’s dad in senior hockey. Nelson got a front row seat to his ability as he advanced to junior hockey age.
“I could tell he had a ton of talent and wanted to take hockey to the next level. It was clear he was ready and would help us – and he did immensely,” Nelson said.
Reschny would then lead his Tisdale Trojans U18AAA team in 2023-24 with 23 goals, 35 assists, and 58 points – good enough for 4th in Sask U18AAA league scoring.
After appearing at multiple Pontiac camps, it was decision time for Dayton. Where would he go?
“I felt like Bonnyville would have been the best fit for me, especially with my relationship with Chad. He was very open and honest about everything. I felt really comfortable coming to Bonnyville, and they had a good track record of being a good organization for moving guys on to university,” said Reschny.
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Pontiacs fans only got to see glimmers of the talent. A training camp injury delayed Reschny’s first game to Oct. 5, 2024. In his next game against the Olds Grizzlys, he tallied three assists.
Finding his footing in his first junior season under then coach Ayrton Nikkel, he turned the corner offensively on Dec. 7, scoring a powerplay goal en route to a 4-3 home shootout win over the eventual Centennial Cup champion Calgary Canucks.
That began a 7-game point streak where he collected 4 goals, 8 assists, for 12 points, until Jan. 12 in Calgary.
Reschny fell awkwardly onto his shoulder avoiding a sliding defender who was trying to block a shot. As the team waited for him at the hospital, the prognosis was not good. He would be out for the rest of the season.
His subtraction from the lineup was a significant blow, and a great what-if for the Pontiacs season, as he finished third on the team in points per game at 0.88.
He stuck around in Bonnyville for a handful of weeks after, hoping the team could complete a playoff run.
“My billets were amazing. Chris and Amy Murphy and their three kids Ella, Nickalaus, and Kain, what an amazing family. They took me in right away and made me feel at home.
“The coaching staff was great, like Neil Langridge, Chad Nelson were really good to me. Ayrton, then both Chads, Carder and Taylor, also were very good to me. I really enjoyed it.”
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As the season concluded, the long rehab process was just getting started. He could finally get working out again in mid-May, and it was yet another month before he could work out his whole body.
“I was shooting pucks by the start of June at full strength. It felt really good. Then after that, it was just the contact part of it, which I didn't honestly get cleared for till the middle of August, like right before I came for camp.
Reschny said it was a tough decision to move on, but he impressed the likes of head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins, and fit in on a team that was one win away from the Memorial Cup.
A three game point streak to begin his WHL career didn’t hurt, either, and now he sits with 4 goals, 5 assists, and 9 points in 17 games for a team that aims to be one of the last standing in the country by May.
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Through the 2010s, the Bonnyville Pontiacs were one of the top organizations in the AJHL in developing players to earn NCAA scholarships.
Since 2021-22, the Pontiacs have had 17 players earn NCAA Division I scholarships while playing for the Yaks (excluding players who arrived already committed), or advance to pro through Canadian university.
These include: Sebastian Tamburro, Kash Rasmussen, Matteo Giampa, AJ Macaulay, Austin Saint, Alex Power, Charlie Russell, Trey Funk, Nick Traggio, Will Hilfiker, Nicolas Beaudoin, Max Seguin, Jack Budd, Mike Cataldo, Luka Sukovic, Dante Siciliano, and Mat Lajoie.
From last year’s team, Lajoie earned a commitment to Arizona State University, and is now playing with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Porter Byrd-Leitner came to Bonnyville committed to Colgate, and after his dominant rookie season, is now a member of the Oshawa Generals of the OHL.
The Bonnyville Pontiacs track record of developing talent for the next level is among the best in Alberta, and with the new Western Canadian Development Model, has continued that trend.
Dayton Reschny’s hockey career shows a similar amount of promise to great Pontiacs of the past, and Bonnyville will always hold a special place in Dayton’s heart.
“I really enjoyed Bonnyville when I was playing – actually, I enjoyed all of it. The community, the team, they made it feel really special.”
