His numbers are unspectacular.

219 Western Hockey League games.

29 career goals.

41 career assists.

70 career points.

70 career penalty minutes.

Based purely on those numbers, you could be forgiven for wondering what exactly it is that Colton Grant does.

Not a scorer.

Not a playmaker.

Not a tough guy.

So when the Bruins anted up a sixth round pick to get the 20-year-old from Medicine Hat on Oct. 7, the obvious question was, why?

Then you watch him play.

Grant made his Chilliwack debut two days later, facing his old mates from Medicine Hat.

He worked his butt off on every shift, and picked up an assist on the first Bruins goal. Going behind the net in pursuit of a loose puck, the Alberta native had to fight off not one, but two, Tiger defenders.

He circled out the left side and dished a saucer pass to Jeff Einhorn, who one-timed a slap-shot past Ryan Holfeld.

That’s why.

“He’s a winner,” said Bruins general manager Marc Habscheid. “He’ll make a lot of players around him better, and he brings a lot of intangibles that we need. We’re happy to have him, and very happy that we didn’t have to sacrifice a piece of our future to get him.”

To clear space for Grant, Habscheid waived and then released Andy Smith, another 20-year-old who wasn’t putting up the numbers expected from an overage player.

“Because you can only have three on your roster, the overage position is critical,” Habscheid said. “Andy is a really nice man, but he didn’t bring enough. Colton has been to a Memorial Cup and he’s played on a team that’s been a consistent winner.”

As a 17-year-old rookie, Grant played 71 games for the 2006-07 Medicine Hat team that steamrolled its way to a 52-17-30 regular season record.

He was part of a memorable playoff run that culminated in a seven-game victory over the Vancouver Giants in the WHL championship.

Advancing to the 2007 Memorial Cup, the Tigers clawed their way through to the final before bowing 3-1 to that same Giants team.

“Being 20 now, I’d tell the young guys in the locker room to not take something like that for granted, because it doesn’t come easy,” Grant said. “When I was 17, it didn’t really sink in how special our team was and how special it was to go to a Memorial Cup. It doesn’t come around very often, and to get there, you’ve got to bust your butt every day.”

Until he was dealt, Medicine Hat was the only WHL team Grant had ever known. The trade that sent him to Chilliwack wasn’t a shock, but his immediate reaction was one of sadness as he said goodbye to an arena full of familar faces.

“I had a lot good memories there, and it was hard to leave because I had a lot of friends, and knew a lot of people in the community,” he admitted. “It was like a second home to me. But I think the move to Chilliwack is going to be good for me with new teammates, a new coach and a new atmosphere.”

Grant knows his primary role in Chilliwack will be to show up at Prospera Centre every day, work harder than anyone else and set an example for his younger teammates.

“My numbers aren’t great, but I’ve always thought that with hard work comes success,” Grant explained. “That’s what I try to bring, no matter what the situation. It’s a boost when you see another guy going hard. When he’s doing all he can for you, you want to do all you can for him. Hopefully, what I do will rub off on some of the guys.”

Habscheid talks constantly about changing the culture in the Bruins locker room, and Grant embraces the opportunity to be a part of it.

“I learned a lot in my first year in Medicine Hat playing with guys like Kris Russell, Darren Helm and Derek Dorsett, guys who are all in the NHL right now,” he said. “Watching them and seeing what they did on the ice, they drove that winning attitude into me. Not just on the ice, but off the ice too. They always did the little things to help their teams win.”

Where Grant can have the most tangible benefit on the ice is with the penalty killing unit, which, prior to his arrival was ranked among the bottom five in the league.

In his first three games with Chilliwack, opponents struggled mightily, going a combined three for 18 on the PP.

Coincidence? Doubtful.

“I don’t know what it is, but I really like shutting teams down on the kill,” Grant said. “I take a lot of pride in it, and I’d like to think I’m pretty decent at it.”

Grant knows the situation he walks into is very dissimilar to the one he left. The Tigers represent the type of program Habscheid is trying to build in Chilliwack, but he’s not there yet.

For a guy who’s used to playing on winning teams, the on-ice results may not always be acceptable for Grant. But if he can look back on this season in a few year’s time, and know he was a successful part of Habscheid’s big-picture vision, he’ll consider his final WHL campaign a success.

“I’m here to play how I play and do what I do, and if the on-ice results are here, then bonus,” Grant said. “Beyond that, though I’m not here next year, if we can get the attitude changed and not take losing lightly, then I’ll know I’ve done something good in Chillliwack.”