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It’s a long sheet of ice between the local hockey rink and the NHL, but according to Hockey Canada, more than 1,230,000 Canadian kids over the age of 15 years skated towards it, last year. You can’t blame them for trying. It’s our national sport—the game is in our DNA.
And like all sports, having the advantage be it: the right surname, lucking out with an unbiased coach, getting quality/quantity ice time and playing on the team’s best line when there’s a scout in the stands can all help get you there faster. For the rest of the pack who lace up each week, working hard, perseverance and a genuine love for the game, rule.
These unknowns are the kids who forge ahead, tirelessly and one day soon, fingers crossed, will be drafted into the NHL. It only makes good sense. We Canuks have, after all, dominated a whopping 90 per cent of the league’s roster since 1917. And considering Alberta’s contributed heavy numbers, over 538 players since 1920 with 68 playing right now, we scoured the prairie province for inspiring up-and-comers.
Here are five of our favourite junior league hockey players—all of them skating below the radar, oozing with talent and worthy of their ice time:
Birth year: 1998
Team: Spruce Grove Saints
Position: Left Wing; Jersey #: 19
2014-2015 Stats: GP: 56; G: 21; A: 33; Pts: 54
What makes him great: If X marked the spot where the puck lands Biro would be there, waiting for it. His seemingly sixth sense puts him in the right place at the right time, almost all the time. He holds his stick low, too, so it’s connected with the ice making it easier and faster for him to pass left.
Birth year: 1996
Team: Olds Grizzlys
Position: Forward; Jersey #: 9
2014-2015 Stats: GP: 56; G: 24; A: 32; Pts: 56
What makes him great: Gerrie is exciting to watch, because of the way he handles the stick, weaving the puck around the other players. His technique is clean and his moves are unexpected, making game day worth the price of admission.
Birth year: 1998
Team: Banff Bears
Position: Forward; Jersey #: 10
2014-2015 Stats: GP: 25; G: 15; A: 24; Pts: 39
What makes him great: King took a leap of faith when he left his friends, the Calgary Mustangs to play in the jungle. It paid off: he’s the first 16 year old in three years to win the league’s Player of the Month; and the only one his age, listed in the Top 20 for points per game. But it’s his speed, agility and heart, that makes King the ultimate team player.
Birth year: 1995
Team: Calgary Mustangs
Position: Goalie; Jersey #: 1
2014-2015 Stats: GP: 49; GA: 160; Svs: 1617; Pct: 0.910
What makes him great: If Dattani’s reflexes weren’t so fast, his angles in the net would save him, and the game. For a player who’s only 5’11 and 160-lbs, this kid knows how to fill the space, staying square to the net and aligned with the puck.
Birth year: 1997
Team: Brooks Bandits
Position: Defense; Jersey #: 6
2014-2015 Stats: GP: 58; G: 6; A: 33; Pts: 39
What makes him great: At 5’10 and 170-lbs, Bear is not your typical D-man—his fellow defense men and teammates Adam Baughman and Linden Springer both clock in as expected, over six feet and at 200-lbs. But that’s what makes Bear intriguing. He’s spry, yet solid; nimble, yet strong and he keeps the offense where it should be: in the corners.
