As the captain of the Golden Bears hockey team, you must have played your fair share of hockey growing up. How did you get your start?

I’ve always wanted to be a professional hockey player. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to head to Seattle, when I was 15, to play for the Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League. They drafted me in hopes of developing me enough to get an NHL contract. I went to a couple of NHL camps but didn’t get the contract I was looking for. So, I used the scholarship money you get from playing in the WHL to come to the U of A and get my degree.

As far as schools go, did you have other options when deciding where you wanted to play university hockey?

I was recruited pretty heavily by at least a dozen schools, but the track record of the Golden Bears hockey program is second to none. The year I was recruited they were national champs and in my first year here, we won again. I mean, I have the incredible opportunity to win three championships in five years.

You must have become pretty good friends with most of the guys on the team. What are the road trips like?

Road trips are a blast with the fellas! You get bus fever after five or six hours at a time, especially with 20 guys. Lots of stories get told at the back of the bus, that’s for sure. For the most part, it’s a nice getaway, but you’re only concerned with playing your games and getting the work done.

I’d imagine by now that you’ve heard all the hockey player stereotypes, how do you enjoy being painted with that brush?

Ha-ha, we joke around about being dumb jocks and scraping by in our classes, but for the most part, we have a lot of very smart guys on the team. There are guys in pharmacy and even medicine. It would blow your mind at how successful these guys are in school, it’s even more impressive given all the commitment it takes to play hockey at the same time.

What’s the long term plan now that you’ve done your five years of eligibility?

I’ll have my degree at the end of this year, and then I’m hoping to go overseas and continue playing hockey. There are even leagues in Asia and Australia now. Right now, I’m focused only on this season and I’ll figure it out after this year is over.

I don’t want to get you in trouble, but what’s some advice that your coach gives during the pre-game speech?

He likes to say: “You can knock us down, but we’ll bite your ankles while were down there!”

*suiting provided by Henry Singer | vehicle provided by Ericksen Infiniti