La Salle, Manitoba star forward Cole Secord is returning to the Pembina Valley Hawks after getting some experience at Kamloops Blazer camp, and he believes he's ready for some big things.
The beginning
Going back to the start of his hockey journey, Secord recalls loving the sport right from the start. "Around four years old, I got introduced to it, just like every hockey player," he says with a grin. "Basic skating and stuff. Around six years old, I started playing in an organized league, and I just fell in love with it. Every winter my dad would have a rink in the backyard, and I'd just skate all winter. I loved it."
Making a go of it
Once he started in organized hockey, Secord says it took a few years, but eventually, he understood he could really make a name for himself. "I feel like my 13-year-old year, I had about 70 goals in like, 20 games," he says with a humble but proud smile. "That was my biggest jump. Going into U15, I made AAA as an underage, and that was another big jump in my game. I wasn't the best player, but by the end of the year, I was top three in points. In my draft year, I feel like I also took another big jump. I feel like I've gotten better and better each year. I keep trying to get better, and I feel like I've taken some pretty big jumps, so if I keep on this pace, I'm pretty set."
Being scouted
Throughout his career, Secord has garnered attention, and the young phenom says it has been an adjustment being scouted by teams. "It's a big, big difference," he explains. "Coming from La Salle, you don't get much exposure, you don't play tournaments in the States or across the country. In your draft year, you really get it out of nowhere, guys are calling you, texting you, wanting to see what you're about, meet your family and see how they are. It was a big jump for me, because there were like 10 scouts one day at a showcase tournament coming up to me, and I was like, what do I do? What do I say to them? I don't really know what to do. As I adjusted to it, and got more comfortable with it all, I feel like it's gotten easier over time."
Adjusting to AAA
Secord says another big moment in his hockey life was making AAA, and learning what it was like to be at that level on and off the ice. "It was definitely big. The change of pace on the ice was way faster, but also, you're never really in the gym when you're a 13-year-old, but when you get to AAA, you're in the gym once or twice a week, plus you're doing stuff on your own time, so you're keeping up with that. You're building muscle, getting faster, getting stronger. It's gets to be a lot eventually, and it just keeps going."
The Kamloops Blazers select...
The impressive career for Secord hit another milestone when he was drafted by the Western Hockey League's Kamloops Blazers, even though he wasn't aware of it, at least when it happened. "When I got drafted, I didn't even know, to be honest. I was in a meeting at (Program of Excellence), and I got out of that meeting, looked at my phone, and I had about ten missed calls from the manager, the coach, they were trying to get a hold of me. I looked at the draft update and I went in the third round. I called them back as soon as I could. I was flooded with emotions, I didn't know what to feel. I was excited, I was nervous, I didn't know what was next for me. I got to camp, and the older guys are a bit scarier, their bigger, stronger, faster, the pace was way higher than I'm used to, but they were super welcoming, and they made me feel like I was home. It was great."
Bring experience back to the Hawks
Coming back to the Pembina Valley after a couple of great days in Kamloops, Secord believes he's ready to do some serious damage to the U18 AAA hockey league. "I just feel like I'm physically ready, I have enough skill to play in the Western League, I just feel like I'm not fast enough. My goal this year is to get faster, I want to play with more pace. I want to be a goal a game this year, so i can help my team and give them a chance to win games. I just feel like while I'm on the ice, or in the gym, I'll be giving it my all to get bigger, faster, stronger, so I can play in Kamloops next year."
Family support
Through it all, the ups and the downs, the traveling all over the country, Secord says one constant is the love and support from family. "My mom is my biggest supporter, she's there for me no matter what, she's always in my corner. Next up, it probably be my granddad and my dad. My granddad kind of went through the same experience, so he knows what to do right, and what he made mistakes on that he doesn't want me to make mistakes on. He's a great mentor. My dad wants what's best for me, he pushed me every day, telling me to get in the gym, go give it your all, get that 1% better every day. I just feel like the group I have around me is always pushing for me to get better."