Winkler's Kaleb Peters thought it might be possible but he wasn't overly expecting to be drafted by a WHL team, but as the standout athlete was gearing up for a ball game, he was informed he was selected by the Tri-City Americans.
"I was warming up for a high school baseball game with NPC," the 5'11" defender says with a smile. "One of my buddies was on the other team, he was a goalie for us this year, he came and told me I got drafted. It was shocking and very exciting for me."
Being selected by the Tri-City Americans was a real treat for Peters, who had a feeling they might be interested. "I still don't know much about them, but I've been doing some research. I found out it is in Kennewick, Washington. It's quite the drive, but it seems like a good city. They sent out a questionnaire before the draft, so I thought it was a possibility I could end up there if I was drafted. Turns out, it was."
As excited as he was, Peters says his family was just as thrilled. "They were all very excited. They were proud of me. That meant a lot."
Finding out he was drafted is coming on the heels of a very strong season for the 14-year-old who put up a very strong season with the Pembina Valley Hawks U15 AAA club. "This last year, it's been very helpful that I came in as a returning defenseman," Peters says confidently. "I worked my way onto the power play and that really helped me round out my game."
Peters scored 5 goals and added 27 assists in 32 games, an impressive season for a defender finishing as point per game player. "The power play really helped," he explains. "It's about moving the puck quick and having traffic in front, you need the traffic in front if you want to beat goalies. You don't always have to rip a shot, it just has to get to the net, once a puck gets to the net, anything can really happen."
Playing for the Pembina Valley Hawks means a lot to Peters and coming up through the programs has really helped his game. "Being a Hawk is awesome. It's a great organization. You have these high quality games against great competition, plus there are really great guys on the club."
After spending the year at U15, Peters got into a couple games at the U17 level, something he says was huge for him heading into a full season at that level. "It was great, getting to see the speed, see the game at that level, it's going to really help heading into this full season."
Expecting to put on more weight this summer, Peters says he plans on working hard on his details so he can hit the ice strong, especially on his skates. "I'm going to work on getting bigger but I also want to be fast. It's going to be all about balancing that, being at my best. I'm going to be really invested. I want to keep growing myself and my hockey skills."
Knowing he's got his family watching him and supporting him, Peters say he wouldn't be where he is without them. "It's helped me out a lot. My family drives, but it's all the little things, being there for me, the support, helping with equipment, they have been so great."
As Peters enjoys the summer, he's already looking forward to next year and he's focused on one specific area of his game. "This upcoming year, I want to work on my footspeed. I want to put the work in to keep up with the play."
Kaleb Peters will be with the Hawks next season but one day, he could be standing on the blue line of the Tri-City Americans, something he's going to work hard for and never take for granted.