Connor Hoekstra is on top of the world after winning gold with Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge.
“It’s the highlight of my career. Playing with the top players in Western Canada and playing against the top players in my age group in the world was a great experience,” said the St. Albert product who plays for the Canmore Eagles in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Hoekstra, 18, was one of seven AJHL players on the Canada West roster at the recent international competition in Langley, B.C. Colton Parayko, a St. Albert defenceman with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, was also on the team. Canmore bench boss Andrew Milne, a former St. Albert Saint who played his minor hockey in St. Albert, was part of the coaching staff.
In the final Canada West doubled Canada East 4-2.
“Everyone on the team made us win the gold medal,” said Hoekstra, who was pointless in five games and had 12 minutes in penalties.
“I had to change my role a little bit to make the team,” said the rambunctious forward.
In the preliminary round Canada West lost 2-0 to Sweden and 6-1 to the United States before knocking off the Czech Republic 4-1 in the quarter-final and beating Sweden 2-1 in overtime in the semifinal.
“I actually didn’t play that bad in the preliminaries, which gave me a good opportunity to play in the playoffs,” said Hoekstra.
The former midget AAA St. Albert Raider was among 60 players, including 17 from the AJHL, invited to the Canada West evaluation camp in September.
“I knew I was on the radar but getting that call to go try out was definitely a confidence booster,” said the Paul Kane High School graduate.
In his second AJHL season, the five-foot-11, 196-pound right-winger has 23 points and a team-high 88 PIM in 25 games.
“I’m kind of a power forward, energy player who bangs bodies, gets pucks deep and does the dirty things,” he said. “I just play my game. There are certain roles on the team you need to fill and I have a role that a lot of players don’t got.”
Last season Hoekstra had 10 goals, 12 assists and 80 PIM in 58 games with Canmore.
“We had a lot of top players last year and this year I needed to step up and start being a leader on the team, on and off the ice, and start putting in some offensive skill.”
Hoekstra turned himself into a junior-calibre player after grinding out 10 goals, 10 assists and 78 PIM in 32 games with the Raiders.
“I didn’t play the most on my midget team so I had to put it on myself over the summer to get my game up to shape and get my level up to the AJ level. I thought I did a great job doing that, especially with my skating. It’s not the greatest stride but it’s definitely one thing I worked on to make that level of hockey.”
In the only game of the season for Canmore (10-22-1) in St. Albert, Hoekstra put on a show for his fans with a goal and a fight in Friday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Steel.
“I had a few people out here cheering for me and it was nice to see,” he said. “Playing in your hometown you can’t let them down. You’ve got to come out ready to go.”
Hoekstra sniped his 13th goal to make it 2-0 in the first period.
“It was kind of a little rebound goal off my teammate and I put it five hole,” he said. “It wasn’t much of a pretty goal. It was just all about getting it to the net.”
With 7:40 left to play, and the score 2-2, Hoekstra and Steel defenceman Matt Abt dropped the gloves in a short but spirited bout.
“We were battling all throughout that shift and he asked me to go so I said all right and I let him have it,” Hoekstra said.
