At Shawnigan, hockey is about so much more than just ice time and training. There is a strong focus on education, which translates into success on and off the ice. Most families in the hockey world want to see their children succeed, and Shawnigan offers so much more than just hockey and allows its students to grow and find passion away from the rink. However, the facilities, the coaches, and the rink's location make even the hockey side levels above the competition. 

 

In my two years at Shawnigan, I have found that hockey is more than just what takes place at the rink. Following my Grade 11 year, I received an offer to play junior A hockey close to my hometown only a few days before returning to campus – a difficult decision with limited time to choose. After many conversations with my family, Shawnigan coach Kevin Cooper and the coach for the Spruce Grove Saints, we ultimately decided that returning to Shawnigan was best for me. On the ice, I knew I would have the opportunity to lead and have plenty of ice time, whereas in junior hockey, I would’ve been limited. The ultimate factor in my return to Shawnigan was... Shawnigan. We kept returning to “How do you miss out on more time at this place?” Academically being challenged yet encouraged, extracurricular activities that offer you a chance to find other joys, and an experience you cannot find anywhere else. I also did not want to let my peers in the House down; bailing on the role of Head of House days before we began seemed like something I could never stomach. 

 

The craziest thing about the whole process was that it was a decision not because of hockey that benefited hockey more than anything else. Coming out of a prestigious school such as Shawnigan, I was able to attract the eyes of a handful of junior teams, who gave me options on where I wanted to go next year. Even a few Division 1 schools took notice, including some Ivy League colleges. Not only that, but I was also able to join the Spruce Grove Saints, the team I signed with for the following year, for the end of their season and playoffs after the end of our season. Hopping right into it and finding success immediately, more Division 1 schools took notice. Coming in from Shawnigan, I was entirely ready for the challenge ahead. Luckily for me, I also had more help than I could have needed when it came to communicating with these colleges. Both coaches, James Gaertner and Kevin Cooper, gave me advice and spoke to those schools on my behalf. 

 

To pinpoint what makes Shawnigan’s hockey program so unique is simple: it’s Shawnigan. It is the connections between students and staff, how tight you become with everyone living with and around you. It’s the extra inter-House events, the late-night talks with your best friends in your dorm, the pride when your House hymn gets picked in Chapel, and the expectations put on us with just the right amount of guidance to ensure we still fail and learn. Shawnigan has a passion and school spirit that is nonexistent anywhere else; I fell in love with Shawnigan like many others before me. It changed me as a person and a hockey player, and I will forever be grateful to the school and hockey program as they let me excel and find what makes me, me. That is the key: hockey is more than just on the ice; it is everything else about who you are and how you put effort into other things. Shawnigan is incredible because you can see your progress the whole way, as everything you put into it returns to your successes.