St. Paul's Owen Boucher was selected in the eighth round of the Western Hockey League (WHL) bantam hockey draft last week. The 15-year-old has been playing AAA hockey in Fort Saskatchewan for the past two seasons, and also spent time playing in Bonnyville prior to that, but he calls St. Paul home.
His parents, Armand and Sarah Boucher, have been supporting and encouraging their son's love of the sport pretty much since he was able to walk. Sarah admits the sport is a bit of a family addiction, with Armand having played in college, and hockey often being the topic of discussion, even on family holidays.
"Sometimes, I think it's just in your blood," says Sarah, as she stands next to Owen, the same afternoon of the WHL draft where he was picked by the Winnipeg Ice 157th overall in the eight round.
And while Thursday was an exciting day for the Boucher family, the 2018/19 season had its challenges for Owen. In December, he took a hit while playing hockey and suffered a broken collar bone. The injury kept him off the ice for three months.
The young defenseman went through physio and continued to make regular trips with his Fort Saskatchewan bantam AAA team, as he was still required to show up to all the games. Owen then made his comeback during the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League (AMBHL) playoffs, and finished the season off on a high, helping his team become league champions.
Despite going through other inevitable injuries that come along with the sport, the collar bone injury took Owen off the ice for the longest. But when he returned to the ice, he came back "full speed ahead," says Sarah.
For the 2019/20 hockey season, Owen plans to once again play in Fort Saskatchewan, as he moves up to the midget level.
When asked what it is about the sport that draws him to the ice, Owen says, "there's just a special feeling I get when I play the game." He adds that he loves being in the cold, and it's simply a good feeling to breath in the cool air.
His mom adds that even when Owen's not on the ice, he can be found shooting pucks near the family's home in St. Paul, where his dad has built a special wall so the pucks don't hit the neighbour's house.
As for long-term plans, Owen plans to continue playing at a higher level and he hopes to use the sport to help him pursue his post-secondary education. Despite all the travelling to play with the Fort Saskatchewan team, Owen maintains honour role status at school as a Grade 9 student at Racette Junior High, often doing homework in the vehicle.
When it comes to thanking those who have supported him, Owen says his family is at the top of the list, specifically his dad.
"My dad. He's always give me advice after games, even if I don't want to hear it," says Owen.
When asked how it feels as a parent to see her son reach the next level in the sport, Sarah is short on words, but says she's simply "proud."
Owen also offers thanks to his coaches and teammates in Fort Saskatchewan for helping his achieve his most recent success.
Players eligible for the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft were 2004-born players residing in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
