Gary Haden made one of his dreams come true when he finished his fourth season playing in the Western Hockey League this year.

Now, the 21-year-old from Airdrie, who played for the U15 Airdrie Xtreme, the U16 AC Avalanche and the U18 Airdrie Bisons before heading to Medicine Hat to join the Tigers for his first year in the WHL, is hoping to continue pursuing another dream: that of becoming a professional hockey player.

Haden was traded at the beginning of last season, going from the prairies with the Saskatoon Blades, to Canada's west coast to play for the Victoria Royals, a move that Haden admits caught him a little off-guard.

"I had a pretty good season (2018-2019) with Saskatoon and I was really looking forward to going back. It was about a week before camp and I had just done some power-skating in the morning and I checked my phone and, what do you know, I kinda got the news.  For sure I was shocked for a bit."

Haden says the shock didn't last long as he had always talked about how much he'd like to play in Victoria and then had those notions confirmed when he drove up the west coast.  Haden believes it was the perfect place to end his junior career.

Haden had some injury problems to begin the season, but once he got rolling his contributions to the Royals offense were immense, scoring 25 goals and adding 30 assists.  Prior to the pandemic stopping the season, he was likely headed for his best year in the WHL after scoring 62 points the previous year with Saskatoon.  The Royals were second in the league's B.C. Division and had clinched a playoff spot before the COVID cancellation.  Haden says while it was a tough way for his junior career to come to an end, he's grateful for the four years he spent in the league.

"It's not the way any of us wanted to end our season, especially for me in my 20's, it's not the way I wanted to end a career. At the end of the day, I just look back at it and I'm just glad I got to play four years in the Western Hockey League.  I've been going to (Calgary) Hitmen games since I was about six years old and just wanting to be there. When I look back on it I'm just very thankful for all the opportunities I got.  In the end, it was still awesome."

These days Haden is working at a summer hockey camp in the Okanagan, playing golf...more golf than he says he's ever played in his life...and keeping his future career options open.  Haden says he'd like to take a shot at pro in a minor league but is also open to going to school to get an education to go along with his hockey skills.

"I'm kind of looking at maybe some minor pro in the States or school.  I ended up with a WHL Scholarship, which is really amazing.  It just kind of depends, with the pandemic on, what pans out.  If I can go down south I would love to but I'm really happy with going to school, getting a degree, and then trying to play pro after that."

Haden says he's been working on a deal to play on a team in the American Hockey League or ECHL.  Whichever team in whatever league takes him on will discover some serious offensive skills.  In four seasons in the WHL with Medicine Hat, Saskatoon, and Victoria, Haden accumulated 80 goals and added 90 assists.  In the last two seasons with the Blades and the Royals, his totals were 55 goals and 62 assists.  

 

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com