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A group of talented teenage hockey players from James Bay Cree Nation communities are receiving a “once in a lifetime” opportunity this weekend at Gatineau’s Branchaud-Brière Complex.
The players have been invited to a showcase event hosted by the First Assist charitable organization and United States prep school coaches, exposing them to a different world and the potential of being seen by NCAA colleges and universities.
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First Assist, the brainchild of former National Hockey League player John Chabot, uses sports as motivation to keep Indigenous children — many of them in isolated northern Canadian communities — in school. Chabot, who is also a former coach of the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, lives in Ottawa and frequently travels north to conduct hockey skills camps in remote areas.
“We’ve been trying to put this together for a few years,” said Sean Rudy, a First Assist educational specialist who spent seven years teaching in James Bay after his own NCAA hockey career. “Originally we wanted to have it up in James Bay, but, because of the (2023) forest fires it didn’t happen, so we’ve moved it to Gatineau because it’s a more central location.”
Unlike top teenage hockey players in more populated cities, who have chances to be seen regularly by scouts, the weekend will be a new experience for the incoming players.
It provides hope and motivation to stay in school. High school dropout rates are far higher up north.
When the event was first proposed, the idea spread quickly among James Bay communities.
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“In the big picture, it’s a unique experience to play in front of some fantastic coaches,” said Rudy, who played in the Central Canada Hockey League and now teaches at the Tsi Snaihne School in Cornwall.
“The sugar on top is that a few of the players may get a chance to one day play at prep schools and maybe the NCAA.”
It’s also an effort by U.S. schools to extend a helping hand, recognizing that hockey is an expensive sport. The costs of playing the game and attending high-level showcase tournaments and camps is often out of reach for many young players.
“I’ve talked to a lot of other coaches about this, and it is out of control, almost inaccessible to most people,” said George Stetson, a teacher and coach at Berkshire Prep School in Sheffield, Mass., who has helped organize the weekend camp
Stetson has an intriguing educational and work background, including working with underprivileged youth in Latin America. He praises First Assist for its efforts at using sport to help keep northern youth engaged in education.
“If this is done the right way, a coalition of schools can give a valuable experience to First Nations kids, so they might be able to take advantage,” Stetson said. “We want those kids to benefit from school. Maybe the (most talented) kids can get on a path that leads them to the NCAA or better job opportunities. Hopefully it’s a stepping stone.”
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