Noah Kiemel has played hockey for most of his life and is excited by his opportunity to play with the Olds Grizzlys.
The 20-year-old defenceman is originally from Colorado Springs, Colo., and has been on ice since he was four years old.
“My mom is from Michigan and in Michigan they teach you how to skate before you can walk.
“She would bring my brother and I out to the rink every day. We’d see the hockey players and we liked what they were doing much more than figure skating.
“So we said 'let's go ahead and give it a try' and (I) fell in love with it,” Kiemel said.
In the time between when he first got on the ice to now as a Grizzly, he has plenty of memories of his biggest hockey moments.
“I was lucky enough to go on a trip to Europe for 12 days and play all around Europe,” said Kiemel. “That was a really cool experience playing in Iceland, Sweden, Poland and Czech Republic. It was unreal.”
Out of all the teams in all the different countries Kiemel and his team faced, he found one in the Czech Republic to be the most challenging.
“It was unbelievable. I was playing with a high school hockey team from Colorado, so (that) wasn't the best team that I was on. But playing against that team, that was incredible. We lost like, 15 nothing or something like that.
“They were just so much better than us and it was really cool to see that European style of play and like, play against that,” he said.
Kiemel sees hockey as the best part of the day every day and enjoys playing the game with his fellow Grizzlys.
Similar to the different styles of play between Colorado and the Czech Republic, Kiemel has found there to be a strong difference in how hockey is received here in Olds compared to back home.
“I would say the level of commitment of all the players. Everyone up here in Olds loves hockey; it’s the number 1 sport and it’s the biggest thing. The town loves it, people get behind you and come out to support you.
“Back home, hockey is growing, but it’s not quite as popular and not quite as big of a deal as it is up here,” Kiemel said.
Since joining the team, he has found it to be an easy experience to build a sense of camaraderie between himself and his teammates.
“We have an awesome group of guys here, that’s one of the best parts of coming to the rink every day,” said Kiemel. “Seeing everyone when you get to the rink makes it easier to want to get on the ice and play hockey every day. It’s been awesome so far.”
Reflecting on how the season has been going for him and his teammates, Kiemel feels it’s been a tough start.
“It’s been a little bit of a tough go," he said, "but it is a completely new group of guys."
Kiemel said being on a team that's struggling has helped him to grow as a player because you have to “find it within you to work hard every single day and give it all you('ve) got.”
Since joining the Grizzlys Kiemel feels he’s learned a lot and is thankful for the coaching staff he calls “encouraging and helpful.”
“I think the player I was at the beginning of the year to now is totally different. I’ve learned so much from the coaching staff in the D-zone; moving my feet and different stuff like that,” Kiemel said.
Kiemel can be seen on the Olds Sportsplex ice with the rest of the Grizzlys next when they play the Lloydminster Bobcats On Feb. 9, 7 p.m.
