Veteran Grizzlys forward Landon Kletke is staying close to home, committing to play for the Red Deer College Kings next year.
The Trochu native spent all four years of junior hockey in Olds and will study kinesiology and sport studies.
"Everywhere you go, they know who you are. I loved every minute of it," Kletke said about his time here. Loved my billets, loved everybody I played with. Two great coaches in (Brett) Hopfe and (Dana) Lattery. But the community was just great."
In 217 regular season games with the Grizzlys, he recorded 139 points, 56 of them goals.
In 14 playoff games, he scored four goals with one helper.
Kletke developed a reputation as a hard-nosed player who never took a shift off. His season this year was cut short due to injury.
"You knew what you were going to get out of him each and every night," said Dana Lattery. "It was an enormous hole in our lineup, not having him there for the playoffs."
His Grizzlys debut came in 2012 as an affiliated player during the playoffs against Brooks. He was also part of the team that upset the higher-seeded Okotoks Oilers in the 2013-14 season, his personal on-ice highlight.
Kletke's father Barry Kletke, the mayor of Trochu, has also been a mainstay at the Olds Sportsplex, recognizable by the dazzling multi-coloured suits he wears.
"He kind of got into it a few years back. He thought it would be cool to wear those for golfing and he started buying a couple suits. Global News actually did a big piece on him on TV, how he was the mayor and looking like Don Cherry. Ever since then he kept on wearing them," he said.
This year saw the Grizzlys opt for a youth movement, keeping only four 20-year-olds on the roster with a number of rookies. Kletke said he wanted to stick around for it and was one of the alternate captains on the team.
"As a young team, building new relationships around the community, not only was it big for me to be part of the leadership group, but it just meant the world to Dana to have the group that we had to rebuild the community's trust in the team," he said.
"I think there was a couple of years where people in the community didn't really want (us) around anymore. They kind of gave up on us for a few years. I think Dana really helped the team get out more in the community and made sure everybody knew who you were, showed leadership around the community and helped out."
"Everywhere you go, they know who you are. I loved every minute of it."LANDON KLETKE
