A big opportunity has presented itself to local Olds hockey player Avery Trotter as he was drafted by the Spokane Chiefs in round five (103rd overall) in the WHL Bantam Draft.
Trotter was watching the draft in his basement along with his friend Charlie Wright who was drafted last year.
“As soon as we saw my name come up, we just got up and started screaming, we were just so happy,” Trotter said.
He also noted that he was pleased for the other players he knows to have also been drafted.
The defenceman, who is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 163 pounds, scored five goals and accumulated a total of 16 points and 14 penalty minutes in 32 games with the Red Deer Bantam AAA Rebels this season.
He also got one assist during five games with Team Alberta Black during the Alberta Cup, held April 24-28 in Red Deer.
The team compiled three wins and one loss in the round robin and was beaten 3-1 by Alberta Red in the final.
“We had success throughout the tournament. We went into it with a mindset to just play simple, didn’t think too much,” Trotter said. “We didn’t get the results we wanted, but I think everybody on the team worked as hard as they could and I’m proud of them for that.”
Now that Trotter has been drafted, the next step of the process will be going to Spokane for training camp in August where he’ll meet his teammates.
Trotter has been playing hockey for five years after getting his start in the Olds and Bowden area.
“My brother had just started it. Some other friends were doing it, so I just tried it out and it grew on me,” said Trotter. “It became something that I enjoy very much.”
He says his experience with the AAA Bantam Rebels was a good one.
“It’s been great. The team was a great group of guys, we had excellent coaching staff. It was a good year to be with that group, we made a lot of memories and won a lot of games together. It was a good time,” said Trotter.
For the coming 2019-20 season, Trotter plans to try out for major midget in Red Deer.
