Getting older with Golder

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“I was playing for Pursuit of Excellence and I broke it playing midget here”.

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The soft-spoken resident of Smithers, BC admitted prior to the trade, he knew none of his Kelowna teammates.

“I don’t know anything about Colton Dach or Marcus Pacheco”, Golder admitted before puck drop.

Being unfamiliar with his line-mates didn’t hurt Golder, who promptly went out and scored his first goal with his new team while recording a season high seven shots on net.

“Hockey is hockey. The minute you walk in the room you have 25 brothers”, Golder added.

Golder’s path to the WHL has been an interesting one.

After playing three seasons at POE, he was listed by the Victoria Royals and played on the Island for 51 games, primarily as a defenseman, before being traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings in the summer of 2021.

“This is a big opportunity for me. Being in Edmonton and losing a lot, it is hard to keep the positivity going, so this is a new start for me.”

Golder was leading the Oil Kings in scoring as a forward when the trade was made with 8+7=15 in 24 games.

While this season was a struggle with an Oil King team that is clearly in rebuild mode, Golder had a chance to win a WHL title with them last season.

“The big key in Edmonton was leadership. I hope to bring some of it here.”

Golder calls the game six championship series win over Seattle as the highlight of his career.

“It was an unbelievable experience. It is something I dreamed of since I was a kid.”

Golder calls the series win over Western Conference champion Seattle, “a battle with heavy contact”.

Golder credits his family for being supportive during the ups and downs in his hockey career. Living in nearby Salmon Arm now, they should be able to watch him play more often thanks to the deal.

“I grew up playing in Smithers and it isn’t a super high level of hockey you can play there”, he said with a chuckle. “Being on the ice and practicing to get good, and now here I am”.

The most high profile hockey player to come out of that community of 5300 is Dan Hamhius, who played over 11 hundred games in the NHL and is now in the ownership group of the Prince George Cougars.

Golder knew he had to leave his home at the tender age of 12 if he had any chance of playing at a higher level.

“I almost didn’t go, I was so nervous.”

Head Coach Kris Mallette likes what Golder brings to his team.

“We have a player who won a WHL title. He played some valuable minutes there. Anytime you can get someone who has been around the league, it is valuable. Our room needs it”.