HOMETOWN HERO

SWAN RIVER, MAN. – It’s not often that you can take a season off and come back stronger than ever – especially in the developmental years. And no, we’re not talking about pandemic-shortened seasons. But rather, taking the time to step away from hockey and nurture other areas of life, before returning to the fold and going on to crack the roster of your hometown Junior A team. For Swan River’s Trey Sauder, that’s exactly what he did, and then some. “I played the first 13 games of my first year of Midget with Parkland, but decided that I really didn’t want to have that busy of a schedule, as I liked going Ski-Doo-ing during the winter months,” Sauder told Game On. “Living in Swan, I just wasn’t ready to move down to Dauphin at that age, because you practice there twice a week and it’s an hour-and-a-half there. I just really liked having fun back home with my buddies in high school. “But for my last year of Midget, the Stampeders coach told me that if I didn’t go back to AAA, I probably wouldn’t make his team. So, I went back for the COVID year and did well, so it worked out to come back when I did.” Quite the story for the hometown kid. Growing up on his backyard rink, the 19-year-old forward learned the game on what he describes as a 50’ by 100’ sheet of ice built annually by his father, Kerby. “I am an only child with two dogs, so my house was always the place to be,” he said. “Especially over the Christmas break, it was the hot spot. And we always had billets from the Stamps living with us too. Some of the older guys on the team, they would come over and play mini sticks with me; I definitely remember that.” It’s probably safe to say that Stamps hockey runs in Sauder’s blood. He was never drafted to the MJHL, or anywhere for that matter, but he was added to Swan Valley’s regional protected list and made good on that managerial decision. “Each team can auto-protect two guys. Me and one other guy got auto-protected, and the other guy doesn’t even play hockey anymore,” he laughed. “Ever since watching the billets play every few nights, I always wanted to be on the Stamps when I got older. I’m not going to lie, it was a pretty special feeling pulling that jersey on last year for the first time.” Suiting up in his home colours, Sauder went on to score five goals and 17 points in 45 games last season. But it was his playoff run that really cemented his role for the following year. He scored four times in his team’s five games, setting the tone for what has been an incredible 2022-23 campaign. This past season, he produced at over a point-per-game rate, finishing the year with a spectacular 23 goals and 59 points in 56 games. “I definitely ended on a high note last season,” Sauder said. “Coach put me on the second line for the playoffs and I was playing tonnes of minutes. This year, I kind of had a slow start, but we switched up the lines and I ended up building some chemistry with Jakob Jones and Justin Keck. Those two guys can really put the puck in the net, so it works out well. I get a lot of easy assists just giving them the puck, and they find a way to put it in.” Although focusing on the here and now – a.k.a. the MJHL playoffs and a strong postseason showing – Sauder can’t help but think back upon his childhood spent in the bleachers watching his heroes hit the ice nearly every weekend. “I was once that little kid in the hallways giving high-fives to all the guys going out,” he reminisced. “But now I’m one of the old guys; it’s quite the switch, but man, is it ever something special. It’s really nice though, especially this year. I know basically everyone who comes to watch the games, so it’s nice that all my family comes. I don’t feel too much pressure or anything, but my time here is flying by. Only having one more year next year, it’s kind of scary to think about. But I do think we have a good shot at it this year and we really want to do some damage in the playoffs.”