by By Dan Ninham, contributing writer
Carey Terrance Jr, 16, is Mohawk and lives in Akwesasne Territory. He attends the Hill Academy in Caledon, Ontario, Canada.
“The Hill Academy offered the best environment for a student-athlete,” said Carey. “I attended Hill Academy the previous two years. On the ice every morning with Brett McLean, former NHL player, and into the gym in the afternoon with the best strength coaches.
The plan was for Carey to play for the Toronto Titans U16 in the GTHL like he did the year prior with former NHL player Darcy Tucker as head coach. Unfortunately COVID restrictions shut down the GTHL and they were not allowed to have a season.
“Following the closure, I decided to move back home to Akwesasne for the first time in two years,” said Carey. “I attended Salmon River Central School outside our reservation with both of my sisters.”
“After moving home I decided to join the Kemptville 73’s U18 with former NHL player Ottawa Senators player development coach and head coach Shawn Donovan,” said Carey. “Unlike other leagues, teams in the HEO U18 league were able to play multiple games surrounding the area of Ottawa. Luckily, I got to play a handful of games with Kemptville until Covid cases spiked and closed our season for the rest of the year.”
“Following this crazy hockey season I was lucky to play an entire high school season of lacrosse for my Salmon River HS. Every player on the team was from Akwesasne. We made it to the section championship and lost to Canton High School,” added Carey.
Carey was drafted 10th overall to the Erie Otters in the OHL draft. He attended training camp August 27th.
Carey attended the Select 16 USA development camp with a chance to make the team that participated in the 5 Nations tournament in Visp, Switzerland. “After a long week of camp, I was selected to the team of 20 players,” said Carey. “We headed to Switzerland and faced Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Switzerland. We won the tournament going undefeated in our four games.”
Check out his story here: Local ice hockey player to compete with U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team in Switzerland | Local Sports | mymalonetelegram.com
“My father has impacted me the most throughout my life,” said Carey. “Not only teaching me tons of skills and smarts with the game of hockey or lacrosse but life in general. From being a good person, problem solving, to complicated life skills. He is a very hard worker and it shows me that if you put the work in, results will come. He has taught me the most about hockey and I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”
Dad Carey Sr. talked about his son: “Carey has always been a natural hard working leader in all aspects. At a very young age he’s always pushed himself to be a step ahead in everything he does. He leads by example in all sports he plays and in any activity he is participating in.”
“He has maintained a 4.0 average while also maintaining a demanding sports schedule. These past few years with Covid there has been up and downs. He moved back home from prep school,” added Carey Sr.
“He had to reconfigure his life to make sure he stayed on track,” said Carey Sr. “He made sure he was getting the ice time, gym workouts and nutrition he needed to take the next step in his career. He had a goal over the off season to arrive at training camp as a bigger and strong version of himself and he achieved that goal. He has learned many lessons and has also stayed prepared mentally and is determined to make his dreams come true.”
“My lacrosse Coach Greg Phillips has taught me the most about leadership, which I think is one of the most important aspects to have as a player,” said Carey. “Greg coached me in box lacrosse for about three to four years. I was picked to be one of the leaders on the team every year. The biggest part about leadership he taught me is stepping up when needed. As a leader, you can never be seen as a player to give up in a game or have a bad attitude.”
“June 4th 2021 was a sad day for me as I knew I had coached Carey for the last time,” said hockey coach Greg Phillips. “We all knew he had been chosen for a different path.
As coach of the hometown Jr. lacrosse team, I lost one of the top prospects for our team.”
“Carey has been an exceptional athlete for quite some time now,” said Greg. “I’ve only had the pleasure of coaching him for three years and it was never in hockey, it was only in box lacrosse. Having coached him for just a short amount of time, there were a few things that easily stood out about him.”
“His competitive drive, and wanting to be first or the best on and off the floor. His speed compiled with endurance including being first in sprints and long runs which is such a rarity, a feat I could only compare to one other, Lyle Thompson. His brains and ability to grasp plays, systems, and his awareness of situations,” added Greg.
“I would work to get the third line up to speed at one end of the floor, while he ran lines 1 and 2 at the other end. This was at the bantam age level of 13 and 14 years old.”
“His dedication to rise above the field of play has positioned him to excel in whatever he does. He gives our community great pride. We are patiently waiting to watch him bring his game to another level in the next step of his journey!”
Photo Credit: Juniorsky hokej
