A budding ice hockey player from Kilmarnock is planning a dream move to Canada which he hopes will be the next step on his journey to going professional.
Jack Malcolm, 15, currently plays for the North Ayrshire Wild but will be spending the next year in Ontario after catching the eye of his high school team.
Malcolm, who can play both defense and forward, will move to Tillsonburg, a town about 100 miles east of Toronto, to play for the SHA Sabres.
Although there will be plenty of hockey games to play (around 60), it won't be all fun and games for Killie teenagers as they continue to study and keep up with their schoolwork.
It's a busy schedule, but it's also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that the hockey-loving youngster and his family can't turn down. In fact, proud mom Lisa didn't immediately believe it was real.
Speaking to the Standard she said: “In Jack's age group, every game he plays is reported to Elite Prospects. He's finished in the top 10 in Scotland and will find out which countries are keeping an eye on him.”
“He got an email on Friday night saying, 'Hi Jack, we'd like to discuss joining the club with you' and I told him it was spam and to ignore it.
“On Saturday they emailed me back asking for more details and wanting to set up a Zoom call. They really wanted to go ahead with this so we thought there must be something there after all.
“We had a Zoom call on Tuesday where they explained how everything was going to work. It was kind of amazing how quickly everything changed.”
Jack is set to head to Tillsonburg soon until May, at which point he could be drafted into the Canadian Hockey League, the top level of junior ice hockey in the country.
Alternatively, they could continue for another year, with university also being an option in the future.
Lisa added: “We've told him we don't want him to come back, but we also want him to know that if it doesn't happen, if he doesn't feel comfortable, whatever, it's OK. It's a great opportunity, but it's also a big change.”
“It would be great if he could have a career in the game, but he's still young enough to hit the reset button.”
Jack took up skating after being taken to a Glasgow Clan match by his aunt and uncle, and although he only put on skates four years ago, he has quickly made a name for himself on the rink.
He said he doesn't want to put too much pressure on himself, but confessed that going professional would be the ultimate dream come true.
He commented, “I would love to go. I'm excited to try to improve my game and it will be a great experience to be exposed to the hockey culture in Canada, where hockey is so popular.”
“We'll be playing 60 matches with the team and then five showcase events, but I'm used to playing less than half that number of matches in two different age groups. It'll be a big step up, but I can't wait to get started.”
He added: “I'm not going there with any particular goal in mind. I just want to see how things go, settle in with the team and then take things from there.”
“My ultimate dream is to go professional and make hockey my career, but that's still a long way off. I just want to work hard and see where it takes me. I've been given an amazing opportunity to go to Canada and I want to make the most of it.”
The move will require a great deal of capital and a Just Giving page has been set up to help with the costs, as well as fundraising efforts, including a race night at Chequers, Kilmarnock on July 27th.
The Just Giving page can be found here.
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