Skip to content

Peewee player heads off to Europe

After having been scouted twice, one of Ponoka’s minor hockey stars is heading to Europe for the European Excursion 2014
81642ponokaRylanLefebvre040914
Rylan Lefebvre

After having been scouted twice, one of Ponoka’s minor hockey stars is heading to Europe for the European Excursion 2014 international hockey tour as part of the Canadian Explorers AAA team.

Rylan Lefebvre, 12, is leaving April 9 to spend two weeks travelling across Europe, playing a few hockey games per day. Those who take part in the tour are some of the top young hockey players in western Canada and they’re able to squeeze approximately a season’s worth of games into two weeks.

“We’re going to be playing three games a day, so I really want to challenge myself on that,” said Lefebvre, who is going to be playing center for the tour.

Another challenge Lefebvre expects to encounter is the language barrier that can’t be avoided on an international tour. “It’s going to be quite a change because they’re going to be from Germany or Russia and they won’t speak English.”

Lefebvre is most looking forward to playing on bigger European rinks.

He was first scouted by the Explorers coach and scout Peter Lumir a year and a half ago at an Innisfail tournament. He was scouted again during the spring season when he plays for the Edmonton Junior Golden Bears.

“At first my mom said I couldn’t go because it’s too expensive,” said Lefebvre. After he was scouted the second time Lefebvre was implored to try out for the team.

As family and financial situations shifted, he was given the green light and made the last tryout session in August, 2013. “The tryouts were extremely hard.”

After drills and two two-hour games Lefebvre was exhausted. “He (Lumir) wanted to see who would keep on skating at who would give up. I did good for the tryouts.”

“I was really nervous because the competition was really good,” he added.

In the beginning Lefebvre was nervous to take off on the tour because he didn’t know any of the other players. “And now we’re just like one big group of friends. And now every day I just get more excited.”

Lefebvre was one of 19 boys to make the AAA team and he’s been playing hockey for the past seven years. This trip is going to be his first time in Europe.