Liam Grant isn’t thinking about the next step in his own hockey career too much these days.
The Thunder Bay defenceman is enjoying lending his expertise in the Hockey Opportunity Camp in the Parry Sound district.
It’s a children’s camp in Ontario that has been around since 1966 and gives children from all over the world between the ages of seven and 16 the opportunity to experience the ultimate hockey and summer camp experience on Eagle Lake.
“A friend of mine in Fergus [referred] me to the boss of the camp, she thought I would be a good fit,” recalled Grant. “I got a call from the boss, Keith Murray, who got me into the camp, and ever since he’s been my lead and I've worked [there] last summer and this summer.”
He enjoys the variety of skill and ages in the camp.
“It really helps me to adapt to new mindsets of new learners, and there's people who haven't even played hockey here before. It's very cool for me to open up on everything. It's always fun working with kids, being on the coaching side of it, because I've never really got that experience.”
Grant played in the Port Arthur Minor Hockey Association for the Current River Comets, and recalls his father encouraging him to continue playing the game that he loves in Southern Ontario.
“My dad works for the Ministry of Labour. He went down to Waterloo for a business meeting, and saw posters or some sort of flyer thing [that indicated] that [the Waterloo Wolves] were having tryouts in April. So he said, you know, why not? It's worth a shot,” Grant remembers.
Grant ended up getting cut by Waterloo, but was signed by Guelph, where he spent a few years before eventually moving onto the Cambridge Hawks program.
Grant won an Alliance Championship during the 2021-2022 season with the Huron Perth Lakers Under-18 AAA squad.
“I basically had an offer for the [Junior B Caledon] Bombers team, but I had been working here at [the Hockey Opportunity Camp last] August. When things were starting to get rolling [for the upcoming season], [the team] was acquiring players and had their roster filled up," Grant says. "So I signed with the Junior C team.”
Grant compiled four assists in 40 games played with the Caledon Golden Hawks of the Provincial Junior Hockey League. The team won just nine of the 41 regular season games, missing out on post-season play in the North Carruthers Division.
Grant notes he will not be returning to the Golden Hawks, which are one of five teams under the Arsenault Hockey Group.
“They wanted to get a newer group [of players], but it was hard for them to advertise [that] just because the owner [David Arsenault] he owns the Junior A, Junior B and Junior C team, right? So any good skilled players [tend to go] to the A and the B team instead of the C team. They had given me an offer, but because I am going to school in Peterborough [with my goal being] to go to university, I thought [the Golden Hawks] wouldn’t be an option in 2023-2024.”
Despite it being August, Grant is confident he will find a team to patrol the blue line for this year.
“I'm 19, and I feel like in hockey there's more and more options opening up for everybody regardless of your age. I'm on the ice every single day for six hours [with the camp]. I can play on the Trent [University] extramural team while I find a [junior hockey] spot.”
The ultimate goal for Grant is to get into teaching geography in school, but he has had a hockey dream for the last three years.
“My biggest goal is to play professional hockey in Europe because I've been traveling a lot. I have done trips to Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland; It's all very nice atmosphere there, and it would be a very cool experience for me and my family if they were to tag along with me.”
