He’s come a long ways in a short time.
Cameron Alexander didn’t make the cut when he tried to earn a spot on the Deer Lake atom all-star team two years ago.
This year he was named captain of the Western Kings entry in the Newfoundland and Labrador AAA peewee hockey league in his sophomore season.
“It’s a big accomplishment for me,” Alexander said Tuesday of being named team captain.
He is the anchor on a squad that is trying to find its way in provincial competition since the provincial AAA peewee program came into being a couple of years ago.
Alexander pays the price for his team, evident by a visit to the doctor Monday to have his knee looked at again. He has a wonky knee from blocking a shot last weekend when the Kings opened the season on the road, but he was in pretty good spirits and was expected to join the team for a road trip to Bay Roberts this weekend.
Being the captain is a role he takes seriously.
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He blocks shots. He tries to move the puck quickly to forwards to spend less time in his own end and he has an offensive side that shines through when he sees an opening to rush the puck up the ice.
He wants to be a good captain so he tries to lead by example. He brings a positive attitude and a strong work ethic to the rink every night.
Life has been tough for the Kings since they joined the provincial league, being on the losing side of some lopsided losses, but Alexander hopes his experience will help the younger guys get used to the quick pace of the league and learn how to be effective in a league that boasts some skilled players who have speed to burn.
“I try to encourage them and stay positive,” he said.
A Washington Capitals fan who lists Alexander Ovechkin as his favourite player, Alexander, all 96 pounds of him, knows the Kings will have their hands full with teams from the east coast because they have so many players to pick from and \ spend more time on the ice. He hopes his team can spend extra time working on conditioning away from the rink and find a way to get on the ice more in an effort to close the gap.
He knows he can only get better by playing against elite players so he knows the environment is right for him to learn and improve so he’s going to make the most of the experience.
He’s not going to worry about wins or losses. Instead he plans on being a role model for the rest of the guys by playing hard every shift regardless of what the scoreboard says.
His hard work has paid off.
He no longer thinks about not making the cut.
He’s now focused on being a better complete player.
The Kings, 0-4 on the season after opening the season last weekend on the road at the league kick-off tournament, will tangle with TriPen for three games this weekend at the Bay Arena in Bay Roberts.
