Thomas Chaulk of Deer Lake is shown here getting in a skate at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex while home on Christmas break from the Ontario Hockey Academy.
The 17-year-old Deer Lake native is hoping to elevate his game in his sophomore season with the OHA’s Under-18 Gold team with hopes of cracking a roster in the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the foreseeable future.
“The hockey was great and there was a lot of exposure so I decided to come back and see what I can find for myself for next year,” Chaulk, son of Deer Lake’s Brian and Marcy Chaulk, said earlier this week from Cornwall.
Being exposed to a daily routine of hockey was something Chaulk felt could help him reach his goal. He figures he reaped the rewards of being at the academy for one year by being a better player than when he first went there, but he wants to improve his stock and catch the attention of the right people over the next winter.
“This year you really want to show them what you’re made of,” he said.
He entered his rookie campaign as a stocky five-foot-four forward, but he was pretty upbeat when he informed The Star that he grew two inches taller over the summer. That’s something he welcomes in an environment where a lot of bigger and faster players stand in his way of achieving success on the ice.
He admits he misses his family and friends at home, but he’s looking at the big picture knowing sacrifices have to be made along the way if he wants to find his way in the hockey world.
His first season away from home, consumed with hockey every day, taught him a valuable lesson about life that he hopes will make it easier for him to reach the top.
“You got to do stuff that you normally wouldn’t do,” he said. “You can’t let other people kind of boss you around. You got to do stuff for yourself. You can’t be sitting around ... when you got to do something you got to go and do it.”
He has no time for anything but hockey and studies. But, that’s just fine with him.
“You’re busy. You don’t get bored. From 6 o’clock in the morning until 10 at night you’re just going,” he said.
