No matter where life takes him after his junior hockey career is done, Jordan King will always have fond memories of a community that embraced him as one of their own.
King, a former scoring machine for the Western Kings of the provincial major midget hockey program, is winding down his Maritime Junior A Hockey League career with the Amherst Ramblers.
The Ramblers, with only 10 games left in the regular season, have already secured a playoff berth by virtue of their third-place standing in the EastLink South Division.
King is the leading scorer for the Ramblers with 60 points, which also places him third overall in league scoring, no chance of catching scoring leader T.J. Shea of the Summerside Western Capitals who has collected a whopping 96 points.
“I don’t like to think about it too much because it’s going to be sad leaving here,” King said when asked about his days with the Ramblers soon a part of the past.
King, the C on his jersey an indication of his leadership abilities, is well respected around the league and popular with the fan base in Amherst, as much for his community work as his offensive exploits that keep the Ramblers in the hunt for a playoff championship.
“It’s been my home for three years now and I’ve met a lot of good people here and some of them are my best friends now,” he said.
Life has been good with the Ramblers so King figures the best way to show his appreciation is to win a championship in his final year.
He knows the playoff round will be a tough challenge with a number of talented teams poised to make a run this year, but he believes the Ramblers have what it takes to make a serious push this year after bowing out of last year’s playoff picture in the second round.
King may be feeling a little emotional about leaving at the end of the season, but he’s also excited about what the future holds for him as he considers some options on the table for next season when he plans on pursuing the game at the college level somewhere in Canada, but not willing to give it any real thought until his playoff run is completed.
He will always remember how the Ramblers believed in him and gave him a chance to play. It did a lot for his confidence and he’s thankful for those who showed him support and encouragement from the first day he arrived on the scene.
“Making plays you wouldn’t normally make, and playing your own game and not worrying about anything else,” he said of the confidence he gained during the year.
