THUNDER BAY --- Playing any sport at an elite level is almost always a balancing act for just about any teenager.
There’s school and the ever-present social life to mix and mingle in with practices, recovery and game-time.
For the Thunder Bay Kings this season, there’s always the added pressure of playing in two different leagues, with two different styles of play.
For the second straight season the AAA Minor Midget Kings will compete not only for the OHL Cup against the best the province has to offer, but also in the North American Prospects League.
In both leagues scouts will be out in full force, looking for hidden gems and generational talents one in the same to bring to major junior, the United States Hockey League or the U.S. college ranks.
Coach Omar Belisle said on Saturday after a 7-3 exhibition win over the Duluth Red Wings said it’s a tough mix of games, but one he thinks his players – all born in 2001 – can handle.
“It’s almost a tough act you’re balancing two types of games. You have a lot of speed and physical play in one area and when we go down into southern Ontario, we’re going to see some exceptional teams,” said Belisle, whose son Owen is listed in a team preview issued by the league as a player to watch.
“We’re trying to have a balance as far as the league and the season go.”
Belisle, a former four-year-star at Bemijdi State University and a one-time player with both the Thunder Bay Flyers and Thunder Bay Senators – not to mention an Allan Cup winner with the Thunder Bay Bombers in 2005 – said the NAPHL experiment seems to be working out well.
At least after one season, he said.
“Last year was an introductory year, to get used to the travel and the play,” Belisle said. “I think coming into this year we know a bit more to expect, travel wise.
“We’re talking about opportunities for young players. When we go into the backyards of colleges and universities and the USHL and OHL, that’s where the exposure is. These boys are going to be seen by hundreds of scouts in a weekend.”
That’s just what Joseph McCollum is seeking.
A strapping six-foot, 190-pound defenceman, the 15-year-old has had his eyes focused on a major junior career since his pee wee days.
“The Kings have helped me get to that, all the years I’ve played,” McCollum said. “We go down south and play the good teams and a lot of people watch.”
It can be nerve-wracking at times.
“It’s more competitive. Those guys get it all the time, but it’s something new to us, it’s different.”
Teammate Cooper Witherspoon of Fort Frances saw enough value in the Kings program to move away from home to play hockey.
“I was hoping to move up to the next level, to higher faster hockey,” said Witherspoon, a graduate of the Fort Frances Muskies high school program who would like to move on to the Ontario Hockey League some day.
“It’s a step up. Playing here there are a lot more fans. More people notice.”
Next up for the Kings is a Thursday date with the Colorado Spring Tigers at a tournament in Blaine, Minn.
