Not many players make the Western Hockey League as a 16-year-old.
However, for Androssan, Alberta product Blake Eastman, he did.
He got into 46 games with the Prince George Cougars in the 19-20 season and an overall amazing experience for the rookie.
“The guys I played with were fantastic and they really welcomed me to the team,” shared Eastman to CKPG.
“I gained a lot of knowledge and skills from being a 16-year old in that league and I came out of it as a new hockey player and as a new person because of the people I played with and the coaches I had around me.”
The now 17-year-old says it was a bit intimidating playing against older players in the league, but felt he adjusted well as the year went on.
Another factor that helped Eastman settle in with the Cats was Head Coach and General Manager Mark Lamb and Associate Coach Jason Smith who provided their extensive knowledge on to the rookie.
“Those two were fantastic,” added Eastman.
“Those two guys would probably be two of my favourite coaches by far. They had that confidence in me to be able to play where I could play and they helped me out throughout the season and they gave me so much more confidence both on and off the ice.”
The highlight of the year for the rookie was scoring his first goal in the Western Hockey League against the Everett Silvertips at the end of December and now that he has a full season of experience in the league, he is hoping to contribute more going into his sophomore year.
“My main goal was to move up in the roster or just give myself a consistent spot on the roster,” explained Eastman.
“I wanted to work on using my size. Getting stronger in the gym. All of those little things like winning battles. Mark (Lamb) realizes those little things and he gives you those opportunities that you deserve the harder you work and the more you prove.”
