CARLYLE - Young Knox Valentine is a 10-year-old hockey player who was born and raised in Carlyle. He is the son of Shane and Ashley Valentine and has a younger seven-year-old sister Andie.
Valentine is a right-handed defenceman who plays for the U11 AA Moosomin Ice Badgers of the Â鶹ÊÓƵeast Minor Hockey League. There are five teams in the league including Weyburn, Melville, Yorkton, and a team called Team North consisting of smaller east central towns including Tisdale and Porcupine Plain. The Ice Badgers presently sport a regular season record of 9-1-2.
They have entered three weekend tournaments this year, winning one in Humboldt.
This past weekend, they played in the 32-team George Watson tournament in Regina. There they won the B event, which is impressive considering the number of teams entered.
The Ice Badgers have 15 players on their roster from various towns in southeast Saskatchewan including Carlyle’s Nash Faber, Hayden Puskas and Owen Light, Wauchope’s Nathan Quennelle, and Kolbie McColl from Redvers. Chris Light is the head coach with assistant coaches Justin Young, Kristjan Hebert, and Shane Valentine, the father of Knox.
Said Shane, “The Ice Badgers are pretty good and the boys and coaches are having a blast. The winter is just flying by.”
Asked about what he liked about hockey, Knox replied, “I like the competition and the friends I have made over the years.”
League playoffs are starting soon and the team will be entering additional tournaments in February and March. From April to June, Knox also plays in a spring hockey league with the Wheatland Wild Triple A team. He also enjoys playing ball in the summer.
From all accounts, Knox is a good skater and a very smart player. The Observer saw a picture of him delivering a wicked slap shot with loads of torque on his stick.
Knox answered our final question emphatically. Who is your favourite NHL hockey player? He replied, “Austin Mathews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
