Charlottetown Teen to Goal-tend in Youth Olympics
The Charlottetown Islanders will be missing their goalie for a little while. Sam Walsh is off to Austria to compete with Canada’s men’s hockey team at the Youth Olympics. Kara Cousins has more on this story.
Well, fifteen year-old Sam Walsh has become a household name around Prince Edward Island. I recently visited the hometown hockey hero to talk about his journey to success. Walsh is one of seventeen hockey players selected to represent Canada at the Youth Olympics in Austria.
The Canadian players did not practice together until they arrived in Austria. But that wasn’t a problem. During this game against Austria, Walsh saved sixteen goals and led the team to a nine nothing win. Walsh says he did not expect to chosen to represent Canada at such a young age.
“I mean playing for team Canada has always been a dream of mine and it’s basically a dream come true.” When he was six-years-old he realized he wanted to play hockey…something his mom was not thrilled about.
“I remember the day that Sam asked if he could play hockey. I wasn’t going to have my kids at the rink. We were going to do other things. And one day coming home from the babysitters, Sam was in grade one, he said, “could I play hockey?” And we have never looked back.”
It’s not all fun and games though. Walsh dedicates a lot of time to his school work.
“It’s very time consuming, but you just got to make the most every time you get off and get school in.”
In school, Walsh is a model student. His parents are happy to see him growing into a well-rounded young man.
“We’re very proud of him, were very proud of him for the fact that he’s taking on the role of a leader in his group of friends and whatever.”
Walsh wants to inspire children to work hard and achieve their dreams. His advice for them…
“Just stick to it. I mean you have to try your hardest everyday to get better. Basically if you stick your mind to it you can do almost anything you want.”
Walsh hopes that this is just the beginning of a fulfilling hockey career. For STU Journalism, I’m Kara Cousins.