An eight-year-old Williams Lake boy is one of 34 hockey players from B.C. invited to the Prime Hockey Expo in Calgary April 12 to 14, 2024.
By attending the expo, Dallas Graham will have exposure to coaches and scouts.
Dallas learned how to skate when he was three and is obsessed with hockey.
“I usually play defense or centre,” he said, adding he enjoys scoring goals and passing to other players to score.
His parents Chelsey and Justin Graham said everyone tells them Dallas is a natural in the knees.
Chelsey credits her stepfather Ed Fraser for making sure both her children had hockey sticks in their hands at a young age.
Riley Knott of Prime Hockey said the expo is invite-only.
The event will be offered to 100 of the top players in each age group from Western Canada.
Knott said aside from the 34 players from B.C., 34 from Alberta, 17 from Saskatchewan and 17 from Manitoba have been invited.
Players will be divided into age categories from when they were born - 2011, 2013 and 2015.
Knott said there are scouts who recommend players in each Western province for the expo, which is how Dallas would have been selected.
“They look at stats from past years, things like that and they get noticed by one of our scouts.”
Dallas is playing on a U-11 team with Williams Lake Minor Hockey and on the Total Ice Titans Spring Team.
His favourite NHL team is the Edmonton Oilers and player Connor McDavid.
Dallas does not play any other sports, just hockey, and said his older brother Tyler is a goalie.
When he is not playing hockey Dallas enjoys hanging out with his Pug Milo.
Neither of his parents grew up playing hockey, but both love watching their sons play, they said..
Anticipating what the expo will be like, Chelsey said she is excited for Dallas.
“I think he is good and everyone else around here thinks he is good so it will be interesting to see him go up against kids from all over. We will see if he is where we think he is,” she said, adding she is also thinking he will learn a lot while he is there.
Dallas thanked his grandparents Bev and Ed for getting him to and from hockey.
“They are a big support,” he said.
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