team when he took over this fall. At first, he couldn’ t imagine a player as small as Brayden Foreman making it through a season alive.
“ This is my first year with this age group so when I started and I didn’ t know any of them from a hole in the ground,” Corbett said.“ I didn’ t follow them, didn’ t know them and when their former coach took a new position two weeks before the season started, I took over this team with no knowledge of the players at all.
“ The first thing that jumped out to me with Brady was his size. My initial reaction was probably the same reaction that every coach
has when Brady steps out onto the ice:‘ This kid’ s not very big.’ I wondered if he could handle the jump from Bantam to Midget. Well, five or six minutes into the first skate, I knew that wasn’ t going to be an issue. The kid plays with so much heart and so much grit.
“ Whether his size is going to catch up with him or not someday, it’ s not a factor now. He’ s got everything you look for in a kid. Never mind a hockey player. He’ s a good hockey player, but he’ s a great person.”
His dad marvels at how Brady plays so hard and so well despite the fact he’ s always the smallest player on the ice.
“ I think he has incredible vision,” said Brian, who still plays the game himself, a couple of times a week.“ He works very hard. He’ s a little on the small side, but what that’ s enabled him to do is learn to
battle a bit more. If the size does come, it will be an advantage for him. The biggest thing about him is that he just loves to play. He has a huge passion for the game. He loves being around his friends on the team and he has a great time playing the game.”
This love for the game has certainly not gone unnoticed. Coach Corbett sees it at every practice and in every game.
“ All the little things you try to teach your guys to do, Brady does them before he’ s told,” Corbett said.“ From a leadership role, he’ s one of our assistant captains and that was evident two skates into the first week of practice. The boys respond to him. He says all the right things and does all the right things. He’ s a low-maintenance player and he’ s a sponge. You ask him to do something, you only have to ask him once. He might not like it, he might not agree with it, but he never complains and he gets the job done. He’ ll do whatever he’ s asked and he’ ll do it the best he can. When you add in the skating ability – he can skate like the wind-- and skill he does have, you have one heck of a hockey player.”
Brady understands very clearly that size will always be his enemy. However, he’ s learned to temper his goals. He’ s taking the game one day and one shift at a time.
“ I want to keep playing hockey my whole life,” he said.“ No matter what level, I want to play the game for as long as I can. I don’ t have a goal of what league I want to get to, I just want to keep playing.
“ I’ ll try out for the( Triple A Provincial Midget) Wild next season, but if I don’ t make it, I’ ll make a decision about playing another year here( with the City Monarchs) or playing high school with Shaftesbury.
“ I’ d eventually like to play for the Blues and then go play NCAA after that. I don’ t have a preference. Whatever school would want me.”
As for his own assessment, Foreman calls himself,“ a team player.” Perhaps it has something to do with how his teammates helped him through the dark days or maybe it’ s just his character, but no one would argue that Brayden Foreman is all about“ team first.”
“ Yeah, I’ d say I play a team game,” he said.“ I like to make plays and pass the puck. I’ m not as much of a goal scorer as I am a passer. I like to set my teammates up to have success. And I think we have a very good team. I enjoy the success we’ re having. It’ s nice to show up at the rink every night and know we have a chance to win.
“ It’ s fun. It’ s hockey. And it will always be important to me. I love it.” n
2016- 17 ROSTER DEADLINE EDITION GAME ON 17