good at it. And he also likes his
new school and the teachers
who inspire him every day.
“Yeah, I’m pretty good at
school,” he said modestly. “I
do like school and Shaftesbury
(where the RHA Nationals
attend classes) is a good
school. I was in advanced
math at Kelvin. Math is my
strength so I’m good in the
sciences, chemistry and
physics. I’ve always liked to
try new things with match
and challenge myself.
“At Shaftesbury, I really like
the teachers. They really help
us out when we’re going away,
but they don’t treat us too
differently. They still expect
us to get our regular work in
on time just as if we’re normal
students. I like that. They have
the same expectations for us.”
When it comes to hockey,
Fry is a late bloomer. He
started to play the game
later than most high-level,
competitive 15-year-
olds, but like math, he’s
caught on quickly.
“I started a little later,
playing hockey at seven
with TimBits,” he explained.
“I played 9a-1 to 10a-1
with the Rangers and then
minor bantam with the
Monarchs and then to RHA.
“I started late, I think,
because my parents didn’t
play hockey and I was never
involved with it until a
couple of my friends were
playing and I talked to my
dad and he decided to throw
me in there. I probably got
better a little faster because
I worked really hard and
took advantage of every
opportunity I was given.”
And playing with the RHA
Nationals is one of those
opportunities. When you work
on hockey from noon until
9 0 | G AME ON | PL AYOF F EDITION 2018
the end of the school day and
then play highly-competitive
games on weekends,
young players are given an
opportunity they won’t get
anywhere else in Winnipeg.
“There is just so much
attention to detail here,” he
said. “Everyone is here to
help us improve. Everything
about the program prepares
you for the next level. It’s
like a college experience.”
Coach Fuher, meanwhile,
is thrilled with Fry’s
improvement on the
ice this season.
“Lucas is a guy who joined
the program a little later in the
summer and he’s really bought
into the amount of work it
takes to be successful in the
RHA program,” the coach said.
“His attention to detail and his
commitment to putting in the
work every day has really paid
off for him. He’s getting a lot
of opportunities because of it.
“He was, more so, a
defensive defenseman when
he came into the program.
His weaknesses were on the
skating and playmaking side.
But he put in the work – he
was in a Rink development
program over the summer,
as well – and as a result,
he’s developed an offensive
side to his game. He’s been
a tenacious player for us,
too. He likes to get out
there and mix it up.
“He realizes the
opportunity he has now. He’s
getting more involved in the
offense. One thing with Lucas,
he’s not afraid to show his
energy and excitement with
the game. You see how much
he’s having fun out there
and he’s really mixing well
with the guys, too. It really
translates to what we’re trying
to accomplish as a program.”
When it comes to his
future, Fry is allowing himself
to dream like a teenager.
Although he does well in
school and understands the
importance of getting good
marks, he’s also working hard
at hockey so it will open some
doors to higher education.
“I’m thinking only about
playing at the college level
and getting as much schooling
as I can through hockey,”
he conceded. “Right now,
I just want to take hockey
as far as it will take me and
hopefully I’ll get a scholarship
at either a Canadian or
American university.
“Right now I’m not
thinking about anything
else. But we’ll see. I am still
working hard at being a
good mathematician.” ❍