Kleysen Transport, and his mom Barb, might not have been hockey people at the time, but they’ ve supported Stephen’ s hockey dreams every step of the way.
“ Oh, 100 per cent,” he said.“ I would not be where I am today without them. They never pushed me, but they always, always supported me. My dad is the hardestworking guy I know, but he was just awesome. It really is great having parents support you the way my parents supported me.”
It’ s important to note, that Tom and Barb have supported him through some tough hockey decisions. In the middle of the 2015-16 season, he decided to give the USHL a shot, left the Blues and went to Madison. After deciding Madison wasn’ t the answer, he took a shot with the West Kelowna
“
I’ D SHOOT PUCKS IN THE DRIVEWAY THREE
HOURS A NIGHT
”
Warriors of the BCHL and the decision has worked well for him. The Warriors acquired Kleysen’ s right from the Blues in August of 2016 and his presence was felt in West Kelowna almost immediately. He played in all 58 regular season games and had six goals and 23 points Then, the coaches gave him an increased role in the playoffs and he dished out three assists in four games.
He’ s a 5-foot-11, 185-pound defenseman and has learned from not only playing the game, but from working with Align-Your-Mind’ s Brain
Coach, Robert Broten.
“ Last year was my third year of junior hockey and as a result, I became more conscious of my responsibility to the team,” said Kleysen,“ As a veteran, it was up to me to show up ready to play like it would be our last game every single night.”
“ After seeing several of my teammates suffer some unfortunate injuries, the importance of taking care of my body and mind became more apparent to me than it had in previous seasons. Coming into games mentally prepared, well rested and well-fueled made a huge difference in what I could contribute to the team.
“ It became especially apparent and more important during the playoffs. I wanted my energy to be contagious to the team on the ice. Those experiences have motivated me to push harder than I ever have this past offseason.
“ Working with Bob has helped me stay relaxed and confident off the ice. I have been able to do things I didn’ t even know I was capable of, by believing in my ability and harnessing the confidence I’ ve created.”
This season, Kleysen expects big things from the Warriors and they expect a lot from him. He’ s a guy who is known to play“ a 200-foot game with a team-first mentality.”
If he stays healthy in both mind and body, that approach to the game he loves should carry him a long way. ❍
STEPHEN KLEYSEN # 19
96 | GAME ON | NOVEMBER 2017