'With passion comes potential': Young hockey players leave home for prep school opportunities

You know this story — the child moves out, parents cry, hug their kid goodbye and send their 13-year-old son to spread his wings in the real world.

Perhaps this version is slightly different.

"I was just born to be a hockey player I guess," says Charlottetown's Mount Academy Saints' U18 captain Sasha Charbonneau. "When I'm on the ice, I feel free."

Originally from Mont-Laurier, Que., Charbonneau moved 180 kilometres away to Saint-Jérôme, Que., four years ago to play Bantam AAA hockey. Last fall, he packed his bags for the Prince Edward Island preparatory high school Mount Academy.

He barely spoke English and he had no friends. But Charbonneau did have something powerful on his side — a dream.

"I like hockey and I want this to be my job," said the 17-year-old. "But I want to have a backup plan too and then go to university. I want to be a kinesiologist."

'Tremendous sacrifices'

Charbonneau is one of about 1,500 student athletes in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, or CSSHL. The league is made up of 26 Hockey Canada-accredited schools from across Canada and allows young players to study while focusing on athletics at the same time.

The league has students from Australia, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, the United States, every Canadian province and all three territories, among others. 

"I think to do big things, you have to do what you need to do to make it happen and sometimes that involves big steps — sacrifice," said the head of Mount Academy, Kenny MacDougall. 

"There's kids here that make tremendous sacrifices to follow their goals. I think that's admirable."

It's not only the kids who make sacrifices — so do their parents.

These specialty schools can cost between $13,000 and $50,000 a year to attend.

'They have great potential'

This year, the CSSHL Eastern Division Championships were in Montague, P.E.I., but got cancelled after just one day of play because of COVID-19.

They were being held in the typical — noticeably cold — small-town rink that has bleacher heaters, but they're not turned on. 

Sitting in the stands with her Tim Hortons drink was Tracy Michano-Stewart, who travelled from Thunder Bay, Ont., to watch her 16-year-old son Gage play.

"Tuition is expensive but coming from Thunder Bay, any level of competitive hockey is expensive," she said. "So when we looked at the end cost, adding in the cost of like, personal trainers and all the other extras, it actually probably is cheaper than keeping him at home."

Michano-Stewart's son lives 14 hours away from her in Whitby, Ont. and is a goaltender for Okanagan Hockey Ontario.

"I knew he could handle being away from home," she said. "Exposure wise, being in a bigger centre closer to other bigger teams was a benefit to him as well." 

This is the school league's first season with an Eastern division, so it has never had players drafted into the Ontario Hockey League or Quebec Major Junior Hockey League — but 310 kids have been drafted at the Western Hockey League Bantam Draft since 2015. 

Trevor Birt was going to look for talent at the tournament this weekend. The head scout for the Charlottetown Islanders says the CSSHL is known to produce good hockey players. 

"We don't like to leave any rock unturned when it comes to scouting," said Birt. "They have a great passion for the game of hockey and with passion comes potential and they have great potential to move on to the next level."

'It doesn't last forever'

News of the championship's cancellation has left many people at Mount Academy disappointed. For seniors like Charbonneau, this means his hockey season is over. And though they didn't get the chance to finish what they started, MacDougall said the school is using this as a reminder that nothing in life is guaranteed. 

"You never know when you're going to play your last game," he said. "Sometimes we take the game for granted. We always think there's going to be another day, another opportunity and sometimes there's not."

According to MacDougall, they played around 50 games this season, giving players great opportunities to showcase themselves and their talents. 

"When you sit back and take time to reflect you realize how fortunate and lucky we are to be able to participate in this game," he said. "It doesn't last forever and you have to make the most of it while you can." 

'Successful at a younger age'

While the opportunity to play at a higher level can be tantalizing, there are challenges. Some of the kids have to move thousands of kilometres from home and the cost can be prohibitive. 

But the CSSHL chief of operations is quick to defend the price tag. 

"That covers everything," said Kevin Goodwin. "It covers all of your ice time for 10 months, your training for 10 months. It covers your apparel, it covers your helmets and gloves … it covers all your travel to the events." 

In fact, according to Goodwin, the draw actually has little to do with hockey.

"It's about everything else," he said. "It's about these kids walking out of these programs at 17 years old and walking into the first year of college and university and being able to take care of themselves … I think that makes them much more successful at a younger age by already having to live through it."

Mount Academy's Charbonneau has lived through it.

He remembers his mom hugging him tightly at 13 knowing that would be the last time he lived at home. He laughs when he talks about the first time he dreamt in English. And he understands the pull between being comfortable and taking a risk to achieve your dream. 

"The first Christmas break I went back to home and I wanted to stay there … Dad was like, 'No you have to go. Like, it's normal, it's alright, but if you come back, when you're going to be older you're going to regret it.'"

Charbonneau smiles.

"And I don't want to have regrets in life."

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