Sheshatshiu hockey player, 10, showing up strong in southern tournaments
Aries Benuen scoring invitations to competitions in Quebec, Ontario
A 10-year-old hockey prodigy from Labrador is raising eyebrows down south.
Aries Benuen of Sheshatshiu competed in several tournaments in Quebec and Ontario last year, and was selected for the triple-A all-star team in Montreal.
"I like to block shots, take shots and stop people," Aries said, who prefers playing defence.
Like many his age, Aries hopes to play in the NHL, preferably for the Washington Capitals, one day.
"It's my dream," Aries said, "I like [Capitals left-winger] Alex Ovechkin. He's a really good player, he's a really good scorer."
Family support
Benuen started watching hockey when he was five or six years old, according to his grandfather, Sebastian Benuen, and started playing himself when he was seven. Just a few years later Aries is competing in triple-A hockey, considered the highest calibre of minor hockey.
"Here in Newfoundland Labrador they got no triple-A," Sebastian said, "It's a good experience for him. He gets to play with triple-A teams throughout Canada."
Aries says his grandfather helps him a lot, buying the equipment that he needs and giving him rides to games and practices.
"He tells me to work hard all the time. He tells me to score goals and he tells me to take slap shots all the time," Aries said.
Aries must've impressed last year because got the call again this year. He's going to be heading back to Quebec and Ontario for more tournaments come May.
"He's going to be a busy boy again this year," Sebastian said.
'A good mix'
When he's not competing in more southerly competitions, he plays in Lake Melville's minor hockey league.
"We've got a lot of great players and Aries is a great complement [to that]," said coach Andrew Warr. "But you can see that everyone wants to compete with him and he wants to compete with everyone. It's a good mix."
Warr says Aries is a good kid, a good teammate and very coachable.
"He's a big player, he's a smart player and he brings a lot of excitement," Warr said,
"He's always shown promise, even from a couple of years ago. So it's no surprise what he's doing today. The world is his oyster right now. Who knows where it will take him?"