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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports 23 | Friday, April 19, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" MEMBERSHIPS NOW AVAILABLE! 2220 Speers Road, Oakville www.AdvanceHockeyAcademy.com Unconventional road led Kellan Lain to NHL deal T.A. Blakelock high school team helped forward enjoy hockey again by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor Seven years ago, not many could have predicted a potential National Hockey League career in Kellan Lain's future. Not even Kellan Lain himself. Having been cut by midget AAA teams in Mississauga, Oakville and Halton, Lain had had his fill of rep hockey and chose instead to suit up for his T.A. Blakelock Tigers high school team. More than developing his skills or being exposed to scouts, Lain simply wanted to enjoy the game again. "I hadn't really been enjoying hockey for the previous four or five years. It wasn't something I really wanted to do anymore," recalls the 23-year-old Lain. "I decided to play high school hockey and have some fun with my buddies. Then my plan was to play junior B and go to university in Canada." Playing high school hockey in Halton, one of the few regions in Ontario that do not allow rep players, isn't exactly the best way to get noticed. But, ironically, it might have been the best hockey decision Lain ever made. Blakelock coach Ken Butler had assembled a strong team when Lain attended the school. Lain wasn't even the Tigers' star, according to the coach. "He was one of my top six forwards," says Butler, whose team also featured future Ontario Hockey Leaguer Mitch Fillman. "I wouldn't even say he was my No. 1 centreman." But under Butler, who demanded defensive responsibility but encouraged creativity in the offensive zone, Lain rediscovered his love for the game. The Tigers reached the Halton final in both years Lain played on the team. "When you enjoy playing the game, it makes a huge difference. You are comfortable and you are confident. Those are big things to be successful in hockey," Lain says. "(The first season playing for Blakelock) was a big year for me. Even though it was just high school hockey, it was probably the year that changed everything for me." Lack of size, something Butler feels was the main reason Lain had been cut by those midget coaches, was no longer an issue either. By the time Lain graduated from Blakelock, he was well over six feet tall. "He probably grew a foot in high school," Butler says. Played three seasons with Oakville Blades The Oakville Blades took notice of Lain's strong play with the Tigers, and Lain joined the local junior A team in the fall of 2007. Lain went on to play three seasons for the Blades, helping Oakville reach two national championship tournaments during that span and parlaying that exposure into a scholarship from Lake Superior State University. Last month, Lain moved one step closer to the NHL dream he had once given up on, inking a free agent deal with the Vancouver Canucks. "I think it's sunk in now," Lain says. "For the first little while, it was surreal because it's something I've wanted so badly and worked so hard for and had to overcome a lot to Kellan Lain, pictured in action with the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves, had practically given up on a professional hockey career when he joined the T.A. Blakelock high school team seven years ago. Lain recently signed a contract with the Vancouver Canucks.| Ross Dettman -- Chicago Wolves get here." When Lain talks about what he's had to overcome, he's talking about more than being cut by several teams or seeking a way to enjoy the sport again. As dim as Lain's hockey future might have appeared in 2007, the outlook was even darker two years later. Lain sliced the ulnar artery of his left wrist on an opponent's skate while playing for the Blades, a scary injury that threatened to end his playing career. It took nearly a year for Lain to recover. He underwent two surgeries and put in countless hours of extensive rehabilitation with hand specialists at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital before returning to the Blades' lineup in time for the 2010 postseason. "It was hard work, but it was something that made me stronger and made me appreciate everything in life more," Lain says. Perhaps it is that perspective gained that makes Lain content with the role hockey executives and scouts project him to fill as a pro. Though he averaged nearly a point a game during his final two seasons with the Blades, the best-case scenario for the 6-foot-6, 220-pound centre appears to be as a defensive specialist. "We see him as a bottom-end centre, more like Paul Gaustad or maybe a David Steckel type player. That kind of guy," Canucks assistant general manager Laurence Gilman told the Vancouver Province. "He can be a shutdown centre." That's the type of backhanded compliment Lain has received for the past several years. Some might not be flattered by it, but Lain takes it in stride. He also says it doesn't bother him that he has yet to record a point in 10 games with Vancouver's American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. "As you move up in pro hockey, everyone plays their own role. Every team has goal scorers and top skill guys, and every team has role players as well. It's just being a piece of the puzzle," Lain says. "When you get this far, you're playing with some of the best players in the world. Being able to be good at a few things that a team needs is important. I'm fine with that... A third-line centre role is what I see myself as well. I don't disagree with anything anybody says." Words spoken by someone who sounds as though he's just happy to be there. And also someone who is grateful he played high school hockey at Blakelock. "I'm sure the coaching he gets now is better than I (provided)," Butler says. "But I'm sure he got something here." -- Jon Kuiperij can be followed on Twitter @Beaversports