A Captain's Journey- Spencer Edwards

Wearing the “C” on your chest as a hockey player, means you have been given a special honour. That “C” stands for leadership, responsibility and symbolizes a role model. The Warriors 2010/11 captain took a challenging road to his current title. Spencer Edwards was drafted by the Red Deer Rebels and was later cut from the team and sent back to the BCHL. The following season he would be traded to Seattle, and again would not make the WHL team. After a solid season with the Cowichan Valley Capitals, Spencer got an invite as a free agent to Warriors camp.

From the minute Spencer Edwards stepped on the ice it seemed his long journey across the WHL had come to an end. Spencer brought to the ice every characteristic of a Warriors player the coached were looking for. The first player to practice each day and a player who could be credited with hardest working accolades nearly every night seemed to fit right in to the tribe.

For Spencer, being named the captain of this year’s team is an incredible honour. “Some of the greatest hockey players have been captains and there has been many here in Moose Jaw,” said Edwards. “I feel privileged that the coaches and players feel I am the player for the job and I just hope to do my very best in the role,” added Spencer.

Spencer had many great captains in his hockey career; last year’s Warriors captain, Jason Bast is a captain Spencer hopes to model his role after. “Jason was a great captain for this team; I took a lot away from him. I had many first-class captains in Jr. A—they knew what it took to lead a team and I hope to do just that,” commented Spencer Edwards.

Wearing that “C” on his chest is almost a surreal experience for Edwards, “Considering a year ago I was just trying to make the team, having the honour of leading this team is incredible. The acceptance I felt on home opener from the crowd meant a lot to me,” added Edwards. Along with wearing the letter, Spencer knows many other responsibilities come with it. “Being the captain means I need to provide on ice leadership, stick up for my team mates, be consistent and always work hard,” said Captain Edwards.

Spencer won’t be alone when leading the tribe this season. He has four alternate captains, all selected based on their unique ability to motivate the team. “The older guys know what it takes to be a good team. Dylan McIlrath, Quinton Howden, Collin Bowman and Kendall McFaull are all great leaders and hockey players that people look up to,” remarked Edwards. “I know these four along with our veteran players like Dylan Hood and Thomas Heemskerk will be a great help to me this season,” added Spencer.

Spencer Edwards may have taken the long way to Moose Jaw, but the fans have welcomed him with open arms. Sometimes it takes a long time to find the right path—it’s quite clear Spencer has done just that.