Travis Child, chosen as one of 42 top Bantams in Canada, attends NHLPA Mentorship camp

Travis Child, from Killam, has had a busy summer, full of firsts and opportunities, as he pursues his hockey career.
Child, 15, was honoured to be picked as one of Canada’s top 42 Bantam-aged players and invited to the NHL Player’s Association (NHLPA) All-State All-Canadian Mentorship Camp, held July 17 – 21 in Mississauga, Ont.

The camp, now in its second year, invites only Bantam-aged players, and was designed to “Re-invest in the grassroots of Canadian Hockey.”
The camp is hosted by NHL players, under the leadership of 21-year NHL veteran Gary Roberts.
Child said the camp invitation included him and one other family member, and his family decided they would all go, and make a vacation out of the trip. “We went to Niagara Falls, and got to see the CN Tower,” Child said, as well as taking in a Blue Jays game while there.
The camp includes on-ice skill sessions with NHLPA players, and off-ice conditioning and mental skills training sessions, as well as motivational speakers, like Canadian Olympic Bronze medallist skier Deidra Dionne, who broke her neck during a run after winning bronze in the 2002 Olympics, and spoke to the players about her subsequent recovery and return to competition in the 2006 Olympics; the camp also included detailed nutrition advice from Roberts.
The camp split the players into two teams, White and Red, coached by NHL players John Tavares and Taylor Hall.
Child was happy to be on Hall’s team. Not only does Hall play for Child’s favourite team, the Edmonton Oilers, but Child said, “It was neat, I followed his career; it was great to meet him in person.”
Child said the camp opened with a reception dinner held at the Hockey Hall of Fame, which was closed off to the public and open entirely for the camp attendees and their families.

On the last day of the camp, players competed for the All-State All Canadian Mentorship Cup, which was televised on TSN, much to the delight of Child’s friends and family from the area, who were watching the game and updating Facebook as it was on.
Child says it was the first time he’s played on national TV, and says that on the way back to the dressing rooms after the game he hit another first, a line of kids waiting for autographs.
“I guess I’ll have to work on mine (his signature),” Child said, “compared to some of the other guys’ mine was kinda lame.”
Child played goal on the Red team (coached by Hall) and got to play in the third period, as well as the shootout.
He said that it was great to participate in the camp and really check out the skill levels of players the same age from around the country, something players don’t normally get a chance to do except in championship games.
Two players in particular stood out for him, B.C. native Mathew Barzal, on the Red team with Child, and Ontario’s Connor McDavid, who played for the White team, and scored during the shootout against Child to take the cup for White.
“I felt like he had my number no matter where he shot the puck,” said Child ruefully.
McDavid, he went on to say, is so good that he’s likely to be granted exceptional player status into the OHL a year early, one of only three players in history allowed the privilege.

Read the full story in the August 14, 2012 edition of The Community Press, on newsstands now!