His wicked season last year has now led him to British Columbia.
That's where Russell's Tyson Zimmer feels he'll best get the chance to improve his game while playing against top talent.
The 14-year-old is playing on the Okanagan Bantam Prep hockey team.
The team plays in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League that features teams from all across the country including the Rink Hockey Academy in Winnipeg.
"The training here is top notch and I feel coming here will give me the best chance to succeed," said Zimmer. "We're on the ice every day, so I'm just trying to get better and show what I can do out on the ice."
Last year Zimmer played with the Bantam Parkland Rangers that won a bronze medal at the Rural Provincial Championships. The youngster led the Rangers with an astonishing 69 points in just 34 games.
Each day for Zimmer looks basically the same. He gets up early in the morning and goes to school around 8:00 a.m. Then after school, he heads right to the gym for an hour and a half workout. That's followed by an on-ice team practice. Add that all up, and Tyson's a super busy 14-year-old but he's getting used to it."
"The first couple days were tough for sure," said Zimmer. "It makes for a long day with going to school in the morning then playing hockey until late at night. But, I'm really happy with my decision to come here. I'm sore every night when I go to bed and that's exactly what's needed. It's been a great experience so far."
Zimmer's first chance to impress his new coaches in game action is coming up this weekend. The team takes on Delta Green in a two-game set.
"I just want to get a lot better as a player and as a person as well," said Zimmer. "I want to play this game for a long time and get to a high level. I'm planning on working as hard as I can and hopefully it all works out."
