When Brayden Kohlman hits the ice, you expect big things from him with his slick skating skill and beautiful shot. Big things are exactly what the McCreary native provided the McCreary Mountaineers with this season.
The 15-year-old led the team in scoring with 39 points (18G). Kohlman's a big reason why the Mountaineers had their best season in franchise history. With nine wins, it was a significant bump from last season when the team won just three games.
"I'm kind of alright with what I did this season," said Kohlman. "I was expecting a little bit more but not everything goes your way and you just have to go with the flow."
"We really grew as a team every single time we hit the ice," he added. "We always worked hard and we found a way to win some games."
For the past two seasons Brayden played for the Parkland Bantam Rangers. He played 70 regular season games in the two seasons and put up 33 points (20G). 22 of those points came last season.
Playing on last year's team ended up giving Kohlman a bronze medal. The team won that at the Rural AAA Provincial Championships.
"Yeah, it was a great experience playing with them for two seasons," said Kohlman. "We weren't too strong in the first year but we really had a strong second year. We didn't finish how we wanted to, but I really enjoyed playing with the Rangers."
This year Brayden was eligible to play for the Midget Rangers. He decided he wanted to return back to his hometown to play for the Mountaineers instead.
"I kind of personally didn't really feel I had my offensive touch anymore. I was playing more of a defensive role with the Rangers," added Kohlman. "I thought if I went back to my hometown and played with my childhood friends it would spark something."
Brayden says he now feels more confident in himself and a return to the Rangers next year could happen. But for now, the only thing that matters is his time with the Mountaineers. They begin their playoffs on Monday.
"I'm really hoping we can get that first win in our own barn and get the momentum on our side," added Kohlman. "If we play how we know we can, we should come out with a solid result."
Get To Know Brayden:
What is your favourite hockey memory? I was in Atom at the time and I got called up to play on the Peewee team. It was really cool to play with the older guys and I pushed myself to get better.
What pushes you to succeed now? Just looking around the room and seeing everyone on the team and how hard they work. We're not the most skilled team in the league, but we work hard day in and day out. I'm the leading scorer on the team so that pushes me to ramp things up as well.
