It was always Carter Cockburn's dream to play with the Swan Valley Stampeders when he was a young kid. From Swan River, Cockburn spent many weekend nights at the Centennial Arena cheering the hometown Stampeders on.
The now 19-year-old played four seasons with the Parkland Rangers program ahead of his days in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. In his final with the U-15 team in the 2015-2016 season, Carter scored 39 goals in just 36 games and he had 24 assists.
Moving forward two seasons -- which was his last with the U-18 Rangers -- Carter had 61 points, 35 of which were goals in 48 games. During that season, Cockburn also scored a goal and had three points as he played his first four games with Swan Valley.
In the 2018-2019 season, Swan Valley put together their most successful season in franchise history when they advanced to the Turnbull Cup final. They were just one goal away from advancing to the Anavet Cup; however, the Portage Terriers won game seven in overtime. Cockburn played 15 games in that playoff run and he played another 50 regular-season games with Swan Valley last year, where he put up 23 points.
Always believing that he could score at an elite level, Cockburn showed signs of what he could do offensively in last year's playoffs. In just three games before the season was shut down, he scored five times. Four of the goals came in a 10-0 drubbing of Waywayseecappo on March 11 in the team's final game.
"Coming out of U-18, I knew I could score goals. My first year was a learning curve and as the time has gone on, I've been given more opportunities," said Cockburn. "Having those playoff games under my belt and just the experience over the past couple of seasons has been huge in my development."
Carter is back with Swan Valley this season and as the league pauses until January 1, the Swan River native is off to a great start. In six games, the 19-year-old has scored four times and he's added another four assists. His eight points are in the top 20 league-wide and he's averaging 1.33 points-per-game and he also has one game-winning tally.
"I'm pretty happy with my production this year. I continue to get opportunities to succeed and I'm getting the job done," continued Cockburn.
Swan Valley enters the league's pause in second place in the Northwest Division with a 5-4 record. The team has scored 41 goals -- the most in the league -- while they have also racked up the most penalty minutes with 269.
Carter will continue training at home while the league is on pause as he prepares to continue living his dream of playing with his hometown Junior A team in 2021.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," ended Cockburn. "I love playing in front of my family and friends. I really couldn't ask for much more."
