Getting to know Battlefords North Stars forward Kobe Sawyer

Living in B.C., Sawyer spent his summers fishing and recreating at the family’s cabin on Kootenay Lake.

“I go there in the summer and go fishing and stuff. Rainbow trout, Kokanee.” Sawyer says that he catches and releases Kokanee salmon as its numbers are low in Kootenay Lake.

“But rainbow trout, you can cook them up at night. Rainbow trout is always fun to catch. Then there’s sturgeon and stuff deep down, you’d have some big bait, but I’ve never caught one of those before.”

As a kid, Sawyer played a few other sports along with hockey including soccer, rugby and baseball. Although he seemed to be the best at rugby. He played in Grade 6 and 7 then joined a club called Tide.

“It was like a spring rugby program. I went and tried out, made the team. We won provincials, so that was a pretty cool experience in my life,” said Sawyer.

Soon after the provincial championships, the COVID-19 pandemic hit so Sawyer couldn’t play rugby in Grade 8. He also didn’t play in Grades 9 or 10 since he went to a hockey school in those years, the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy.

He thought about getting back to rugby, but the injury possibility kept him away from it. He mentions he wonders where he may be if he committed to rugby but has no regrets about going the hockey route instead.

“I think I’d be at university right now for rugby because there’s no junior, you go straight from high school to (university). So I’m grateful that I played hockey and got this experience. No other sport can really give this to you.”

Unlike many players at his level, Sawyer didn’t actually start playing hockey until he was eight years old. He started off playing intermural floor hockey before the coach suggested he try ice hockey.

“There was a mini rink called Ice Victoria and that’s where I got my skill set from…they run like sniper Sunday’s, like battle Thursday’s and you just kind of go, drive out, it’s like a 45 minute drive, my mom would always pick me up,” Sawyer said.

He mentioned that his mom didn’t let him play league hockey in his first year. Ice Victoria was more about development, and that decision worked out early as Sawyer made the top novice team the very next year.

The mini rink shut down due to COVID, but Sawyer still has the opportunity to work with the coach which has come full circle for him.

“I can now coach kids as well, just how he did and get little kids into the game. “It’s like seven to 10-year-olds. On weekends in the summer, Saturday is a development day. I run through four practices, like on my own drills in the corner, it’s like stations. Then Sunday is like summer league so I just coach on the bench.”

Having a coach who used to play in the SJHL, Sawyer mentioned that he could potentially see himself coaching at a Junior A level later in his life after retirement but hasn’t narrowed down a career choice although he has a few options in mind.

“Right now, I’m just trying to focus on hockey obviously, but kinesiology would be cool to learn. I love working out and I could see myself almost being a personal trainer maybe, as well as coaching, something like that.”

He also mentioned the possibility of going to school for business or going into a trade.

“I haven’t quite made my decision yet, but you know, I can pick that when I’m in school.”

At 19 years old, Sawyer knows that he still has time to figure things out in that aspect.

In terms of pregame routines, Sawyer has a few must-dos on game days.

“I have to nap, so that’s a go-to. At least an hour and a half in bed, like napping. Then basically my pregame meal is the same every time. Chicken, rice, and broccoli. I eat usually at the same time for every game,” said Sawyer. “Then I tape my stick at the same time for every game. 20 leg swings each leg, each way, I got to do that. Then I got a couple of handshakes with a couple of the guys. Then I kind of do the same kind of warmup, same stick handle, same sequence. Kind of makes me feel more comfortable going through the game.”

As a returning player, Sawyer said he’s incredibly grateful for the community support the team receives in the Battlefords.

“It’s honestly fantastic. If you look around the league, we have like top three, if not the best fans in the league. It’s always a good show out for us, always cheering us on. I think back to the billet families, every billet family is awesome and nice. Usually, when you meet someone in the community and you say you’re on the North Stars, they got nothing but good things to say about us,” he said.

Although Sawyer is away from home in the Battlefords, he keeps in touch with a lot of friends from B.C., a group with plenty of elite athletes.

“I got Ollie Josephson, he’s drafted to Seattle, plays at the University of North Dakota. Matt Lahey’s Michigan State University, drafted by Toronto. Reid Clague signed (with the Reds), like MLB. My buddy Jett (Klassen)’s playing D1 Lacrosse at Lafeyette.” Sawyer also has friends across the SJHL from Victoria.

He says being able to train with high level athletes like that throughout the summer helps him elevate his game.

“The competitive aspect to that like who can push each other harder in the summers and I’m not just like screwing around, hanging out and doing nothing. I’m with a group of guys who want to go play, rollerblade and go stickhandle, go for a run. I feel like it’s more fun than just hanging out and doing nothing.”

Sawyer and the North Stars continue their season on Jan. 30 when they take on the Melville Millionaires on the road.

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com

by Ryan Lambert

Getting to know Battlefords North Stars forward Kobe Sawyer

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