Getting to know Battlefords North Stars forward Drew Williamson

“That’s my life, man. I love fitness, not only for building a structure. A good temple, a good body but I like it mentally. If I didn’t work out, like I couldn’t function to be completely honest, it helps so much with mental health for me,” said Williamson, who explained how going to the gym is therapeutic for him.

“Not only [can you] build muscle and stuff, but it’s so good for your brain because it produces oxytocin and serotonin, which pumps into your body and makes you happy. So it’s really like a drug in a way.” Whether he is alone or with people, Williamson said he’s always happy at the gym, and it’s a safe bet that you can find him there when he’s not at the rink.

Hockey wasn’t the only sport Williamson played when he was a kid. He also played lacrosse and even badminton. He went to various provincial tournaments for badminton but was never able to win it. “There’s always a couple of academy kids that just destroy you,” said Williamson with a laugh.

He played ‘A’ level lacrosse in Alberta which was the highest level you could play up until bantam but had to stop after that to focus on hockey.

Before playing in North Battleford, Williamson played junior hockey in Alberta, spending most of his time with the Drumheller Dragons of the AJHL. He said that he’s noticed the difference in community support for the team here versus before. “We get a lot more support than when I was in Drumheller. Even with the stands, like people coming to watch.” Williamson, who feeds off crowd support, loved the atmosphere at the home opener. “It was buzzing out there, that was awesome.”

When asked about his music taste, Williamson said he’s a big rock guy. He listed his top three favourite bands as AC/DC, Nickelback and Metallica as his top three. With Spotify Wrapped recently coming out and revealing members ‘listening age’, Williamson joked that his was 72 years old.

He hasn’t been to any concerts but said that the original AC/DC crew would be his dream show. Although he doesn’t like being in big crowds, so he has never been too interested in concerts in general.

As more of a movie than TV show person, Williamson tends to lean towards action movies as his favourite genre. When asked about movies, he mentioned the John Wick series with no hesitation. Although he talked about Chris Hemsworth as his favourite actor, saying he really likes the Extraction movie series.

Williamson has a younger sister who is still in high school, and an older brother who recently got accepted into law school. In terms of education, Williamson wants to go another way. He wants to be a psychologist. His mom is a psychologist, which is where he said his interest stems from. “I think it would just be really fun, I’ve always been interested in the mental side of stuff.”

The North Stars forward said he would like to play USports when he goes to university, but his hockey focus is currently all on the North Stars who play in three straight games over the weekend from Dec. 5-7.

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com

by Ryan Lambert

Getting to know Battlefords North Stars forward Drew Williamson

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