West Ferris Grade 9 student Dillon Anderson has been passionate about hockey his entire life.
Anderson, who has cerebral palsy and who depends on a wheelchair for mobility, is as committed to the game as any player who steps on the ice.
"I've always been a hockey fan. I'm a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins. I've been watching the Voodoos for a couple years now. I was always a Battalion fan, and the Voodoos are affiliated with the Battalion, so I just like following them and looking at their stats," said Anderson.
West Ferris Specialist High Skills Majors business teacher, Karen Bond, has Anderson in her computer class.
“He’s a very positive young man and is extremely passionate about the game of hockey and hockey analytics in general. I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to connect Dillon with Chris Dawson of the Voodoos to see if perhaps there would be an opportunity for them to work together. We’re always looking for those community connectedness experiences for students that actually help take their learning to the next level, and maybe points them to a future career path at some point in time.”
The young hockey enthusiast reached out to Powassan Voodoos Jr A hockey team General Manager Chris Dawson.
What started out as a simple conversation, turned into an opportunity for Anderson to do scouting reports for the team.
"I started talking to his teacher, Karen Bond about maybe doing a co-op placement. I had seen Dillon at Battalion games and Voodoo games and by our conversation on Facebook, I could tell he knew his hockey,” said Dawson.
“Over time I gave him different assignments. When he came to our camp in April, without me even asking, he actually did a scouting report on every player, their skating, their shooting, everything. It was just like I was getting something from an OHL team. I talked to our coach Max Gavin and got him to meet Dillon. We thought maybe this could lead to a bigger opportunity. Dillon could go to Great North Midget League games this year for us and he could do it for more than just co-op, he could be a member of the hockey organization.”
Anderson takes his responsibilities very seriously.
"We're trying to recruit the best players from down south. It's a challenge but we're working on it," said Anderson.
"I look for basic things, plus-minus, goals, assists, points, but I even go more in-depth like how much time it takes them to get a goal. A lot of the time it depends on what line they're on. We have fourth line grinders, we have up to the first line centres, I mean we're recruiting for certain lines as well."
One Voodoos affiliate player who takes Anderson's analysis to heart is centre Ryan Mills.
“It’s crazy how much he knows about the game and just how much he can tell you about what you’re doing wrong, what you’re doing right and what you need to work on. He knows everything and wants to tell me just so I can get to that next level and get better,” said Mills, who is also a North Bay Battalion prospect.
“At the start of the year, I actually had an interview with him. He asked me a lot of questions, really good questions. He thinks about the questions and puts them out there and he told me what I needed to do. I used that information this year, and I think I had a pretty good year. I think it made a difference.”
Anderson’s grandfather, Ken Sullivan admires his grandson’s deep passion for the game.
“He just seemed to evolve into it. We got talking a lot about hockey. I’m a Battalion season ticket holder so I started taking him to the games and he became a super fan,” laughed Sullivan.
“Once he started into it I could see that this was his thing. His knowledge of hockey is fabulous. I don’t know where he gets it but he’s pretty smart when it comes to hockey.”
His accomplishments were celebrated as part of a school assembly Thursday morning.
The Voodoo organization made him an official Junior Scout, presenting him with a special team golf shirt.
“It’s the same shirt any of the other scouts would wear. We really just want to show him that anything is possible. He’s not letting anything hold him back,” said Dawson.
Anderson is hopeful his skills will eventually lead to a scouting career.
"I think I'll probably be doing this for a long time. My goal is to move up to the OHL or NHL. It's going to take a lot of hard work, but I'm up for the challenge."
