Boy achieves dream of playing hockey

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This article was published 18/01/2021 (1933 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bound and determined to achieve his ice-skating dream, a young hockey player has inspired countless others through his perseverance.

Both with cerebral palsy, Zander Wallin, 12, wasn’t sure he would ever be able to play ice hockey.

That was, until his parents surprised him with custom-made skates for Christmas.

His first attempt at skating on his family’s front-yard rink in Brandon ended in brutal disappointment, which led his parents, Chad and Michelle, to question whether he’d give it another go.

Zander reflected on the experience for a day and then hit the ice again, this time to drastically improved results.

“Every time he’s been on the ice since has been a remarkable difference, and a lot of that has to do with confidence,” Chad said. “The willingness and the determination to do it is just incredible to watch.”

Zander started out with the assistance of a chair and is now able to glide and take shots on net with just a hockey stick in hand.

The achievement is of great significance to Zander, who has spent his 12 years surrounded by hockey and whose twin brother, Sawyer, is active on the ice.

The family attends Wheat Kings games regularly and have billeted players for the past several years.

Between their first billet, Jordan Papirny, and current billet, Braden Schneider, Chad said his family struck gold twice.

“They’ve had big impacts on our family,” he said, adding the players have both served as strong role models for the twins.

Zander has also joined Sawyer’s hockey teams, participating wherever he has been able to, but has always come up short of getting the full hockey experience.

Last year, Chad reached out to Wheat Kings equipment manager Scott Hlady and Dave Morningstar at Morningstar Metals to fashion a two-blade skate Zander could wear.

They took regular boots, added extra supports to the ankles and two blades across the enforced heel to help Zander maintain his balance.

Schneider was the first person the family reached out to when Zander began finding success on the ice, knowing his approval and encouragement would mean a lot.

Contacted by phone in New York on Saturday, Schneider said he’s looking forward to returning to Brandon to see what his billet brother has accomplished in person and to join him on the ice.

“He doesn’t quit,” Schneider said. “That’s the main thing — once he puts his mind to something he doesn’t stop until he does it. … It makes me so happy to see he has accomplished that goal.”

Schneider said he doesn’t take his role model status for granted, and has enjoyed his billet brother relationship with both Zander and Sawyer — something he considers “pretty special.”

At his family’s front-yard rink on Sunday, Zander’s face brightened up when Schneider’s name came up.

He was excited to see Schneider talk about his accomplishment on SportsCentre and the New York Rangers tweet a video of him on his unique skates.

The NHL team caught wind of the story through Schneider, who was drafted by the Rangers in the first round of the 2020 National Hockey League draft and signed to an American Hockey League deal last week with the Hartford Wolfpack that will allow him to play there until the WHL resumes action.

Zander’s story has also appeared on the CBC, Global News and other media outlets.

Although the 12-year-old said he is excited to have his “moment in the sun,” he’s mostly just content with being out on the ice.

Sawyer said he has been inspired by his twin’s accomplishment and proud to see him show countless other people what’s possible for those who actively set out to achieve their goals.

But he’s mostly just happy to see his brother happy.

“It’s good to see that I now have a buddy to come skate with me all the time,” he said. “I’m excited that he finally has a chance to skate.”

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB