Paddock switches sports

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This article was published 30/08/2022 (1235 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Max Paddock is trading his goalie pads for knee pads.

The Brandonite, who has backstopped teams at the Memorial Cup and U Sports hockey nationals, is transferring to the University of the Fraser Valley from Acadia University and joining the Cascades men’s volleyball team.

“It was more so just about doing what I love,” Paddock said. “Hockey, I just hadn’t quite been 100 per cent invested in the past year or so and that just wasn’t fair to my teammates or anyone that was involved.”

The move to Abbotsford, B.C., from Wolfville, N.S. — from one coast and conference to another — isn’t as random as it seems.

Not only was Paddock a AAA varsity volleyball provincial champion with the Neelin Spartans in 2016, but the six-foot-two setter was also named tournament MVP.

Paddock bounced between the Wheat City and the Regina Pats that year, going 4-1 in five Western Hockey League games.

He played 33 games in the 2017-18 season, with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, helping the Pats reach the Memorial Cup final as hosts. They lost 3-0 to the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Paddock played another full year in Regina and was dealt in January 2020 to the Prince Albert Raiders, who were gearing up for a WHL title defence when COVID-19 hit, ultimately ending that campaign. He closed out his career at the WHL’s East Division hub before joining the Axemen, who hosted the University Cup in 2022.

Meanwhile, Paddock’s Spartans repeated as provincial champs in 2017 as libero Reece Wilson picked up a second straight tournament all-star nod. Wilson took off to College of the Rockies in Kootenay, B.C., playing two seasons before transferring to Fraser Valley, which jumped from Pacwest to Canada West and played its first U Sports matches in 2021-22.

This off-season, Wilson started training with his dad, Grant Wilson, and his Brandon University men’s volleyball team.

Paddock sprained the MCL and PCL in his right knee playing hockey during the summer but heard the Bobcats needed an extra body at their sessions, so he jumped in.

“Once I got back on the court it was like ‘Oh, this is rejuvenating,’ almost. It was what made me happy. I really enjoyed going to volleyball, playing and being involved in that sort of community,” Paddock said.

“… Just the camaraderie of it, being back in the huddle, everyone’s positive, it’s a completely different environment than hockey.

“Just feeling the ball, making a good set or having a good dig, getting an ace just rekindled the feelings I’ve not had in a couple of years.”

Reece Wilson had an idea after a few weeks. He realized his old setter fit right in with the university players. He told Cascades head coach Nathan Bennett, who offered Paddock one of his open roster spots.

“Max is one of the best athletes I’ve met in my life and I know he can do well at the (U Sports) level,” Reece Wilson told the Sun via text message. “He just hasn’t played in a while but give him some time and he’ll be able to help our program.”

Once the talks became serious, Paddock wisely went back to his dad — and first coach — for extra reps. Russ Paddock had a standout career with the University of Manitoba Bisons and competed for Team Canada, including the 1992 Olympic Games.

They’ve spent plenty of hours at the HLC one-on-one and some with former Spartan Jake Thomson, who plays for Douglas College in B.C., catching up on lost reps before training camp hits.

“He’s one of the most knowledgable guys to have around,” Max said. “… My dad coached me in high school and even now having somebody there to critique me or give me tips on things I should be doing is definitely a big help and I don’t think I’d be able to do it without the support of him or Grant helping me out.”

Paddock essentially took five years off volleyball and enters UFV as a 22-year-old sophomore. While he doesn’t have to sit out a year since he’s changing sports, he’s expecting to play a complementary role at the start and plans to push his teammates hard at practice.

He also comes in with unique experiences to share with the younger players, leaving home in high school and moving to the East Coast on his own a few years later.

He said the biggest adjustment was time management. He had to cook between classes, practices, workouts and study time instead of relying on billet parents.

Paddock has also been on several successful teams and sees strong parallels.

“The best teams I played on, I had the best teammates,” Paddock said. “They may not have been my best friends … but we were great teammates. A great teammate is able to tell you when you did something wrong and you … can take it and apply it, not get defensive or start an argument.

“The best teams I played on moved together for one goal. Sometimes you get high-skill teams but guys want to be the centre of attention, they get pulled in different directions and that’s when things kind of go south.”

The Cascades are in BU’s pre-season tournament on Sept. 29-Oct. 2, featuring Manitoba, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan.

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