Tucked into a densely treed area just off Range Road 32 is the Duffield School.
The Kindergarten-Grade 9 school’s body of 285 students is nearly five times the population of the hamlet of Duffield.
It’s a lively hub for kids living in rural communities, and though it’s small, its heart certainly outpaces its size.
In early March, Oil Kings defencemen Rhys Pederson and Austin Zemlak made the 64-kilometre voyage to spend a day reading books to eager students.
“I still remember how happy I was when I got to interact with junior hockey players as a young kid,” Pederson, who hails from Stettler, Alta., reminisced. “I have absolutely no doubt that going to these smaller communities leaves a lasting impact on the kids for a long time.”
One week later, it was the students hitting the road for the Oil Kings’ annual Hockey Hooky Game.
More than 17,600 people from 135 schools as far away as Grande Prairie packed Rogers Arena for the marquee match, which saw the Oil Kings defeat the Wenatchee Wild 6-1.
For many of the 58 students from Duffield School in attendance, it was their first time inside the NHL building.
“They were so excited,” Duffield School teacher Jennifer Gelinas told CTV News. “They’ve been talking about it all week, and we’re just really thankful for the opportunity to be here.”
For their part, the Oil Kings hope to see the partnership continue for years to come, with plans to visit the school for a game of ball hockey already coming together.
The Western Hockey League strives to promote and foster a welcoming environment in communities close to our 23 teams in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Each club has the creative freedom to allow its players and staff to work with the organizations and groups that they are most passionate about. The end goal is to create and maintain long-lasting relationships and ongoing partnerships within their community.
Through McSweeney’s WHL Community Collective, we aim to highlight these outstanding initiatives done by each club throughout the season.
