Hockey has led Austin Crossley to a lot of different places and experiences in the last five years of his junior career.
Now, the game is calling on him to play in Europe next season as the former Prince George Cougars' defenceman signed a two-year contract with a professional hockey team in Kalix, Sweden earlier this month, and he is set to fly overseas at the end of July.
Kalix is a small city in northern Sweden near the border with Finland.
It's team, known as Kalix HC, plays in Division 1, which is the country's third-tier professional hockey league.
Crossley doesn't know much about the town or the team, but he can't wait to go over there and have a new experience.
"I can't wait. Not only am I going to play in a different country, but I'm getting to play a whole different style of hockey, and on the Olympic-sized ice," Crossley said.
"It will be different for me but I'm willing to get used to it and to experience the culture, and I'm excited to see how things are run over there."
The 20-year-old played 110 games with the Prince George Cougars and while he only amassed 16 points, he was a physical force.
Crossley led the WHL franchise with 146 penalty minutes in the 2018-19 season, a year after he was second in that statistic with 94 after being traded to B.C.'s north from Prince Albert in January 2018.
It's no secret that he's not known for putting the puck in net, but his physical style of play and the effort he gives defensively is why he's been such a coveted player.
After being released by the Cougars at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, he finished his junior career with the Fargo Force of the USHL, playing 39 games with eight points and 155 penalty minutes.
"I enjoyed playing in Fargo, it's a whole different style of hockey over there. The USHL is more skill-based and not as rough, and its more geared towards preparing guys for college, whereas the WHIL is professionally-oriented," Crossley said.
Crossley enjoyed the years with Prince George and the opportunity to play close to home.
"Playing in Prince George was unreal. My parents could come watch regularly, and it was special to play for a Northern team," he said.
Crossley's goal was to always keep playing hockey. He considered going to school, but wanted to give pro-hockey a shot and is happy about where he's landed. His agent is originally from Sweden and has connections to Kalix HC, and the offer came quickly.
"I thought about it a few days and pulled the trigger. I thought why not," Crossley said.
He's expecting the same kind of role in Kalix as he's had his whole career.
For now, he's working on improving his cardio when he's not working, and will start taking Swedish-language lessons soon.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has the future of a lot of sports leagues up in the air, Crossley has landed at a team in the one country where things haven't been shut down and where the 2020-21 hockey season is expected to go ahead as planned.
- with files from Dillon Giancola, Alaska Highway News
