Aaron Jakubowski is living proof it's never too late to make the A-list.
Last year at this time as a first-year midget hockey goatender, Jakubowski was playing at the bottom level of rep hockey on the Tier 3 midget Wayne Watson Construction Cougars. This season, he's moved up the major midget Cougars playing at the highest-calibre possible for his age group in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.
"I had a rough go of it for a couple years and couldn't really break the ice here but this year was my break,' said Jakubowski. "Over the summer I did a lot of training, really focused and got a lot of mental strength going on and I came into tryouts and was ready. It was a great feeling when I found out I'd made the team, it was unbelievable."
Jakubowski was born in Prince George 16 years ago and moved to Grande Prairie at age two. He also lived in Fort St. John for six years before returning to Prince George. In four seasons of pee wee, bantam and midget hockey in P.G. he never played at the Tier 1 level.
"Some days I kind of thought to myself (wondering) if I was actually a good goalie or not, but I went through it, kept my strength going and I'm here now," he said. "Anything is possible if you just focus and put all your work into it."
Riding shotgun with 16-year-old incumbent goalie Dorrin Luding, Jakubowski also figures prominently in the Cougars plans for next season. It's expected Jakubowski will be around next season when the Cougars are guaranteed a shot at the 2017 Telus Cup as hosts of the national tournament.
"He worked his way on to this team, he was great in spring camp, he was great in the summer camp and it just shows how persistent he is and how much perseverance he has," said Cougars goalie coach James Morrison.
"Since he's been here he hasn't been comfortable just being on the team, he's been working hard every day in practice, working on the little things we discuss in practice and there's a reason he's getting better every single day and we're going to start to see those results in games. He's shown he's had no difficulty adjusting. It's a great story."
In the 10-year history of the Cariboo Cougars, head coach Trevor Sprague says Jakubowski is the only player to make the jump from Tier 3 to major midget, other than players who have moved to the Prince George from smaller centres where top-level minor hockey teams do not exist.
"(Other Tier 3 players) should be inspired, that's why you try out for the team," said Sprague. "If you come and try out and do really well and beat out a bunch of other guys you get to play on the hockey team."
In the Tier 3 midget ranks, Jakubowski often found himself as the target of a shooting gallery, which helped him prepare for the major midget league. During the summer he trained with WHL Cougars assistant coach Mike Hengen an also attended the World Pro goaltending school in Calgary.
"It's a very fast-paced league," he said. "My first game I was bit shaky but I'm getting the hang of it."
"The kids are a lot faster and smarter, they know exactly what to do and play their positions and the shots are better. (Morrison) wants to see me get used to this kind of play so it feels slow to me so next year I'm ready for Telus Cup."
Jakubowski, a Grade 11 student at PGSS, got his first taste of BCMMHL action Sept. 20 at Kin 1 against the Valley West Hawks. He allowed three goals on 17 shots and was replaced by Luding. Jakubowski played the entire game the following week against the Greater Vancouver Northeast Chiefs in Richmond, losing 3-1 while facing 18 shots. Jakubowski won his spot on the team with his play in the preseason. He allowed just one goal in four half-games.
Sprague has told Jakubowski he'll get the start on Sunday in Nanaimo where the Cougars play the North Island Silvertips in the second of a two-game BCMMHL series.
LOOSE PUCKS: Former Cariboo Cougar goalie Griffen Outhouse, 17, is one of three junior goalies the Victoria Royals have on their WHL roster. Outhouse, a native of Williams Lake who helped the Cougars win the Mac's midget tournament last year and took them to the league final, has yet to play a WHL game. The Royals also have on their goaltending roster 20-year-old Coleman Vollrath and 18-year-old Evan Smith... F Jackson Leppard of the Vancouver Northwest Giants has been picked for the B.C. under-16 team to play in the Western Canada Challenge Cup in Calgary, Oct. 28-Nov. 1. Leppard, 15, was the Prince George Cougars' first-round pick (eighth overall) in the 2015 bantam draft. In six midget games this season the six-foot-one, 185-pound Leppard leads the Giants with seven goals and also has four assists for 11 points.
