
Reed Pettipas might not have been thrilled when his parents first informed him he would be relocating to New Brunswick from his home in Western Canada, but today the Trenton Golden Hawks’ blueliner is pretty pleased with the way things turned out.
Pettipas was born and raised in Calgary before moving to the Maritimes with his family in 2017. This season, he has called the Bay of Quinte Region his home.
"I was terrified to move across the country," Pettipas said. "I don't think I talked to my parents for a week. I thought it was the worst week of my life, because they were taking me away from my home. I swear didn't eat food for three days."
"We did the whole drive across, which was pretty cool, we saw Thunder Bay and the Terry Fox monument. We moved to New Brunswick and I played my Peewee, Bantam and Midget years there."
A highlight of moving to Saint John was being closer to relatives. His grandfather Bill Horne is a retired federal public servant and former member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
"He would always take us to his office in the summer. My parents are both from Nova Scotia so my sister and I'd fly out and stay two weeks at our mom's side then my dad's," Pettipas said. "He'd take us to work and to see his face all over billboards; and I’d think that's my grandfather. It's pretty cool for sure."
Adapting to life in the Maritimes helped Pettipas adjust to new environments and teams, especially in the last few seasons when he played south of the border at Millbrook School in New York State. Millbrook is a stop on the US hockey prep-school circuit.
"Moving at a young age you definitely look back and it really made me who I am today," he said. "It allowed me to take on new challenges and look at the positives, not the negatives of moving around."
"When I went to boarding school in Millbrook, I was nervous, but I felt like I already had made a big move. It was the first time I wasn't living with my parents anymore, but honestly, I just embraced it, because I think moving from Calgary to the other side of the country allowed me to take on these challenges quite easily compared to other kids my age."
Pettipas admits his parents, Kevin and Tracey, have positively influenced his hockey career.
"They’re everything to me," he said. “They allowed me to play the sport I love every day. My mom’s always calling me before games, motivating me to be better, and my dad put me on the hockey path. I’m so grateful for them."
After a challenging season at prep school where his team struggled with a 7-21-3 record. Pettipas was looking for a better situation.
His head coach Vincent Sorrento, knew Trenton’s Scouting Director Rob Ridgley, and recommended the young rearguard. Ridgley arranged an invitation to Trenton’s development camp, where Pettipas was impressed with the organization.
Hoping to step away from US-based leagues, Pettipas worked hard to demonstrate his defensive skill to Associate Randy Rowe and the other Trenton coaches.
"I wanted to come back to Canada. I wasn’t really interested in the leagues out there,” he explained. "I came for a development camp, and Rob gave me a tour with Randy. I was stunned. I met the coaching staff. It was a pretty simple decision after that."
Pettipas is now contributing to the Golden Hawks defence corps. He has notched 13 points (all assists) in 31 games. His latest stop might be his most successful to date.
Comments