Surrey-raised hockey player Carson Latimer scored on his first very shift in the Western Hockey League (WHL) on Tuesday night (Dec. 3).
In Edmonton, the rookie forward poked in a rebound just a few seconds after hitting the ice for the first time with the Oil Kings.
“I’m speechless,” Latimer told reporters after his team’s 3-1 win over Moose Jaw Warriors.
“It’s my first time having to wear a mouth guard, so I was spitting all over everybody yelling after I scored the goal. It was probably the best feeling I’ve had in my life, it was just amazing.”
CLICK HERE to see video of the goal.
CLICK HERE to watch video of interviews.
Latimer’s effort to score “was nothing to sneeze at,” accoring to a game report on the Oil Kings’ website: “He drove hard to the net and propelled the puck past Warriors netminder Adam Evanoff with just one hand on his stick to get on the board just 3:05 into his major junior career.”
Latimer, 16, nearly scored again on a rebound later in the game, played in front of 3,967 fans at Rogers Place.
In the end, Latimer was named the game’s first star.
A Delta Hockey Academy product, Latimer was selected 48th overall (third round) by the Oil Kings in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. Last February, he played with Team B.C. at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
• READ MORE, from May 2018: Six Surrey hockey players selected in WHL Bantam Draft.
On Tuesday night, Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer said Latimer “probably thinks it’s an easy league” after he scored early in his first game.
“I think it’s great, any time you get a kid to come up and he gets his first goal it’s pretty special,” Lauer told reporters. “He was excited and nervous before the game and scoring on his first shift is pretty good for him.”
Latimer said he learned about getting his call-up last Thursday while in Penticton with his DHA Midget Prep team.
“I was really nervous at the start (of the game),” he said, “but once you calm down, obviously the first goal helps a ton, you’re not as nervous any more and I felt more comfortable out there.”
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.comLike us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Tom on Twitter
