LAC LA BICHE – Jayden Draney, a hockey player from Kikino Métis Settlement who has played high level hockey in both Canada and the United States, says it is vital for Indigenous youth to engage in sports, particularly team sports such as hockey.
“Both sport and our culture embody many of the same values, and our people have a natural athleticism that deserves to be celebrated,” Draney told Lakeland This Week.
Participating in sports, Draney continued, not only teaches important life values, but also provides Indigenous youth with healthy outlets for their energy and emotions. Sport, she explained, fosters a deep sense of pride and belonging that athletes can carry with them throughout their lives.
“Moreover, these activities unite our community, creating a shared sense of pride that brings us all together,” she said.
Draney, who first began playing hockey at the age of six, was recruited to play for Team Alberta at the age of 13 for the U19 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, and at 15, was scouted to attend the U20AA JR hockey training institute in Ontario. Additionally, Draney played NCAA hockey in the US and is also a coach and athletic trainer.
While Indigenous people face many challenges in sports, Draney pointed out that great progress has been made in regard to Indigenous representation within the hockey world, adding that there are many Indigenous athletes now making major marks on the game.
“The world is going to continue to see more of that . . . I believe that begins with being rooted in who you are, to be the best version of yourself on the ice, no matter how far from home and ceremony hockey may take you,” Draney stated.
Draney is also an advocate for women and girls in hockey. In the lead-up to the recent Native Provincials, which took place during the weekend of April 18, she organized the first-ever women’s team representing Kikino Métis Settlement.
“I did this to motivate and inspire the girls coming up,” she said.
Alongside her partner Mason Mitchell, Draney runs a company called All Nations Hockey, which hosts camps in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Through All Nations Hockey, Draney can provide more opportunities for Indigenous girls to get involved in the game of hockey.
On May 29, Draney is putting on a free skate for female youth from the community, which will focus on skating, passing, and team building. The skate will be held at the Bold Centre at 4:30 p.m.
Due to a lack of female players in the local area, growing up, Draney played boys hockey throughout her entire minor hockey until reaching the second-year bantam level. Draney explained that she spent years being the only girl, dressing alone in her own room with no banter or jokes. It is because of this that she wants to see more all-female hockey.
“I remembered myself being the only girl. I thought of how most of these young girls still have to play mixed hockey so they don’t truly get much all-female opportunities to develop and be themselves . . . so I figure the least I can do is offer them some time to do that and learn together from another female who was just like them 15 years ago,” she stated.
The vision for All Nations Hockey is to find supports to be able to fund and start programs and offer camps for Indigenous youth. The organization works with First Nations in northern and southern Alberta, and in parts of Saskatchewan, to host yearly development camps for hockey youth.
The Lakeland area, Draney continued, has a very high Indigenous population that deserves the opportunities to grow and get to the next level, while being connected to their culture.
When asked how playing hockey has helped her as an Indigenous woman, Draney explained that while the people and connections she has made are significant, playing the game has also given her tremendous confidence.
“It’s allowed me to find who I am, allowed me to accept who I am and where I come from. I can truly say I don’t think there is a place I feel more proud and confident then getting to be in my element on the ice,” she said.
“I’m an Indigenous hockey player and I carry that everywhere I go. Proudly.”
