He’s hard to miss on the ice and increasingly on the scoresheet.
Sam Callahan’s immediate impact with the Carstar Okotoks Bisons has the High River centre leading the Heritage Junior Hockey League with 13 goals while making his mark in all facets of the game as a new member of the three-time defending league champions.
“I’ve kept in contact with him over the years and had a good relationship with him,” said Bisons head coach Brad Cobb. “He said he wanted to come play some hockey and have some fun.”
The 6-foot-3, 210 pound forward has been having fun filling the net with regularity.
Through his first 11 games, the 19-year-old has tallied four multi-goal games and two hat tricks and is tied for third among HJHL points leaders with 18.
“It’s just shooting the puck, honestly,” Callahan said. “It’s been going in.
“All of the other guys on the team make it easy. If one guy’s not having a good game, there’s six, seven guys having a good game.”
Callahan, who skated at the AAA level in Okotoks from U15 to U18, played parts of three seasons in Junior A with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Camrose Kodiaks, Calgary Canucks and Weyburn Red Wings in Saskatchewan.
“I had some injury trouble and wasn’t enjoying it as much,” Callahan said. “So I had the opportunity to come play here, play with a bunch of my best friends and it’s been a blast so far.
“I’ve known the coaching staff for a while, a lot of my buddies are on the team, and I live five minutes away. Having my family come to every game, my brothers’ friends and a bunch of my high school friends has been great.”
Cobb coached the forward in his 14- and 16-year-old seasons.
“If you work hard in this league, you’re going to be successful,” Cobb said. “Some of the Jr. A guys will come back and think I don’t have to work as hard and it just doesn’t work out for them, because this is still good hockey.
“He’s a big body that works hard and you do those things, it’s going to happen for you.”
Recently, Callahan has centred a line with fellow High Riverite McCallum Bakken along with Bisons captain Jake Snashall.
“It’s two new bodies to the team so put your captain with them,” Cobb said. “What better guy to have show them the way?”
Callahan completed a first period hat trick in the 6-2 win over the visiting Coaldale Copperheads on Oct. 25 at the Murray Arena.
Zephyr Laplante, Jakob Semeniuk and Jady Shigehiro added powerplay tallies to round out the scoring with Dylan Walker earning his sixth win via a 14-save effort.
Okotoks (9-2) skates outside of the South Division on Saturday night in a marquee matchup with the Sylvan Lake Wranglers in central Alberta. It’s the first meeting since the HJHL championship series in March won by Okotoks in six games.
Next weekend, Okotoks is in Three Hills on Nov. 1 take on the Thrashers.
The following night, Nov. 2, is First Responders Appreciation Night at the Murray Arena as the Bisons and High River Flyers tango for the second time this season. The game, an 8:30 p.m. start, is free admission for fire, police and EMS.
For more information, go to okotoksbisons.com.
