OTTAWA -- A 9-year-old hockey player from a northern Quebec First Nation has caught the attention of the hockey world with his impressive trick-shot videos.
Washiiyeh Jeannotte of Algonquins of Barriere Lake, about 400 kilometres northwest of Montreal, has been honing his hockey skills on an outdoor rink after his season was halted due to rising cases of COVID-19 in the province.
“I started playing hockey when I was four and I like doing trick shots,” Washiiyeh told CTV News.
Washiiyeh has been posting videos of his moves to his Instagram account, which include moves hockey fans would be familiar with: the Michigan, the spin-o-rama and the stickhandling through lines of pucks.
In one video, Washiiyeh challenges well-known “stickhandling specialist” Pavel Barber to the “most spins challenge,” where the two spin around in a tight circle while holding a puck on their stick.
Washiiyeh spins around more than 40 times before losing the puck, while Barber can only do 15.
“I don’t know how he does that,” Barber said in his video. “I’m so dizzy.”
Washiiyeh’s tricks have also caught the attention of the NHL, which posted a compilation video of his moves to their own Instagram page. The post received more than 120,000 likes and a message of support from former NHL player Scottie Upshall.
Washiiyeh dreams of one day playing in the NHL and following the footsteps of his heroes -- Indigenous players Jordin Tootoo, Ethan Bear and Carey Price -- but like many hockey players from First Nations’ communities, the barrier to success is much tougher to overcome.
For example, Washiiyeh must travel upwards of 90 minutes each way for practice and games with his team due to the remoteness of his home community.
”It's important not only for Washiieye here, but all Indigenous kids to have somebody to look up to,” said Washiiyeh’s father Andrew Jeannotte. “There’s not many in the NHL, but there are some and it gives you hope no matter where you're from that you can make it.”
