Junior Oil Barons U18 Elite Scholarship

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Junior Oil Barons Scholarship Policy

FMMHA and the Elite Jr. Oil Barons program believes that a local hockey program is an important community venture that develops many skills and attitudes that build essential character traits and habits that will enhance your future.

The 2020-21 season has been an exceptionally difficult year and while we are saddened that players did not get to shine like the bright stars that they are, we are hopeful that the 2 recipients of these $1000.00 scholarships will put it to good use towards your bright future.

Matthew Durnford Adam Polem Gavin Barr

Matthew Durnford

Matthew Durnford has been with the FMMHA organization for 10 years with 3 years being part of the Junior Oil Barons Family. Throughout his seasons with minor hockey, he has had the pleasure of being a junior coach to younger divisions where he has been able to pass down knowledge and skills he has learned from his coaches. Matthew gives credit to his success to his parents, teachers and coaches for giving him a chance and allowing him to achieve his goals and help him develop for the future.

“Give-back - I was always raised to give back to your sport, and Matthew has been raised the same. To see an athlete of his age, hungry to give back is few and far between these days. Matthew can be found coaching, volunteering, refereeing, or his new passion & goal is to represent our Country in the Army; if that doesn't speak volume, I am not sure what else will. Matthew would always reach out on his own, to ask if he could work, or if help was needed or...he would arrive early eager to know the task at hand and embraced every minute of it.” – Athletic Edge Training Co. - Kim Couper

Matthew will be attending the University of Alberta to obtain his Bachelors of Science in Engineering as well as attending as an Officer Cadet under the Regular Officers training Plan with the Canadian Armed Forces.

Adam Polem

Adam is about to graduate from Holy Trinity Catholic High School and has finished his last year with Minor Hockey as a Junior Oil Baron on the U18AA team led by coach Jason Mercier. Graduating players this season has a challenging year as COVID stole the season. We asked Adam what this year with a global pandemic has taught him, and he responded, “The adversity of the pandemic has taught me that nothing is promised, and we should never take anything for granted. What I have learned and take away from this year to build resiliency for my future is that it is crucial to stay connected with family, friends and teammates."

Adam was asked what are the 5 most positive things he learned over years from hockey are, and he answered with “Failure-When things don’t go your way keep on grinding, Confidence, Work Ethic, Setting Goals and How to be a leader”

Peter Spiers, Trainer for Fort McMurray Oil Barons wrote in a letter on Adam’s behalf, stating, “I have great respect for Adam and am confident that he is deserving of this scholarship. At 12 years old he would be at the rink waiting to get the benches ready for the Oil Barons game. He had a great respect for the players and staff, he took great pride in what he did.” He went on later in the letter to mention, “In addition to having first hand knowledge of Adam's work ethic and abilities, I am also familiar with his desire to become a firefighter”

Adam was also highly supported by his school, as expressed in a letter from his teacher, Christopher Poulsen M.Ed. “I believe that Adam is a deserving candidate who embodies the four core values that our school division stands for: Persons, Community, Responsibility, and Learning.” He goes on to state “As a young man who, even during the pandemic, has held a job while also completing his requirements for graduating and participating in extra-curricular activities it is evident that he is an exemplary demonstrator of the value of responsibility."

Gavin Barr

Gavin is about to graduate from Ecole McTavish High School and has finished his last year with Minor Hockey as a Junior Oil Baron on the U18AA team led by coach Jason Mercier. Graduating players this season has a challenging year as COVID stole the season. We asked Gavin what this year with a global pandemic has taught him, and he responded, “We have lost the last chance to play in front of family and friends, have a last walk out down the steps at Frank Lacroix, giving high fives to the future Jr. Barons, and we missed out on the fun that is a season with your friends. For some this will be the end of the journey in hockey, but I have chosen to have a different view. While my immediate loss of a year of play has made me upset at the situation, it has made me seek out new ways to be involved in the sport I love”

Gavin was asked about positives he is taking away, and he said, ”I learned to always keep a positive attitude through difficult moments, I learned teamwork is so important in all we do, hockey gave me a chance to be a leader, I developed friendships that I know will last my lifetime. Lastly, I was given an opportunity to represent something bigger than myself”

Gavin has been supported by past coaches and teachers in his school. It was stated several times about his leadership and work Ethic. Junior Oil Barons Coach Dan Hodgson said, “Gavin was always one of the most focused, hardworking players I had the privilege to coach. He was very dedicated to his personal goals, and made every effort to continue to improve with every opportunity he was presented. His natural ability was an excellent foundation for his development as a player, and his positive attitude and demeanor kept him aligned with his long term goals.”

Dan's message was echoed by Jason Mercier who coached Gavin this last season in U18AA “Gavin is a very well rounded young man that is mature beyond his years, while not a vocal leader by any means but he is an incredible leader in many ways. His work ethic on and off the ice is seldom matched by his teammates. He has worked extremely hard for everything that he has earned. He is a well rounded multi-sport athlete that excels because he has such a great work ethic.” Jason went on to say, “The high level of respect that he has earned from coaches and teammates was earned by Gavin, leading by example is one of the ways in which he earned this respect. No matter the situation, Gavin always maintained a positive attitude.”

Gavin finished out his application with a powerful statement: “I have been a part of the AA program for all of but three years of my hockey career since initiation, something I am very proud of. Pulling on the Junior Barons jersey always was done with an understanding of what that represents. I came to realize early from my many coaches that the logo on the front, and not the name on the back, was the most important thing to represent and be a part of. I believe I have represented the Jr. Barons well as an ambassador in local initiatives ranging from collecting food for the food bank, reading to younger students, to wrapping presents for families in need at Christmas, I know how important giving back is to our community"

"I had the honour of dressing for two games last year with the AJHL Oil Barons and I was able to realize my dream of coming out of the tunnel at the start of a game to represent the tradition of that jersey"