Susur Lee - Turks & Caicos Magazine

“
To
I feel like I would be giving back in a sort of way, being a role model for kids.
knew he’d have to get out on the ice and
away from home. With that knowledge,
and the support of two loving and encouraging
parents, he found his way to a tryout
game for a Canadian hockey academy.
“I really didn’t belong out there. I had
to get used to the bigger rink…I had to
get used to playing five on five, and I had
to get used to hitting,” said Malcolm of his
first game on ice. But like a true champion,
Malcolm knew what was at stake. If he
wanted to keep moving closer to realizing
his dream, he would have to overcome
the seemingly impossible challenge of
not only doing what he had never done
before, but also doing it well enough to
impress the talent scouts and get into a
hockey school.
Initially the coaches weren’t terribly
impressed by Malcolm’s performance,
but once they learned that it had been
his first time on ice, they saw the potential
he held and decided to bring him in to
develop his natural skills. Now Malcolm
plays on a partial scholarship at Ontario
70 Turks & Caicos Magazine
make the team alone would mean so much for me, and my country.
Hockey Academy. Within his first year, he
moved from high school level Midget AAA,
for ages 15-17, to top college level College
AAA, a pre-university level not to be confused
with CIS leagues. “[He’s] a great kid
who has unending enthusiasm and spirit
that makes our hockey team better both
on and off the ice,” says his OHA coach Rick
Steadman.
For the past two years, this young Turks
& Caicos native has been spending the majority
of his time in the significantly colder
climate of Canada, but his island home
keeps a warm place in his heart. During
his breaks between semesters he regularly
returns to the Turks & Caicos creating opportunities
to give back to the community
he grew up in.
He conducts mini ball hockey camps
for the local youth, where he imparts his
gained wisdom and experience on to the
island’s young hockey players. Malcolm
looks to be a positive role model for these
kids; an admirable goal for someone that
could still be considered a kid himself.
Representing a more relatable and realistic
role model, he manages to capture the
kids’ attention. He shows them what he’s
already accomplished at his own young
age, and tells them how his hard work got
him to where he is.
Now that he’s finishing his final year
of high school at the hockey academy,
Malcolm is preparing for his future. His
short term goals include playing in the
junior leagues and then moving on to a
division one college, but the goal he’s really
looking to score is that of a place on
the Great Britain Men’s Ice Hockey team.
Being from a British overseas territory, he
feels that it would be the best place for him
to represent his home. “To make the team
alone would mean so much for me, and my
country. I feel like I would be giving back in
a sort of way, being a role model for kids,”
says the professional hockey hopeful.
It may seem as though this determined
teen has lofty ambitions and high hopes,
but so far he’s proven that he has the tenacity
to succeed.
Kristoff leads the way to better skills, holding mini training camps with younger players on island. He says he hopes
kids such as Chris Robinson and Miguel Malcolm will follow him to success in bigger arenas.
”