For a guy who grew up in White Rock, British Columbia, Victoria Royals left wing Kaid Oliver has taken a circuitous route to the WHL. Most kids who claim a suburb of Vancouver as their hometown, would follow the local junior team and get to know the game that way before playing in a program and getting drafted in the bantam draft.
Oliver though has a different route that still was influenced by a local junior team-just not one based in Canada. “My Dad’s business-he moved around quite a bit. So I lived in Oregon for five years the in Arizona,” Oliver said. “When I lived in Oregon, we billeted guys for the Portland Winterhawks in the Western League. I thought it was an awesome league-the closest thing to professional hockey.”
Oliver’s family then moved again and he ended up in Arizona. Fortunately for him, there was a pretty good hockey program in the Arizona Bobcats there. “Before moving there I didn’t really know much. We kind of lucked into that really. We moved down to Arizona and were told to go check out the Bobcats program because there was some players coming out of there and we went and checked it out and it turned out to be an awesome program and opportunity. I got a ton of ice time there and a lot of development. It just turned out really well.”
For a team based in Arizona there is quite the group of now-WHLers on their list of alumni. There is Brayden Watts (Vancouver Giants), Blake Bargar (Seattle Thunderbirds) and Landon Quinney (drafted by Moose Jaw) to name a few besides Oliver.
“I played with all of them throughout my time there. They show you your options at the program and we all found that the Western League was the way we wanted to pursue our careers. It’s been cool playing against them now and looking at where guys I played with in that program are at now.”
Another player that was in the program at the same time as Oliver was current Toronto Maple Leafs’ star Auston Matthews.
“We thought the best coaches were there with Ron Filion and their program is built upon moving people to the next level and not winning necessarily. If you want to move on to the next level that is the program you want to go to. I did get to skate with Auston and look up to him for the couple years he was there. It was a really cool experience to see him on the ice and to skate with him-to see how he has progressed through the years.”
Despite having a NCAA university with a hockey program right in the backyard at Arizona State, Oliver was determined to play junior hockey.
“I was pretty focused on wanting to go to the Dub. Looking at college and Western League-you play 72 games compared to 42 or so in college, so I thought it was best for my development.”
Oliver made the Royals as a 16-year-old and put up two goals and five assists over 61 games. The jump from the Bobcats to the Royals taught him a lot.
“I think I added a new element to my game last year. When I came into the league, I was playing more of a skilled role and I learned how to play on any line that I needed to. If I needed to play on the first line then I could do that, if I needed to play on the fourth line, I could do that to. Becoming more adaptable-being able to do anything in the lineup and fit in.”
Oliver also got into four playoff games as the Royals lost to the Everett Silvertips in the first round.
“I actually enjoyed how the speed picked up and the game was more intense. Everybody was putting everything on the line. I liked the atmosphere. Obviously we did not get the results we wanted, but I liked that style of hockey. Hopefully we can stick around for longer in the playoffs this year.”
This season, Oliver has already eclipsed his point total from last year with two goals and four assists over 15 games. His Royals have jumped out to an early lead in the B.C. Division with a 13-5-1-0 record over their first 18 games. Oliver thinks the start can be attributed to how tight not the locker room is.
“I think it’s how close the group is this year. We’ve come pretty close as a group and we are relying on each other and trusting each other in our roles. We are all playing for each other and are all pushing to get there.”
Now that he is a little more comfortable and confident at this level, Oliver thinks there is more he can contribute to the team-especially on the score sheet.
“I’m working on having more dimension to my game still. I found that last year, I did not play as much of a skill role and I think I can, so I’m trying to add that dimension to my game. Just contributing to my teams and working on all the little things to improve my game as a whole.”
Oliver missed three games earlier this year with an injury. He sees this as just something else to overcome.
“I’m looking at it as a speed bump. Everybody gets hurt and has some problems in their career and it’s just something to overcome. You just have to work on trying not to let it happen again. You can only learn from mistakes or injuries and improve the area of your body that was hurt.”
The six-foot, 190 pound Oliver has been moved all over the lineup this season, showcasing his ability to adapt to whatever role he is given. It should not be surprising that a player who has lived in many different areas is skilled at adapting to new situations.
