Reddin centerman of attention

Natalie Venegas

When 14-year-old ice hockey star Colin Reddin broke two vertebrae in

his neck in a bicycle accident in December of 2003, it didn’t keep

him off the ice for long.

Doctors asked Reddin, a Corona del Mar resident who has been

playing since he was 5, to refrain from skating for a full year. But,

still in a neck brace, he was skating within three months and back

playing in less than six months.

With this type of dedication, it’s no wonder he is one of only two

Californians drafted this year into the Major Junior A Western Hockey

League, one of three leagues that make up the Canadian Major Junior

Hockey League.

“His being selected in the WHL draft was no surprise to me at

all,” said Reddin’s coach, Michael Lewis. “The way he plays is always

wanted by any coach looking for top-notch players.”

Reddin’s career dates back to when he was 2. It was then he began

roller skating, at an age when some are still trying to walk.

While growing up, he had a chance to observe his father John, a

Calgary native with a passion for hockey.

His grandfather, Biff, played and was also a coach for the

Plymouth Whalers, a professional team in the Ontario Hockey League.

His uncle, Tony Reddin, played some preseason games for the

Buffalo Sabres, before an injury ended his career.

Colin Reddin said it was only natural to follow in their

footsteps.

When he was 5, he began playing for the South Coast Sabres with 6-

and 7-year-olds, and played until the age of 11. He then began playing for the Lakewood-based California Wave.

The team plays most of its games in Canada and British Columbia.

“I like it a lot [in Canada],” he said. “It’s better competition

than here because it’s where hockey started, and there’s a lot more

kids up there that like to play.”

This season, Reddin’s team won several tournaments and, in

regional competition in Medicine Hat, Alberta, the Wave was the first

American team to win in 37 years.

In the Kibiht Tournament in Kamloops, Canada, Reddin, a center,

was voted MVP of the title game.

“He’s a dynamic player who’s a scoring threat every time he’s on

the ice,” Lewis said. “I’d put him tops in his class nationally in

his skills and playmaking ability.”

Because of the constant traveling, Reddin chose to stop attending

Corona del Mar High, opting instead for an independent studies

program at Monte Vista. This enables him to dedicate more time to

training for his future.

Reddin trains five days a week in preparation for a rookie camp in

Calgary in early June.

In August, 2006, after Reddin turns 16, he will try out for the

Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL, with an eye toward a future in the

NHL.

Reddin’s hopes are to someday play for Detroit, Colorado, Tampa

Bay, or locally for Anaheim or Los Angeles.

For now, he’ll continue with the California Wave, which a

Hollywood producer followed for two months recently in hopes of a

making a television documentary.