It’s official - Kitimat’s Justin Almeida has been drafted by the National Hockey League’s Pittsburg Penguins, a dream he has had since he started playing hockey.
“His dream was always to play in the NHL. When people asked him what his Plan B was if he didn’t make it, he would say he doesn’t have a Plan B. Playing in the NHL was always his Plan A,” said his proud mom, Jola Almeida.
Justin was one of four picks selected by Pittsburg in the 2018 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old watched the draft from his summer home in North Vancouver with his family by his side.
As the program went to commercial his father, Joe, continued to follow the draft online and that’s when his father saw his name come up as being selected by the Penguins.
“I had to do a double take before I let everyone know he had been selected. Let’s just say everyone was over the moon.
“He has worked so hard for this moment and as a family we have sacrificed so much for this. It’s definitely worth it,” said Joe.
Jola said Justin didn’t want to go to the draft in Dallas on Saturday as it wasn’t a sure thing that he would be drafted.
“Justin had talked to a lot of teams before the draft - Pittsburgh was just one of the teams that showed a lot of interest.
“He met with one of their scouts in Vancouver before the draft just to talk. There wasn’t any hockey talk - they really wanted to get to know him as a person,” said Jola.
She said Justin’s journey to the NHL wasn’t an easy one - he and the family had to make many sacrifices for him to follow his dream.
“Our oldest son and daughter Jordan and Jessica were with us when we heard the news. They both sacrificed a lot but were always very supportive of his career,” said Jola.
His early playing days saw the family travelling hundreds of kilometres on weekends so that he could compete in games throughout the province.
Justin played with Kitimat Minor Hockey until he was 12, after which he and his mom moved to North Vancouver in order for him to play more competitive hockey.
At 15 he was drafted into the Western Hockey League Bantam Draft by the Prince George Cougars, and played for Cariboo Cougars in the BC Major Midget League before being eligible to play in the WHL.
When he turned 16, he would suit up for the Cougars, where he stayed until he was traded in January 2017 to the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“The trade to Moose Jaw completely changed everything for Justin. He had an incredible season this year, scoring 98 points in 72 games,” said Jola. “He was given a great opportunity and he ran with it.”
His performance for the Warriors didn’t go unnoticed - he was being eyed by a many of the 31 teams that make up the NHL.
“It’s quite an accomplishment to be picked over players from all over the world, including Europe and North America,” said Jola.
She said Justin credits his success to his foundation, playing in Kitimat.
“There are a lot of people to thank and we could not be more grateful to all Justin’s coaches over the years,” said Jola.
He started out power skating with the Snow Valley Skating Club and then joined Kitimat Minor Hockey.
“Even though he came out of a smaller town, he had the best trainers and the best opportunities, playing hockey with boys that he grew up with,” said Jola.
Justin flew to a development camp on Monday night and is due to return to North Vancouver on Saturday.