It takes a special commitment by a player to succeed at the elite levels of minor hockey and often that means a similar level of dedication from the parents. 

Niagara North Stars defenceman Lucas Tuin can attest to that, after years of 45-minute drives from Dunnville to St. Catharines to play AA and later AAA hockey. His parents made sure all those long rides wouldn’t be an impediment to his progress.

“It’s a far drive just to practice, so, without them I wouldn't be even getting the practice I need day in and day out,” said Tuin. “They sacrifice so much of their time to take me to extra skates and the gym, and games and they've been doing that as long as I can remember. Without them, I would not be anywhere close to where I am today.”

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Not all parents are ready to make such a commitment, and even if they want to, they are sometimes unable to. But Tuin is fortunate that his parents got him started early and haven’t relented.

“When we had the kids, we wanted to teach them to skate,” said Tuin’s mother, Danielle. “We started by bringing them out to the pre-school skates and public skating for something for them to do and be active.”

Those public skates eventually led to a start in hockey and “we have been at the rink since,” quips Danielle.

North Stars coach Ryan Berard sees the influence of Tuin’s parents on their son and believes their “hands-off” approach with Tuin is a big reason he’s mature beyond his years at just 15. 

“He has a part time job,” Berard said. “He's a hard worker away from the rink. And I think that just stems from parenting and family values and culture at home.”

Tuin will now be eager to make his parents proud when he and the North Stars U16 team travel to Oakville, Ont., for the OMHA championship starting March 25. 

Although they lost their last game to the Halton Hurricanes, they will be aiming for a strong showing at the tournament. After a 21-1-1 season, they’ll arrive in Oakville as a top contender.