Winnipeg ’ s Mitch Joss is living proof that dedication and commitment go a long way . The 16-year-old right winger currently stands 5-foot-10 and weighs in at 170 pounds . His size may not seem extremely impressive from a distance , but by digging deeper into his story , it becomes easy to see that the once fivefoot , 95 pound 13-year-old has come a very long way .

“ I have just always wanted to play the highest level of hockey that I can ,” the current

Waverley Heights resident said . “ I have been working out with my trainer Justin Webber at the CrossFit Roborean , doing everything from weight lifting to cardio . It ’ s really great there . I have also been skating in the off-season with J . P . Vigier since 2012 . I ’ ve been going to J . P . for quite a few years now and have that personal connection with him , which I think helps a lot in my development and training .” All of that additional training has clearly paid off for the second-year Winnipeg Wild playmaker , who found himself drafted to the Dauphin Kings 25th overall in the 2016 MJHL draft .

“ I am hoping to make the Dauphin Kings next year and play there ,” Joss said . “ From that , my goal is to land an NCAA scholarship . I want to stay involved with sports , so I plan to take kinesiology to become an athletic therapist or trainer later on .”

Staying involved with sports is certainly something that Joss likely picked up from his parents , Trevor and Keri .

Trevor has made it a priority to spend time in the gym training CrossFit-style with his son , while Keri volunteered her time in various roles with the Winnipeg AA Twins , most recently serving as Publicity Director from 2014-17 .

Making his way through the AA system as a member of the Twins gave Mitch an opportunity to excel while playing higher level hockey than offered before . Finishing the 2012-13 season as city finalists , Joss helped guide his team to victory in the 2013-14 city championships and the 2014 Regina Peewee Classic . Joss and winning just seem to go hand-in-hand .

Following his trips to the finals with the Twins in 2013-14 , Joss won back-toback city championships in 2014-15 and 2015-16 with the Bantam I and II Monarchs . Last season with the Winnipeg Wild , the speedy forward put together 19 goals and 34 points in 43 games , en-route to the Manitoba Midget AAA Provincial Championship . So far in this his grade 11 season , Joss has recorded 19 points in 22 games

Photos by Laurie Anderson