PROFILE
TRISTEN
ROBINS
ROBINS HAS BRIGHT
LIGHTS IN HIS SIGHTS
B Y S C O T T TAY L O R
Photos by Bruce Fedyck
8 6 | G AME O N | D EC EM BER 2017
WHEN TRISTEN ROBINS was
seven, he hated hockey. He
didn’t like the cold, he didn’t
like getting up early to go to
the rink and he often pleaded
with his dad to let him stay in
his nice warm bed.
Fast forward, two years
later, and Tristen Robins’ light
went on. “I started in Brandon
when I was seven years old,”
he recalled. “I was a little bit
older. I didn’t like the game
when I was younger. My dad
forced me to play which is
surprising now when I think
about how much I love the
game. I don’t know what to do
without it. When I have two
days off, I’m just bored.
“I guess I was the same as
most little kids,” he continued.
“I hated the cold. My dad called
me a wimp. He made get my
equipment on and forced me to
go to the rink and now, when I
look back, I’m so glad he did.”
“My grandfather was a ball
player, but my dad wanted to
play hockey so he got into the
game and he forced me to play
when I was younger. I didn’t
want to, but eventually I grew
to have a passion for the game.
“I’s funny, when I started,
I wasn’t good enough to play
Atom so I was in Timbits at
seven and then when I was
eight or nine, the light went
on. I started scoring goals and
that was exciting. That’s what
really got me into it. That’s also
about the time I knew exactly
what I wanted to do.”
Tristen Robins, assistant
captain of the RHA Nationals
Prep Midget hockey team in the
Canadian Sport School Hockey
League, is one of the top WHL
prospects playing in Winnipeg.
In fact, he almost made the
lineup of the powerhouse
Regina Pats this fall.
When he arrived at RHA