As I got older he was always saying you ’ re going to be better than me . That kind of pushed me to be as good as I could be
Anyone in this province who has even a passing familiarity with the game of hockey knows who Kevin Cheveldayoff is . The Winnipeg Jets G . M . has been one of the chief architects of the provincial capital ’ s NHL franchise since its relocation from Atlanta and was a vital member of the Chicago Blackhawks ’ brain trust prior to that . Another member of the Cheveldayoff family could soon be a household name with hockey fans , as well . Alexi Cheveldayoff , or Lexi as she ’ s known to friends and teammates , is one of the top young female hockey prospects in Manitoba . The 5-foot-10 defenseman for the St . Mary ’ s Flames is already regarded as one of the top high school players in the province thanks to her strong two-way play . More than a dozen Canadian and U . S . colleges scouted Cheveldayoff prior to her signing a letter of intent to join Bemidji State , a Division I school in Northern Minnesota , beginning in 2018-19 . She was on the radar of scouts after attending a pair of USA Hockey development camps in 2013-14 and 2014-15 .
While her high-profile pop never pushed the game on her , Cheveldayoff readily admits he has been a huge influence . “ He didn ’ t ever push me or my brother , although he did put skates on us early . There ’ s this picture of me walking around in our old house in Chicago with my first pair of hockey pants on and I looked so happy in them ,” she says , laughing .
“ I practiced a lot over the summer on getting shots to the net and making sure I hit the net and trying to keep my shots low so the goalie can ’ t see [ the puck ],” she said . “ I worked on my slapshot over the summer to make it harder and more accurate which is helping too .” In her third season as a member of the Flames prep team , Cheveldayoff has established herself as one of the team ’ s leaders . Flames head coach Larry Bumstead says her desire to constantly improve her game has been a huge influence on many of her younger teammates . “ She ’ s a player who wants to understand the game . She wants to strive to be better each and every time she steps on the ice ,” he says . “ She wants to make sure she ’ s doing things correctly and she ’ s always asking lots of questions . Sometimes players will just go out there and do their thing . Lexi always wants clarity before she does anything . I think by doing that it shows other players that it ’ s OK to ask questions .” There was never a question in
Cheveldayoff ’ s
As I got older he was always saying you ’ re going to be better than me . That kind of pushed me to be as good as I could be
“ As I got older he was always saying you ’ re going to be better than me . That kind of pushed me to be as good as I could be . He always jokes around about how I ’ m a better defenseman because he was just a fighter .” Kevin Cheveldayoff was actually a highly-regarded prospect in his own right . The one-time Brandon Wheat Kings D-man was a first round draft pick ( 16th overall ) of the New York Islanders in 1988 and played five seasons in the minors before a knee injury ended his playing career . Although the younger Cheveldayoff isn ’ t likely to drop the gloves , she does play the game with some grit . In fact , she plays a physical style of hockey and isn ’ t afraid to mix it up in the corners . “ I don ’ t get a lot of penalty minutes so that ’ s a plus , but I don ’ t take it easy on girls either ,” she says . “ I ’ ll go into the corners to get the puck . If I need to bump some people to do it , I will . That ’ s just kind of how I play .” Lexi , 16 , has started to come into her in the offensive zone this season . She was second among Flames defenders in scoring with four goals , including two power-play markers , and six points in 14 league games . It ’ s a part of her game Cheveldayoff says she worked extremely hard on this past off-season . mind about where she wanted to continue her hockey career once she graduates from St . Mary ’ s . Despite numerous colleges and universities trying to woo her , the Grade 11 student knew as soon as she set foot on campus at Bemidji
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