It wasn’t the typical journey to the Western Hockey League for Justice Christensen, but the 19-year-old defenceman has become a leader with the Prince Albert Raiders.
The Raiders announced on Monday afternoon that Christensen was named the 49th captain in franchise history. Niall Crocker and Aiden Oiring were named the alternate captains for the upcoming season.
Christensen was named an alternate captain during the 2023-24 season, but was always a vocal player in the dressing room for Prince Albert.
Raider head coach Jeff Truitt says Christensen leads by example with his work ethic and encouraging his teammates to be the best versions of themselves.
“He’s a natural leader. Last year, he proved that, he took in information, he gave it to the team, he’s one of the hardest working guys. We got a lot of great hard working guys here, but he kind of corrals everybody and sets that standard and going into this year knowing that there was a C available and the other As. He stood out as the guy that will lead and be an extension of the coaching staff.”
Chrtistensen was never drafted into the WHL and was listed by the Raiders ahead of the 2022-23 season. In the WHL, every team has a 50 player protected list. If a player goes undrafted, teams are able to add players to their list if they have an open spot. In order to list a player, teams must submit paperwork to the league.
Bruno Zarrillo, the Director of Player Personnel for the Raiders, says there are often situations where multiple teams are trying to list the same player at the same time.
“When you find the player, you put the player’s name on a piece of paper, you send it into the league. If another team puts in for the same player, the same day you did, the lower ranking team gets the player. The player then goes on your list and you can’t go over 50 players on your list.”
In Christensen’s case, it was a summer conditioning camp that led to him becoming a Prince Albert Raider. Christensen is from Red Deer, Alberta and was attending the camp as a 16-year-old.
The camp featured several professional, junior A and WHL players. One of the coaches at that camp was Jeff Truitt, who lives in Red Deer during the offseason.
Truitt recalls that Christensen made a great impression at the camp and helped set the wheels in motion for him to become part of the organization.
“I saw him on summer ice in Red Deer. Older guys were on the ice and I was a part of that camp. I saw this guy with the pro players and he was vocal. He was directing traffic and he was just a young guy. I did some inquiries and found out about him. I just saw his movement and his passion for the game and how well he wanted to play even in a practice or in a camp. That brought up the antennas a bit that we might need this guy. We could see the potential in him and you make the proper phone calls, you do the due diligence behind it. We wanted him a part of our 50 man list and he walked in and he made our team. It just goes to show that somewhere, somehow somebody might see you. You don’t have to be drafted to be an impact guy. Once you get into this league, you belong in this league and that’s certainly him.”
Christensen says it has been a long road to get to where he is today, but he is excited to receive the captaincy from the club.
“It took a lot of work and dedication and I’m super proud of myself for getting to this point and going undrafted that was unfortunate and then getting listed that was exciting. Making it in my 17-year-old season was a big step for me and then becoming captain in my 19-year-old season is super special.”
Christensen has gotten better each season he has been in the WHL. After recording nine points in 64 games as a rookie, Christensen potted 45 points in 68 games last season.
Truitt says Christensen has exceeded expectations with the Raiders.
“When he came here, we knew what kind of a player that we were getting. We knew that he was a hard player. He is an extremely hard shot, and we didn’t know how the offence would evolve from year to year. Last year, he put up 40-plus points for us. Key on the power play, does the penalty kill. He’s a guy that has just gotten better and better. You find these guys every once in a while, they’re not easy to get. There’s not a lot of them out there because the scouting is so good. To find somebody like him has just been a treat for the organization. His character is second to none. He’s cared every day here. He does all the right things on and off the ice.”
Fans in Prince Albert are used to hearing Christensen being vocal on the ice for the Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre.
“I think a lot of it is by example, I’m very vocal too.” Christensen says about his leadership style. “Leading by example in the weight room off the ice, just making sure I’m always dialed in, doing the right things and then when stuff’s got to be said, I’m not afraid to step up and let them know what’s got to happen or situations where we can improve on things.”
Results from Friday’s home opener against Regina were not available as of press time. The Raiders hit the road to Moose Jaw on Saturday night. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
