Harmon Laser-Hume, a former Creston Valley Thunder Cats standout, has begun his collegiate hockey career as goalie with Mount Royal University Cougars in USports.
After playing for Creston from 2020 to 2022, Laser-Hume moved on to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), where he spent time with the Nipawin Hawks and Flin Flon Bombers.
His experience in junior hockey laid the foundation for his current position with the Cougars. Laser-Hume recently spoke to the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) and reflected on his first season.
Laser-Hume has made an impact between the pipes, earning a shutout and another victory in his two starts, in which he posted 1.50 goals against average and an .885 save percentage.
Despite only appearing in two games this season, Laser-Hume feels he’s already learned a great deal.
“I was treating practice as my games and learning from that,” he said. “I had a notepad in my room and I was ticking off every day that I hadn’t played. I was using that as motivation to work and practice and to keep pushing. The team was phenomenal in front of me.”
He credits his goaltending partners, Shane Farkas and Riley Sims, for their mentorship. They’ve taught him to relax and not overdo it.
“The big improvements have been off the ice and relationship-wise with my teammates,” he said. “They don’t know what kind of goaltender you are, and it takes time to build trust and get to know the guys. Being closer with them has helped me a lot.”
Laser-Hume credits his time with the Creston Valley Thunder Cats for giving him the foundation needed to advance his hockey career.
“The biggest thing for me was being part of a junior team at 17,” he said. “Being around older guys was super helpful. My first year got shut down pretty quick (2020 pandemic), but we still practiced every day and it was fun. It built me up.”
He encourages young goaltenders to consider the KIJHL as a valuable stepping stone to higher levels of hockey.
“It is a good league and I had a great time there,” said Laser-Hume. “I had a really good goalie partner in Jaden Little. He was super fun to be around and the first one to teach me it’s okay to be light at the rink. I remember him and I played ping pong before practice. It doesn’t have to be super serious all the time.”
