KINGSMILL GOES FOR THE CUP

By MARIO ANNICCHIARICO

For Adam Kingsmill, nothing quite compares to slipping a Team Canada jersey over his head and goaltending equipment.

The 24-year-old Smithers, B.C., native, who now calls Calgary home, will get that chance again December 8-14 as he tends the net for Canada at the upcoming 2024 Para Hockey Cup in Charlottetown, P.E.I., an honour the Smithers Minor Hockey Association product never takes for granted.

The ice sledge hockey netminder earned a silver medal at the 2022 Winter Paralympics and then went one further, backstopping Canada to gold at the 2024 World Para Ice Hockey Championships in Calgary.

“I'm super excited; I mean any chance that we get to play on Canadian soil is always a special privilege, especially getting to wear the Maple Leaf on my chest. So, I'm just super excited to go out there and start working with the boys again,” he said of the upcoming tournament that features China, Czechia and the United States.

“I know we all miss being away from each other or being together, so it'll be good to get some good games in and play against some good teams that are really up and coming.”

The pride will be bursting for the recent Mount Royal University graduate in athletic therapy, who is now working on his national certification exam.

 “I've been fortunate enough to be able to wear the Maple Leaf for almost seven years now and every single time that I have to put it on; it gives me goosebumps, even when I put on my practice jersey.”

The pride was on display after defeating the United States 2-1 back in the 2024 World Para Ice Hockey Championships in Calgary.

“Looking back, in hindsight, it was an unbelievable tournament. You know it was a tough one. We went out there and had two good games against Japan and Italy and then the Czechs and China - they really brought the tone to us and made sure that they weren’t going to roll over on our ice,” Kingsmill recalled.

“So, it was good to get that in during the end of the prelims there. It was a phenomenal tournament from the start to finish. I mean every team there just took significant strides, from us to the States and all the way down to Italy, a team that's prepping for 2026 (Olympics).

“It was an incredible experience, incredible growing experience afterwards and you know now having that championship under our belts; I think we can all breathe easy a little bit here and play free and that was kind of model that our coach set out for us at the beginning of the week. It was play easy and play free. We were playing on Canadian ice, so how can you not. That made it a lot easier.”

Kingsmill played a big role in the gold medal game, stopping 24 shots as the U.S. out-shot Canada 25-9, including a 14-5 advantage in the third period. 

“The shots didn't tell the whole story. The boys made my job really easy, you know, just keeping shots to the outside and I just needed to make the stops I needed to stop. So that defensive effort definitely came through all the players, starting from our forwards through our defence. They just made that really easy on me.”

Life hasn’t been easy for Kingsmill, who lost his leg at the age of two in a lawnmower accident.

“Then, I believe, I was on skates six months after is what my mom told me and I think I joined into initiation (hockey) at that 4-5 year-old age and fell in love with hockey. Our whole family played - my brother played at the time, my dad played, my mom played,” he said of family life.

“It was a Canadian thing and we're a very Canadian family, so yeah, you know I started playing minor hockey when I was really young and I can't thank some of the coaches enough and the players that I played with and against to not give me any slack and keep on pushing the pace every single year from five years old all the way up to 16 when I stopped playing minor hockey.”

It was then that he was discovered by the Hockey Canada program, trying out for the Cariboo Cougars.

“That's right, yeah. I ended up trying out for one year and I was fortunate to be interviewed by Rich Abney at CKPG News and my story took off,” Kingsmill recalled.

His old manager asked if he wanted to try sledge hockey and they ended up flying Kingsmill out to Toronto and putting him in a sled.

“As soon as I hopped in there; I was just very timid and I was very scared at first. It was a completely new sport to me and it kind of blossomed from there,” he said. “I found that it was really good and was very easily transferable. I found that I could excel in this sport and then I took full reigns of it and made it my life.”

Dave Tucker, a coach with Smithers Minor Hockey Association, also played a significant role in his life as a coach and he was very close to the family and still is.

“He pushed me beyond limits I didn't know was possible and really set me up for a high performance lifestyle and then made that transition to the national team a lot easier than it would be without him,” said Kingsmill, who also credits his strong connection to BC Hockey.

“I was talking with my mom just the other day and BC Hockey has been an incredible supporter all the way through, even with my officiating career. From the actual playing side of things, BC Hockey has always played an incredible role in my life, giving me opportunities throughout the country.

“I know living in northern BC, it doesn't leave a whole lot of teams to play against unless you drive far. Through the support of BC Hockey, we were able to travel and play in these games and tournaments together and really just create an environment that made hockey enjoyable which has always been a huge part of my life. BC Hockey made loving hockey super easy from Day 1.”

So now he prepares for the Para Hockey Cup and the ultimate goal will be the 2026 Paralympics in Italy.

“Yeah, the big goal here is in 2026. Our team sets our plan out in quads, so every four years we come up with a brand new strategy or a new plan that we implemented and at the end of that plan is obviously the big goal the Paralympics. So, 2026, in Milan and Cortina - hopefully we can bring back gold for Canada,” said Kingsmill.

“It's going to be a real special one because I know the last Paralympics I played in I unfortunately wasn't able to bring my family along, just due to the pandemic and I think this one is going to be really special playing in front of them.

“Even at the World Championships (in Calgary), it was my first time my parents (Bobbie and Grange) have seen me play live since 2017 - my first trial for the national team, so being able to win on home soil and then in front of my family and friends was a feeling that I'll never forget, so  our main goal is to do that when we’re in Italy.”

Mario Annicchiarico is a freelance writer based in Victoria who has previously covered the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers, as well as the Western Hockey League.