This 9-year-old from Makkovik is making waves with his hockey talent

A nine-year-old from Makkovik has blazed a trail all the way to Florida after taking part in his very first international tournament.

Kylan Pottle has been playing hockey ever since he could hold a stick, his mother, Colleen Pottle, told CBC News last week.

And she doesn't mince words when she talks about his game.

"Our son is pretty talented," Pottle said.

Kylan traveled to Labrador City from his small north coast community for his first tournament, where Pottle says he shone. There, he caught the eye of Blizzard Hockey camp owner Jack Lee, who invited him to play for team Newfoundland and Labrador at a tournament in Florida.

The team lost all their games, but Lee says the scores didn't matter as much as seeing the kids — many from small rural communities across the province — visiting another country for a sport they loved.

"It was rewarding," Lee said, to see them "just be amazed by where they are. These are not only hockey memories, they're life memories."

It's not easy being a budding hockey star along Labrador's isolated north coast, though.

Pottle says she'd never be able to afford the travel to tournaments without the community's support. Her friends and neighbours in Makkovik — a fly-in community of under 400 people — often pitch in, making food for sale and buying it up, so she can offset the plane tickets.

And while Makkovik is rooting for Kylan, Pottle says she's just happy as long as he's growing and continues to love the game.

"I hope that he remembers to never give up. They did have some really bad losses, but the team just kept trying and trying," she said. 

"I hope he keeps that in his head, that no matter the score, you just keep trying your best."

Kylan didn't let the scores bother him much, anyway.

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