Leading by Example – Dalyn Wakely

You might say that Dalyn Wakely was just born to play the game of hockey.

The son of former Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Kitchener Rangers draft pick, Jason Wakely, and the great-grandson of Little Native Hockey League (Little NHL) Hall of Famer, Wellington Williams — the 19-year-old forward from Curve Lake First Nation seems to have been destined to play this sport.

“My Dad had me on skates pretty much from the time I could walk,” recounted Wakely ahead of his third season with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion. “Growing up in Port Hope, it’s a pretty small town. Some of my best friends and I were all the same age. We kind of just started playing together, and my Dad was always my biggest teacher growing up. So, I just love the game right from when I was a little kid, and here we are now.”

Wakely’s journey to where he is today is a remarkable one. Taken in the second round of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection Draft following his time with the Quinte Red Devils, who he captained to an Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) championship and led in scoring with a league-leading 72 points, Wakely was a highly-regarded prospect prior to his introduction to major junior hockey and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).

But well before that, while honing his game within the OMHA, the right-shot centreman first made a name for himself while playing for Curve Lake First Nation in the Little NHL — which is the largest annual ice hockey tournament for Indigenous youth in Ontario and one that his great-grandfather Wellington spent decades involved with as both a coach and organizer.

“It’s an amazing event,” said Wakely about the Little NHL, which is considered to be one of the largest gatherings of First Nations youth in Canada, welcoming close to 200 teams representing First Nations throughout Ontario and over 3,500 young Indigenous athletes, families and spectators. “It’s super influential. It not only inspires kids to want to play hockey, but it allows them to get out of their communities, be in a bigger scenario, be in a bigger city, and to see other kids like them.”

Among the many greats who have etched their name in the annals of the Little NHL’s history include Ted Nolan, Reggie Leach, Jonathan Cheechoo, Brandon Montour, and most recently Erie Otters forward and 2023 NHL second-round pick Carey Terrance, who is a member of the Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne.

“A lot of the years when I wasn’t with my brother, they’d play Akwesasne, and they’d always be complaining how good Terrance was and how good [Akwesasne’s] team was,” laughed Dalyn, who played alongside his younger brother Sidney for Curve Lake First Nation on alternate years due to their age difference. “It’s kind of cool now that [Terrance and I] play against each other in the [OHL] and he’s a good player. It’s been cool to have grown up playing against him in that tournament, and now we’re kind of on a bigger stage.”

Plus, if it wasn’t for the Little NHL, let alone the game of hockey, Dalyn’s parents might never have met either. “The funny thing is my Dad [Jason] would play in tournaments for my great-grandfather [Wellington] and that’s how him and my Mom [Katie] met.”

Photos by Candice Ward/CHL

Dalyn’s family, his community of Curve Lake First Nation, and his billet parents Brian and Lorie (who hail from Nipissing First Nation) have all had a massive influence on him. Collectively, they have shaped him into the player he is on the ice, and just as importantly, the person he has become off of it.

The latter has arguably been where Wakely has had the biggest impact during his time with the Battalion. Specifically, towards the start of last season, Dalyn created the Wake’s Sake initiative as a means to give back to his home-away-from-home in North Bay. As part of his campaign, Wakely and a rotating cast of his Battalion teammates would work at a community kitchen called the Gathering Place every Tuesday from November through to the end of the regular season, where they prepared and served meals to the city’s homeless and low-income populations.

In addition to those efforts, as part of Wake’s Sake, Wakely also held monthly donation drives at North Bay Memorial Gardens to further benefit underserved populations in the region — raising a total of $2,100 in monetary donations, in addition to collecting over 600 winter coats, 450 mitts and gloves, 400 hats and more than 2,000 hygiene products for the Gathering Place. 

“I think growing up at home, it’s always been something in my household where if you’re given the opportunity to give back, you should do so,” explained the 19-year-old, whose efforts in the community were recognized last spring by both the CHL and OHL when he was named the Humanitarian of the Year for both leagues. “Being in North Bay, having [my billets] Brian and Lorie, and everyone there bringing me in right away like I was family, I think you instantly want to give back and repay what they’ve done for you.

“It was kind of a no-brainer that I had to do something in the community to show that I’m grateful.”

There’s no question that the outcomes from his Wake Sake’s initiative have exceeded Wakely’s own expectations. To give you an example: a number of groups in the last year have either donated items or funds to the Gathering Place, and while doing so, they told the community kitchen that they had no idea it existed until they had heard about them at a Battalion game — a sign of the awareness that Wakely has helped create beyond just his own efforts and that of his teammates.

Given what he has done off the ice, it might come as no surprise that Wakely has also taken on a leadership role within the Battalion’s locker room. 

Sure, he’s scored 83 points and 50 goals over the last two seasons (including 30 goals during the 2022-23 campaign) and he’s set to get even bigger minutes this season, playing for a club that was just one win away from reaching the OHL Championship Series. But Dalyn’s impact is much bigger than that. As an Indigenous player on his team, he has helped give some much-needed perspective to many of his teammates.

“Going into it and being a Native guy on the team, I think they learn a lot. I share some stories and stuff about the reality of what it’s like growing up on a reserve. A lot of guys are from Toronto or a big city, where you don’t see any of that,” said Wakely, when discussing the significance of clubs across the CHL hosting game nights either celebrating or providing awareness to their Indigenous communities. “I think it’s trying to establish the connection about what’s gone on in the past, and now moving forward, what we can do to make a better community and be together as one.”

Speaking ahead of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, which honours the children who never returned home and the survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities, Wakely emphasized the significance of this day of remembrance. “It’s a very important day for all of us, and the individual impact might be different, but I think the message is still the same: remember who we’ve lost and what’s gone on.”

As we reflect on this September 30th (which coincides with Orange Shirt Day), we’d be wise to heed Dalyn’s advice. Mature beyond his years, there’s no doubt that Wakely will continue to be an example worth following — both on and off the ice.

(FEATURE PHOTO: CANDICE WARD / CHL)