SPOTLIGHT: Blair Scott
“I remember coming to the games all the time and looking up to these guys growing up. I always wanted to be a Ranger. Even playing for the Jr. Rangers as a kid, it’s cool to now be playing for the big boys.”
Born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, the sophomore defenseman Blair Scott vividly remembers attending the Aud on Friday nights to watch his beloved Kitchener Rangers. Whether it was idolizing the players, soaking up the atmosphere, or dreaming of scratching the surface as a player himself one day, it was clear from an early age that he had planned to get there.
The passion for the game that he has dedicated many early mornings, late nights, and weekend getaways to, started through his joy for the Toronto Maple Leafs who he watched on Saturday nights Hockey Night in Canada. Alongside his brother, the sport of hockey was “a big part” of his life and not something he took lightly.
“I always wanted to play hockey and wanted to play in the NHL, right from the start. I look back on watching Leafs games growing up, Hockey Night in Canada, and cherishing that with my brother, it was my entire life because I wanted it so badly.”
Residing in Kitchener, hockey was never hard to come by. Scott, like teammates Matthew Sop and Kyle Morey, grew up playing for the KMHA (Kitchener Minor Hockey Association) and the Kitchener Jr. Rangers AAA team, dreaming that one day they would play for the big boys. Given that Scott and Morey were both born in the year 2005, the two were fond of each other growing up, spending plenty of time together both on and off the ice.
The duo spent numerous years together on the Kitchener Jr. Rangers, forming a lifelong friendship that has been reignited at the Junior level in the OHL when Scott was traded to the Rangers in October of 2022.
“Kyle and I were good buddies growing up. We played Major Peewee up to U16 together. We’ve had a lot of good times playing minor hockey and playing for the Jr. Rangers. It’s kind of crazy now that we are here both playing in the OHL for Kitchener. It’s special.”
Scott credits his ability to stick with it through disappointing results that he has endured on his path to success. At times, he was not selected to play at the AAA level, even being cut from Jr.B, but as he has matured and grown into himself, he learned to make the most out of every opportunity that is presented to him.
In the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, his hard work and commitment paid off when the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds selected him 98th overall in what he deems to be one of his biggest accomplishments, and one he has been dreaming of for as long as he can remember.
“I always had to earn whatever I got. I didn’t always play AAA, I had to earn that privilege, I got cut from Jr.B and had to work through that. When I got drafted, it was awesome. It was a really cool experience, something that I was always looking forward to growing up. When that time came, it was a really good feeling.”
Scott played U18 in Kitchener, a route not too many guys have to take, but it allowed him the opportunity to sort out his game and take on a heavy workload as a hard-hitting defenseman. After a brief stint with the Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins, Scott made the full commitment to playing Jr.B hockey with the Ayr Centennials in the GOJHL. In a memorable experience, he played in 42 games tallying 38 total points with 13 goals and 25 assists.
With his ability to move the puck swiftly and shut down the opposing team’s offense in the defensive zone, Scott earned plenty of work on both the power-play and penalty-kill units. As he had found a stride in his game early in the season, Rangers General Manager Mike McKenzie took notice, making his dream turn into a reality.
“I understood Kitchener didn’t have too many defencemen here at the time and I was playing Jr.B for the Ayr Centennials and I had a really good start to the year. I got a call one day asking if I still wanted to play in the OHL and said yes. The next morning I received a call telling me that I’d been traded to the Kitchener Rangers. I couldn’t believe that it was real.”
Coming to the Blueshirts, Scott was eager to make his physical presence known as he loves to be in guys’ faces and finish every hit through a similar game that he attributes to the likes of Victor Hedman and Jake Muzzin. Off the ice, he thinks of himself as an average Joe, if you will, with his mindset focusing on hockey and improving his decision-making skills to always be one step ahead of the opponent.
For Scott, he is living out his childhood dream of wearing the red, blue, and white, while rekindling a friendship with a familiar foe. Despite this, he seeks refinement within his game to make it to the next stage at just 18 years old.
With that said, a new season presents new opportunities. Scott and the Rangers are off to a scorching start, and the focus shifts to the reigning OHL Champions, the Peterborough Petes, who the Rangers will take on at the Aud on Friday night, with Scott noting they cannot take any opponent lightly in this league.
“We are still cleaning up the little things, little habits, and little details. We are not playing bad hockey at all, we have a lot of good things going for us. The boys are working hard in practice and the coaches have been focusing on getting one percent better every day, so that’s what we are striving for.”
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Written by Evan Doerfler
