Devin Aubin Looks Forward to New Opportunities
This off-season has been a busy one for the Victoria Royals newly acquired defencemen, Devin Aubin.
The 18-year-old has been working hard on a 10,000-acre grain farm while keeping up with his hockey training. “This off-season has been incredibly busy. I have a full-time job, get my workouts in and since I’m from a small town, I drive an hour and a half twice a week for all on-ice training,” Aubin said about his off-season push.
That small town Aubin is referring to is Fahler, Alberta, a farming community northeast of Grande Prairie with a population of 1,052.
The drive to Grande Prairie for on-ice training, however, is nothing new for the defenceman. While moving through the ranks of minor hockey, Aubin was constantly driving to Grande Prairie to play for the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League (AMHL) team.
In May of 2018, Aubin learned he would be traveling a lot further for games when the 5’8” 161-pound defenceman was drafted 75th overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL Bantam Draft. Weeks later, at just 15, he was invited to attend Spokane’s training camp with former Chiefs and current NHL players Kailer Yamamoto and Ty Smith, an experience that would help him shape his style of hockey in the future.
It wasn’t until a few months later in December after Aubin had returned to Grande Prairie to continue to develop his game that he was notified he had been traded to the Swift Current Broncos. A shocking but exciting trade that would ultimately end up being the opportunity of a lifetime for Aubin.
Two weeks after the trade Aubin would sign a WHL Standard Player Agreement and would go on to play in his first WHL game against the Edmonton Oil Kings two months after that. It wasn’t until the 2020-21 season that the Alberta native would be permanently on the Broncos roster when they joined the Subway Hub Centre in Regina, an unusual but exciting time for any junior player.
“Last season helped me gain a ton of confidence and I think that I’ve grown tremendously as a person and player. The hub was definitely an experience of a lifetime and a huge mental challenge. I’m excited to get the opportunity to be back in a somewhat normal season,” said Aubin.
He’ll get that opportunity when he joins the Royals for their first game on Saturday, October 2nd.
“I want to be the guy that can be trusted and used in all situations and to be a leader going forward,” Aubin said when asked about his hopes for the season. “I think the biggest thing for me is the fresh start and different opportunity. I’ve heard many amazing things about Victoria and the Royals organization so I’m very excited to get things rolling.”
If there’s one thing Aubin wants Royals fans to know, it’s that he’s excited to be in Victoria. “Being from a small town, I’m very approachable. If you see me around, don’t be afraid to stop and say hi!”
