Blades alum Atwal a finalist for NHL’s Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award

Edmonton, Alta.- You can never underestimate the power and impact of representation.

Look no further than Arjun Atwal.

Growing up in Edmonton, Alta., Atwal was on skates at three years old and eagerly grabbed an oversized hockey stick shortly after as he chased his older brother and cousins on the ice and in marathon street hockey games.

He wanted to be just like them- a hockey player.

Those long hours of practice quickly paid off as Atwal began to show some serious finesse for the game and surpassed those around him.

He dominated minor hockey with the South Side Athletic Club, picking up numerous scoring awards and even being named the AMMHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player for 2014-15.

The jump to the next level was inevitable.

Atwal enjoyed continued success on the ice as a champion at the U18 level before suiting up for the Saskatoon Blades from 2016-18 and going on to Captain the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Sherwood Park Crusaders.

He potted 107 points (35G-72A) in 54 games in his final season of junior eligibility to clinch the AJHL’s top scorer award and take home league MVP honours.

But the further he delved into higher realms of competitive hockey, Atwal began to notice fewer and fewer BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) players on the ice.

“I looked around on this, and it was like ‘we have such a diverse country, and we’re doing so well in so many sectors. Why can’t hockey be another?” Atwal recalled. “That’s what kind of got my brain rolling on the idea that there should be a program for guidance and support for all these athletes, because the resources are there.”

In 2020, Atwal launched the first iteration of AZ1 Hockey, holding limited ice times with a handful of players.

AZ1 is a BIPOC and new immigrant-focused program that aims to introduce more players to the game, and have them stay involved longer, through on-and off-ice training, player advocacy, and development camps.

Participants range from five-year-olds taking their first strides on the ice to athletes in their late teens and early 20s pushing to play at the U SPORTS level or professionally (Atwal’s longtime friend and Saskatoon Blades teammate Josh Paterson is also an AZ1 coach).

In five short years, registration has erupted to more than 500 participants, with that number expected to balloon to 1,000 by the end of the summer- a testament to the gap the program is filling.

“It just started in Edmonton,” Atwal explained. “Now we’re doing camps in B.C. regularly, we’re doing South Asian summits there and hoping to move into Ontario here very shortly.

It’s honestly remarkable, and it’s obviously a space that is untapped. There are a lot of resources and there are a lot of kids that want to play. It’s just that they need guidance, they need to be motivated, and they need the correct support.”

AZ1 has also been involved in South Asian Heritage Nights held by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.

As the program began to blossom, Atwal was still flourishing on the ice himself.

The forward spent three seasons on the ice with the University of Calgary Dinos (the COVID-19 pandemic axed his first year of eligibility), clinching a Canada West Championship in 2023 and making back-to-back appearances at the U SPORTS National Championship in 2023 and 2024.

He’s a three-time Canada West Academic All-Canada (he credits his brother, Poonam, as his on-ice inspiration and his sister, Harjot, as his tutor and motivator in the classroom).

Despite numerous opportunities to play professional hockey overseas, Atwal felt a deep pull to stay in Edmonton and continue to build up AZ1- with the Sikh concept of seva front of mind.

“Seva, in its simplest form, is any form of selfless service,” Atwal explained. “For me, that’s giving back to my community, and not only my community, any BIPOC minority community, and all players, really. We have a lot of Caucasian players in the program as well, which is awesome. But seva itself is something my grandfather always preached. He was the first in my family to immigrate (to Canada). He always told me, It’s not how much, big or small you help somebody, it’s it’s the concept of continually doing it and giving back no matter how well you’re doing.I was lucky enough to have such a good career and parents who pushed me and continued to allow me to play, and actually encouraged me to play, which isn’t always the case in minority communities. The best thing I can do is seva for the next generation, and the generation after that, and onwards.”

Atwal is one of three Canadian finalists for the NHL’s Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, which honours an individual who has made a positive impact on their community through hockey.

The winner, to be named in June, receives a $25,000 donation to the charity of their choice, while the other two finalists will receive a $5,000 prize to donate to a charity of their choice.

“I can’t be thankful enough (to be) nominated for an NHL award, the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, which I never would have thought of five years ago or even a year or two ago,” Atwal smiled. “But I’m thankful I took the right step, and I’m doing the seva, and instead of just helping me and my career, I can help endless careers.”

As he continues to expand AZ1 and share a message of inclusivity, Atwal is also working toward attaining his MBA on the heels of having used his WHL Scholarship to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

Voting for the 2025 Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award is open until May 25, 2025.

The winner will be announced in June.