Ss Mott's,

Djordje Leposavic; One Devil of a Guy

By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

ouglas College student
Djordje Leposavic has
gone through a bit of a

rollercoaster ride in the hopes of
some day fulfilling his dreams of
cracking an NHL line-up. Djordje
has been a personal friend of mine
since I can remember and I have
always respected his drive and
ambition in the game of hockey,
he simply never gives up. He
started skating when he was nine
years old and joined hockey the
following year. He hasn’t looked
back since. Djordje grew up
playing as a defenseman for the
New Westminster Royals, and later
on joined the hockey academy at
Burnaby North Secondary School
in grade eight. In his senior year at
Burnaby North, Djordje was invited
to the Richmond Sockeyes Junior
B training camp and impressed the
coaches so much that he made the
team, earning him a spot as one of
the top six defensemen.

Djordje started out in the
trenches and worked his way up,
getting more playing time and being
looked at in key situations as the
season went on, especially on the
penalty kill. By the end of the year
he was considered as a go-to-guy
in the defensive end of the rink,
earning himself the title as The
Most Improved Player on the team.

“At the beginning of the season
I didn’t take it as seriously as I
should have,” Leposavic says. The
coaches smartened me up a bit, and
I started to listen. It was a real eye
opener for me.”

The more he put in, the more
he got out of it. This year, fresh out
of high school, Djordje returned
with an open spot waiting for him
on the Richmond Sockeyes club.
However the Coquitlam Express
Junior A team was also showing
an interest in the defensemen and
invited him out to their training
camp at the end of the summer.
Djordje couldn’t possibly pass up
the opportunity so he decided that

20

he would participate in both. As the
camp went on, Leposavic noticed
that he was making the cuts, while
other players weren’t. The roster
wasn’t finalized yet but the regular
season had started which put him
in a bit of a bind, playing for two
teams at the same time. Now, this
is where I have the utmost respect
for my buddy. Several weeks ago
Djordje saw himself playing in
four games, four nights in a row,
with both squads. A Thursday night
game with Richmond, up early

the next morning for a road-trip to
Prince George and Nelson with the
Express, to then come back home
on Sunday for the fourth game to
top the weekend off with Richmond
once again. I couldn’t believe

how his schedule worked out, but
Djordje didn’t complain once and
successfully participated in all of
his games.

In Prince George, Djordje
experienced a full crowd watching
him and his team play. It was the
first time that he felt such a buzz.
“I was so pumped that the coach
sat me for the first five minutes of
the game, I was wired. I probably
would have messed up out there... It
was a good call on his part.”

Last week, still contemplating
on where he should play, Djordje
was contacted that the Richmond
Sockeyes had traded him in a
four player deal to the North
Delta Devils. It was a shock and a
surprise to the young 18 year-old
which was the deal breaker that
made him make the decision that
he will fully commit his time to the
Junior B squad. “I’ll be getting a
lot more ice time in Junior B then
I would if I played on the Express.
Overall, it’s the best decision for
me at this point so I can hopefully
improve on my play and make that
transition a lot easier in the future.”
The Devils not only acquired a
strong defenseman, but also a funny
guy who loves to crack jokes,
especially in the dressing room.
My man, Djordje will be a great
addition to the Devils organization.

 

 

 

 

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