Daylon Campbell
Q: Hello Daylon, thank you for having a chance to chat. Can you give a brief introduction of yourself?
A: No problem, thanks for having me. I was born and raised in The Pas, Manitoba. I'm 19 years of age and my hobbies other than hockey would be baseball and golf in the summer with a little bit of boating and wakeboarding on our beautiful Clearwater Lake. I have an older brother and older sister, Jaron and Leya Campbell. My parents are Ron and Jeanette Campbell. My mom Jeanette grew up in The Pas herself, and my dad is from Moose Lake, Manitoba.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your hockey career so far?
A: My minor hockey days I played with The Pas Huskies, but once I started to hit around bantam (age 13,14) I'd go on with my Dad and his old-timers team every chance I got, and we would just have fun scrimmages. I believe is where I improved my skills a lot, by playing with stronger men. Once I reached midget age (15,16,17) I tried out for the Thompson Norman Northstars AAA team. I didn't make it my first year, but that didn't stop me from getting better that year and making the team the next season. I played two years AAA and was Assistant Captain my last year with the Northstars. I was lucky enough to impress Jason Smith who was our Blizzard Coach at the time, so once AAA season ended I had the privilege to practice and play with the Blizzard until their season ended, and I'm still a proud OCN Blizzard now.
Q: You're having a great post season, with 9 points so far. Tell us a little bit about what this playoff run has been like?
A: A lot of focus on what our goal is and what we have to do to win. The positive energy in the room is unreal for each game that we do win and get closer to reaching that goal.
Q: This season was obviously a challenging one for players, supporters and local fans. How do you mentally get the negativity out of your head so you can focus on the game?
A: Since day one our supporters and fans have been behind us and helping us out a lot through the year. When you see that, it makes you know that everything will be okay in the end. Because of the possibility of the team folding, I believe it gave us the motivation to play that much harder to show everyone that we aren't going anywhere, anytime soon! It's in your head, you just have to change that negative thought to a positive outcome on the ice.
Q: The fan support for the Blizzard is pretty fanatic. Are there any moments that stand out to you?
A: For sure we have the loudest rink in the MJHL, especially come playoffs. What really stands out to me though is the fan support we get by not only from home, but the residents from all over Manitoba, especially Northern Manitoba. Our away games are also packed with Blizzard fans which is awesome to see that they are behind us no matter where we go.
Q: We all wish you guys the best for the rest of the series, especially with a 6th championship potentially only 2 games away. Any final comments for our readers?
A: All I have to say is nothing comes easy. It takes a lot hard work and dedication to reach your goals. But in the end, if you give it your all, it will all be worth it.
