Will Rabourn is shooting for the stars, and Campbell River is his next stop.
“I want to be on Hockey Night In Canada one day,” the new 17-year-old voice for the Campbell River Storm says. “That’s the dream.”
The Campbell River Storm plays in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL).
Their long-time broadcaster, Mark Berry, stepped down in late March.
Rabourn was doing commentary for a couple teams down in Victoria, including colour commentary for the Victoria Cougars (also of the VIJHL) and was working behind the scenes for the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
“I’m from Victoria, actually, so I was doing commentary for a couple of teams down here, and I came up and joined Mark on the broadcast a couple of times, and after I heard he was stepping down at the end of the season. I guess I sent a message over (to Berry), and he referred to me and helped me get the job.”
Hockey has always been a calling to him despite never playing the game.
“It has always been a calling to me. The game has always spoken to me or through me, I guess you can say. I started doing it for hockey games on TV in my living room, and I practice and I hone my craft,” he says. “Last summer, my brother was in a ball hockey tournament out in Edmonton, and I volunteered to do the play-by-play for that whole thing, and it kind of just kicked off the journey.”
He got into the sport of hockey relatively late, he says. He was 10, but never had any interest in playing. It just didn’t speak to him as a player.
“For me, it’s about the moment,” he describes his calling styling. “You’re just trying to emulate the emotion of the moment. So I’m an excitable commentator. I always bring a lot of energy, and I just say what I see. I’m just very, very high energy.”
Rabourn will stay in Victoria and commute up the Island with his parents every game night to call the Storm’s game. And he’s very excited to get going next season.
“It’s unbelievable. I came out for a few games, and the energy in that building every night is so unbelievable. It’s such a great hockey city, and I really wanted to be part of it, and it’s such an honour to get to do it up there.”