He is one of only three young men over the past four years lucky enough to don the ‘C’ in Lloydminster. Grant Baker played for the Bobcats from 2011-2014, captaining the team his final two seasons.
The defenseman came to Canada’s Border City not really knowing what to expect. He had tried his hand at a few other junior programs but decided to stick it out with the Bobcats after then Head Coach, Brian Curran, had expressed interest in the Calgary native.
Lucky he did. Not many Junior ‘A’ players in this country can say they were on Hockey Night in Canada. In 2013-14, Baker and the rest of the Bobcats honored Don Cherry, by wearing special jerseys to mark the CBC being in Lloydminster. Baker was there for the ceremonial puck drop and has kept his Cherry jersey close ever since.
Baker has since moved back to his hometown of Calgary, attending the city’s Mount Royal University. Baker is currently going into his third year at the school, and third season with the university hockey team, the Cougars.
According to Baker, the big difference with playing CIS hockey compared to AJHL hockey is the commitment to managing your time efficiently. Because the CIS schedule is played mostly on weekends, Baker says you really only have from Monday to Wednesday each week to finish a full university workload. Baker is currently studying Business.
The voice of the Bobcats, Trevor Redden, met up with Baker during this past season. Click here to listen in.