ESTEVAN, Sask. — Fans of the Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins will hopefully become accustomed to seeing Aiden Laing wearing the captain's "C" on his jersey.
The defenceman was named the team's captain during the offseason. Since he's 19, it means he could be sporting the letter for the next two seasons.
Forwards Carter Onrait and Lochlan Tetarenko and defenceman Caleb Potter will be the alternate captains. Onrait, who is from Estevan, is the only 20-year-old on the leadership team.
Laing said being named the captain is "a great honour" and he's very proud to be the captain. He received a call from head coach/GM Drew Kocur in the offseason, telling him he'd been selected for the role.
"I was very excited and it made me pumped for the upcoming season," said Laing.
The club had asked him previously about a leadership opportunity for the 2026-27 campaign, but he wasn't expecting a call about being the captain. It's the first time he has ever worn a "C", although Laing and the Bruins noted he was a leader of sorts last season when he and Oliver Kramp were the rookie captains.
"It's more of a funny thing between the older and the younger guys in the room," said Laing. "We just name a couple of rookie captains, so we have to make sure everyone's in check and doing their job right."
Laing views himself as somebody who will lead by example through working hard every shift and being early for practice and the last person off the ice after practice. He's not the most vocal person, but he recognizes it's something he needs to grow into.
The alternate captains were the right picks, he said.
"They're definitely going to help me and help each other," said Laing.
The possibility of being the team's captain for two seasons is beneficial, he said, and Laing suggested it should happen more often because it gives players more time to grow into the role.
"I don't want to look too far forward, but coming into next year, the culture will already be set and I'll already have a year under my belt," said Laing.
Kocur said the club could tell as far back as last Christmas that Laing was captain material. The alternates were discussed among the staff and others.
Laing was picked as captain because of his professionalism on and off the ice, Kocur said.
"The guys called him the captain of the rookie group last year," said Kocur. "The way he prepares for practices, for games, for workouts, and just the way he handles himself day in and day out, he's very respectful. He wants guys to get better and he wants to get better, and he really drags guys into the fight with him."
Kocur said the club believes anyone on the team could have worn a letter this season. It's a good group of players who want to improve.
"We figured Lainger would be the captain and then the rest fell into place. They were leading right away and they were excited about coming back. They were pumped."
