Ben Kuzma

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : How towering Vincent Desharnais can bolster a bigger Canucks defence How towering Vincent Desharnais can bolster a bigger Canucks defence 'We're going to be a very good D-core. Very hard to play against and our zone is going to be a war zone. I don't think forwards are going to enjoy coming in front of our net.' — Desharnais Author of the article: Article content Gratefulness rings through in the engaging tone of towering and talkative defenceman Vincent Desharnais. Advertisement 2 Article content How towering Vincent Desharnais can bolster a bigger Canucks defence Back to video “If you look at the odds, I shouldn't be here,” the Vancouver Canucks ' free-agent acquisition admitted Wednesday of his long and winding road to the NHL. “Every day in the best league in the world is a great day. I've had adversity, and when I go to bed at night, I just remind myself that I'm playing with the best players and it's going to happen. “If you're grateful every day, you embrace it more. I don't take one day for granted because it's so hard to make it.” The 6-foot-7 Desharnais signed a two-year, $4-million US contract, and had the pendulum swung the other way, he might still be with the Edmonton Oilers , if they wanted to boost his expiring $762,500 salary cap hit and give him a second season. However, they had to make room for restricted free agent Philip Broberg, 23, and didn't trade third-pairing blueliner Cody Ceci, 30, on Monday, who has a year left at $3.25 million. They did land Josh Brown, 30, in free agency the same day and gave the 6-foot-5 defender a three-year deal with an annual average value of $1 million. Advertisement 3 Article content The Oilers took a chance on Desharnais as a seventh-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. The 28-year-old Laval, Que. native rewarded the gamble by playing hard and becoming a key shot-blocking cog on the NHL's top-ranked playoff penalty kill at a gaudy 94.3 per cent efficiency. And he never complained. Even when scratched in Game 3 of the 2024 Western Conference final, and then appearing in just one Stanley Cup Final game, he always talked of a team game as the greater good. That obviously attracted the Canucks. So did the fact he logged 19:49 in Game 7 of a first-round finale against the Canucks and would amass 15 blocked shots and eight hits in the series. An hour after Vancouver called with an afternoon offer Monday, Desharnais leapt at the chance to end a long day of uncertainty. Advertisement 4 Article content “Pretty stressful. I'm not going to lie,” said Desharnais. “It (free agency) was something new to me and I didn't know where I was going to end up. I'm very happy to join Vancouver. It's going to be nice to be on their side and not getting hit every time I retrieve a puck. “It's the right fit. The identity of the team, how the coaching staff is very structured, the fan base and a Canadian market. And I want to win. I was so close last season and wanted to make sure I was going somewhere where I would get a chance again. “The Canucks are going to be good for another four or five years at least. It's going to be awesome to work with (assistant coach) Adam Foote. I think he's going to help me out quite a bit.” The Canucks had to replace Nikita Zadorov and Ian Cole, who left in free agency, and landing Desharnais along with the 6-foot-4 defender Derek Forbert, 32, on a one-year placeholder deal ($1.5 million), has made the Canucks bigger. But are they better? We'll see. Advertisement 5 Article content The left-shot Forbert and right-shot Desharnais set the third pairing, and with Noah Juulsen and Mark Friedman as depth defenders, the Canucks have eight who can play at this level and as insurance against indifferent play and injuries. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also believes Deharnais is more than just that responsible team guy who managed a career-high 11 points (1-10) in 78 games this season and appeared in 16 playoff games Desharnais learned in Game 7 of the first-round series how the Canucks never quit. After falling behind 3-0, they nearly forced overtime in the dying seconds of regulation. It was a selling point. “We fell asleep for about five minutes and the next thing you know, it's 3-2 and we're fighting for our lives,” he recalled. “ A relentless team. The way the coaches manage, it reflects on the players and it kind of matches my style of play — hard worker, north south and hard to play against. Advertisement 6 Article content “The Canucks are going to be good for another four or five years at least. It's going to be awesome to work with (assistant coach) Adam Foote. He's going to help me out quite a bit. “When I got the offer, they (head coach Rick Tocchet , Foote) took the time to call and introduce themselves. Right there, I just appreciated that and how professional they are. “We're going to be a very good D-core. Very hard to play against and our zone is going to be a war zone. I don't think forwards are going to enjoy coming in front of our net.” The road to the NHL started in a Quebec prep school at age 15 and a leap of faith to join the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs for the 2014-15 season. It's where Desharnais paired with Langley native Dennis Cholowski, whom the Detroit Red Wings selected 20th overall in 2016. Desharnais then played four NCAA seasons at Providence College. Advertisement 7 Article content “I was getting offers from the USHL and BCHL teams and thought it was a great league to get better and manage travelling, school and hockey,” he recalled of choosing Chilliwack over Penticton and Nanaimo. “It was a good fit and that's where I learned I could play at a higher level. “I'm still in touch with my billet family. I'll be making a trip or two to Chilliwack.” Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : How towering Vincent Desharnais can bolster a bigger Canucks defence Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake This Week in Flyers

Boldy was a wise 12th overall NHL Draft selection by the Wild in 2019. The jury is still out on Podkolzin, who went 10th that year to the Canucks

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Canucks: Passing on productive Matt Boldy makes Vasily Podkolzin's struggles stand out Canucks: Passing on productive Matt Boldy makes Vasily Podkolzin's struggles stand out Boldy was a wise 12th overall NHL Draft selection by the Wild in 2019. The jury is still out on Podkolzin, who went 10th that year to the Canucks Author of the article: Article content Projecting success for NHL draft prospects is like reading a racing form. Advertisement 2 Article content Canucks: Passing on productive Matt Boldy makes Vasily Podkolzin's struggles stand out Back to video Before placing a bet, you ponder whether a promising thoroughbred has a credible performance portfolio, can break smartly from the gate, won't get lost in the pack, and knows how to charge when it matters most. It's why favourites usually find the winner's circle or, occasionally, leave bettors flummoxed. No team is immune from the shock of a potential franchise player turning into a project — especially when passing on another who becomes more prominent. Scouts also reason if a player doesn't log 200 career games in The Show, it's considered a blow. Which brings us to wingers Matt Boldy and Vasily Podkolzin Boldy was a wise 12th overall selection by the Minnesota Wild in the 2019 NHL Draft. However, the jury is still out on Podkolzin, who went 10th overall to the Vancouver Canucks Advertisement 3 Article content In 215 games, Boldy has amassed 175 points (76-99) — including a career-high 69 (29-40) this season — and as a top-six roster staple, he has 60 goals in the past two campaigns. It's why the 6-foot-2, 201-pound product of the U.S. National Team Development program was locked up in January with a seven-year, $49-million US extension. Podkolzin, 23, was granted a two-year, we're-not-sure-yet, extension in April at $1 million per season. He projects as a fourth-line left winger, or extra forward, and is waiver eligible. No option of shifting between Abbotsford and Vancouver, so the incentive is obvious. “We are happy with how hard Vasily has worked to try and become a more consistent player,” said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. “While there is still room for him to grow, starting the year in Abbotsford and working his way back up shows the type of commitment and dedication we want.” Advertisement 4 Article content The Canucks are in a go-for-it window and need more from Podkolzin than just the promise of progress. He has teased at effectiveness and his 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame is what head coach Rick Tocchet craves in wingers. He has called Podkolzin a moose and a bull, but needs to see predictability. His 139 NHL games have produced 35 points (18-17) and gaps with delayed reactions to plays. “He works so hard, but there are just things in his game with time and space, and he doesn't move his feet,” assessed Tocchet. “He doesn't see the play. It's like chess. You have to think two steps before you make the play.” Run this by Podkolzin and you hear the desire. The amiable winger has grown up fast and is a husband and father and provider. Appearing in his first two NHL playoffs games this season helps. Advertisement 5 Article content “This is pretty awesome,” he said. “It's my third year here and my first playoff game was a big point for me and my family. So many guys have helped me get to this point.” So, how did opposing wingers get to this place? After all, Boldy and Podkolzin broke from the gate with solid NHL rookie seasons — 26 points (14-12) in 79 games for Podkolzin and 39 points (15-24) for Boldy — but then came a significant shift. Whether it was Boldy's schooling in the demanding with the USNTDP, two years at the high-profile Boston University program, or an abundance of self-confidence, he carried a certain swagger on to the ice. He had his wayward moments, but not very many. Boldy has always been bold and a bit brash. He amassed 43 points (17-26) in 28 games on a high-octane USNTDP roster in 2018-19. And at the under-18 world championship he had a dozen points (3-9) in seven games to prove he could thrive among elite draft talent. Advertisement 6 Article content “I can play power forward with a lot of skill and make plays while still protecting the puck,” Boldy told this reporter before the 2019 draft, in which I was convinced he was going 10th overall. “It's something a lot of guys can't really do that well. “Growing up, I always had really good hands and it's something I've worked on a lot and have had a lot of fun with. “It's doing things defencemen really don't expect. I like to chip pucks to myself and get them in the air, and a lot of defencemen struggle with being able to knock them down or aren't used to seeing that. It kind of confuses them.” There's nothing confusing about Podkolzin. After two seasons in Russia, his NHL rookie season took off when Travis Green was replaced as bench boss after 25 games (8-15-0-2) by the affable Bruce Boudreau. His encouraging directive was simple. Play to your strengths and the other stuff will come. Advertisement 7 Article content However, Podkolzin struggled through 39 outings the following season in failing to grasp a total game and had but seven points (4-3) before being sent to Abbotsford, where he did the work to earn another shot and plenty of plaudits. Podkolzin's 18 points (7-11) in 28 games in the AHL this season were a result of addressing adversity and doing something about it. “The first two weeks were really hard,” he recalled. “You start thinking too much. ‘What should I do? What's happening?' I had two ways to go. Give up, or work. It was good for me to remember who you are and start appreciating.” Now he has to apply all that with heightened urgency. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Canucks: Passing on productive Matt Boldy makes Vasily Podkolzin's struggles stand out Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

The lanky Latvian proved in the NHL playoffs that he's ready to take his game to another level and back up Thatcher Demko next season

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Canucks: Arturs Silovs signs two-year extension to continue goaltending journey Canucks: Arturs Silovs signs two-year extension to continue goaltending journey The lanky Latvian proved in the NHL playoffs that he's ready to take his game to another level and back up Thatcher Demko next season Author of the article: Article content The lanky Latvian has been signed and sealed. Advertisement 2 Article content Canucks: Arturs Silovs signs two-year extension to continue goaltending journey Back to video Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin confirmed Tuesday that the NHL club has agreed to terms with goaltender Artūrs Šilovs on a two-year contract that carries an annual average value of $US850,000. It leaves the Canucks with $165,833 in salary cap space and with Tucker Poolman not on long term injury reserve. “Artūrs helped us out a lot when called upon last year as he continues to grow and develop as a goalie,” Allvin said in a statement. “We expect him to come into training camp and battle for a full-time position with the big club. Our group will continue to work with him to help sharpen his skills and provide him with all the tools necessary to take another step forward in his young career.” Šilovs, 23, appeared in 34 regular season games with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) in 2023-24, posting a record of 16-11-6 with a 2.74 goals against average and a .907 save percentage, as well as four regular season games with Vancouver, sporting a 3-0-1 record with a 2.47 goals against average and an .881 save percentage. Advertisement 3 Article content Šilovs also appeared in his first 10 playoff games of his NHL career with the Canucks going 5-5-0 with a 2.91 GAA and an .898 save percentage. The 6-foot-4, 203 pound stopper has appeared in 89 regular season AHL games across four seasons. He sported a record of 45-30-11, a GAA of 2.62, and a .906 save percentage, along with nine regular season NHL games, holding a record of 6-2-1 with a 2.62 GAA and an .898 save percentage, and two AHL playoff games, with a 1-1 record, and 2.85 GAA and a .914 save percentage. The Riga native has represented his country on numerous occasions, including the 2019 U18 World Championships, the 2022 and 2023 World Championship, and was named the top goalie and most valuable player at the 2023 tournament, helping Latvia win its first medal at the event. Advertisement 4 Article content Šilovs was originally selected by the Canucks in the sixth round, 156th overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft. More to come … [email protected] Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Canucks: Arturs Silovs signs two-year extension to continue goaltending journey Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

The newly acquired winger can score, can't defend, can infuriate, was often benched and comes with some additional baggage

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Canucks: Right place, right time for Daniel Sprong to spring into complete player Canucks: Right place, right time for Daniel Sprong to spring into complete player The newly acquired winger can score, can't defend, can infuriate, was often benched and comes with some additional baggage Author of the article: Article content Right place, right time, right price. Advertisement 2 Article content Canucks: Right place, right time for Daniel Sprong to spring into complete player Back to video If faith and salary-cap affordability plays out for the Vancouver Canucks , the free-agent acquisition of winger Daniel Sprong on Saturday will have been a prudent off-season play. Nobody doubts the ability of the mercurial 27-year-old Amsterdam native to generate offence. However, his inability to defend has kept him from being productive, predictable, responsible and with a full pull on the team-first rope. “Bringing in another solid winger will be a boost,” said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. “Daniel has matured a lot as a player and has shown he can contribute. His addition will give us better depth and should help with more balanced scoring.” Free-agent additions of wingers Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and Kiefer Sherwood present various levels of productivity and grit. So, how does Sprong project? Advertisement 3 Article content DeBrusk and Nils Hoglander should flank Elias Pettersson and because Heinen has been on the cusp of 20 goals — 17 last season with the Boston Bruins — he may get the first look with J.T. Miller . Sprong could start as a fourth-liner with Teddy Blueger and Sherwood with Vasily Podkolzin as the extra forward. With a Canucks' plan to produce more off the rush next NHL season — and present head coach Rick Tocchet lineup options — they didn't have to guarantee Sprong anything, no considerable salary or a several-year term. What they did provide in a one-year, US$975,000 curiosity contract is the chance for Sprong to bet on himself, silence the critics, and prolong his career. The Canucks also had leverage because numbers that projected Sprong tripling his salary in a three-year deal elsewhere never materialized. Advertisement 4 Article content Josh Teves of the Canucks and Daniel Sprong of the Ducks engage during March 26, 2019 encounter at Rogers Arena. A snapshot of a roller-coaster career that now spans six teams came last season in Detroit. In a dozen minutes of average ice time, Sprong turned a one-year, show-us, free-agent deal into 18 goals on the fourth line. However, he had just one goal in his last 17 games and was a healthy scratch six times in a 10-game span down the stretch with the Red Wings pressing for a playoff position. Rather than re-sign the 6-foot, 195 pound Sprong, the Wings opted for former Canucks grinder Tyler Motte, 29, in a one-year $800,000 free-agent contract to bring better defensive structure. Sprong was seldom matched against top players because of his deficiencies and averaged 10:11 at even strength and 1:48 on the power play. Advertisement 5 Article content The previous season in Seattle, Sprong put up numbers that would normally ensure an extension. A career-high 21 goals and 46 points in 66 games didn't parlay into security as the Kraken deemed him expendable, especially with arbitration rights that would have pushed an annual average salary into the $2 million range. The Canucks believe they have a read on Pittsburgh's second-round draft pick in 2015. Tocchet was an assistant coach when Sprong logged 18 games in the 2015-16 season and managed two goals in 8:24 of average ice time. And Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford was the general manager in December of 2018 when the Penguins dealt a struggling Sprong to the Anaheim Ducks for defenceman Marcus Pettersson. Sprong was a healthy scratch nine times that season before being shipped and his relationship with Sullivan was often tested. Advertisement 6 Article content Sprong has carried a certain edge with a personality that often rubbed teammates the wrong way. What could work for Sprong is how Tocchet works with players. He calls it a partnership and his door is always open for discussion, direction and even input. But that comes at a price. If you're not willing to put in the work to be as good without the puck as you can be with it — Brock Boeser and Dakota Joshua are prime examples of what can be accomplished — then Sprong is in for rude awakening. The detail-oriented Tocchet won the Jack Adams Award this season because he only asked three things from his club that claimed the Pacific Division in a remarkable 109-point season that ended by nearly advancing to the Western Conference final. Advertisement 7 Article content Fitness, focus and faith were going to turn around a franchise that was more pretender than contender. And the buy-in had to be from everybody in a room that doesn't have any passengers. Last July, Boeser waved goodbye to the annual freewheeling Da Beauty League tournament in Edina, Minn. Tocchet asked for more last summer and Boeser listened. He invested in a total game and elite fitness to become predictable and reliable. A new trainer, who emphasized sprinting and agility, turned Boeser, 27, into a stronger and quicker winger. It translated into a career-high four goals on opening night this season, 13 in his first 16 games, and a career-high 40 goals. Joshua, 28, was in jeopardy of losing a roster spot last fall if he didn't adhere to Tocchet's demands being a big and commotion-causing winger. Advertisement 8 Article content The results were amazing with a career-high 32 points (18-14) in 63 games and eight points (4-4) in 13 playoff games. His presence with 244 hits to place ninth overall, and 74 in the post-season to finish third, were rewarded with a four-year, $13 million extension. Sprong should take notice. Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Canucks: Right place, right time for Daniel Sprong to spring into complete player Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

Tofino teen set to compete for medals in Tahiti Article content The trek from Tofino to Tahiti is an inspiring Olympic surfing odyssey.

“She has what it takes mentally to be in this position." — Dom Domic, executive director of Surf Canada, on first-time Olympian Sanoa Dempfle-Olin

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Olympics: How Sanoa Dempfle-Olin's surfing passion in Tofino started trek to Tahiti Olympics: How Sanoa Dempfle-Olin's surfing passion in Tofino started trek to Tahiti “She has what it takes mentally to be in this position." — Dom Domic, executive director of Surf Canada, on first-time Olympian Sanoa Dempfle-Olin Author of the article: Article content The trek from Tofino to Tahiti is an inspiring Olympic surfing odyssey. Advertisement 2 Article content Olympics: How Sanoa Dempfle-Olin's surfing passion in Tofino started trek to Tahiti Back to video To appreciate how the sport has evolved from fun, sun, sand and surf to the biggest world-wide competitive stage — and its quest to remain an evolving Olympic staple — take a journey of self-discovery and unbridled passion with Sanoa Dempfle-Olin. The 19-year-old dynamo was raised in the supportive surfing culture of tiny Tofino, a Vancouver Island mecca for those who crave crazy crashing waves in any weather. And she will be the first to represent Canada in shortboard Olympic competition later this month at Tahiti. It's part of a 2024 Paris platform to reach a wider athletic base and audience, and to address the surge in surfing with a commitment to the sport that commenced in its 2020 debut at Tokyo. Dempfle-Olin punched her Olympic ticket by claiming silver in the 2023 Pan-Am Games at Santiago, Chile and will attack the renown Teahugp'o wicked waves in Tahiti from July 27-30. The site has been a favourite stop on the World Surf League professional calendar for more than 20 years. And because Dempfle-Olin believes everything happens for a reason, it's going to be appointment viewing. Advertisement 3 Article content “Earning this is a dream come true,” she told Postmedia. “I'm just very grateful and excited to see where it brings me with all the fun times and the learning that is going to come with it. I just feel super grateful for my family, friends and my whole team.” Surfers crave competition that comes from wild waves and respected rivals. How the 2024 Olympic event is received and progresses will either be a buidling block for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, or be reduced to a passing curiousity. However, it's hard to imagine wrestling with giant waves won't go unnoticed. Unpredictability and power of wave breaks will test Dempfle-Olin's physical and mental ability as an Olympic rookie to deal with immense pressure. “Anything can happen when you're a teenager,” said Dom Domic, executive-director of Surf Canada, the official national-sport federation. “She has what it takes mentally to be in this position and showed a lot of promise early on. In the last 24 months, her improvement has skyrocketed and we're hopeful she'll be the one taking it to the next level. Advertisement 4 Article content “The mindset you want to be in is to have family there to normalize the situation and not have the gravity of competing in the Olympics. She's developed into being very cerebral and very situational aware. (Tahiti) is going to be beautiful and breath-taking.” ‘She can go toe-to-toe. If her head is in the game, she's money in the bank' At the Pan-Am Games to qualify for the Olympics, and with everything riding on the next qualification heat, she never flinched when the event was delayed for days by weather. It spoke to amazing maturity at a young age because taking on the best of the best has always been her quest. So, despite youth, exuberance ensures expectations in Tahiti are high. “This is uncharted territory for everyone, but there's potential to meet up again with the woman who beat her in Santiago,” added Domic. “It's a field of 24 and a 1-in-8 shot at the podium with a lot of variables, but Sanoa's forehand is world class. She can go toe-to-toe and had some of the highest scores at the last world championship. Advertisement 5 Article content “If her head is in the game, she's money in the bank.” Surfers will be seeded into eight heats of three athletes. The winner of each heat advances directly to the third round, while second and third-place riders advance to round two. Nobody is eliminated in the first round of competition. In round two, another eight heats take place consisting of two per heat. Losers from each heat will be eliminated, while the winner advances to the third round. Round three is in the same format, with the winner of each heat advancing. The quarterfinals are four heats of two competitors. Winners advance to the semifinals, which as two heats of two. Semifinal winners advance to the gold medal heat, while losers compete for bronze. Only one surfer rides a wave. And when a heat starts, the surfer closest to the wave peak has the right of way, and those who interfere with a competitor's ability to surf a wave receive a penalty. Advertisement 6 Article content Dempfle-Olin deploys a “goofy-foot” approach to attacking waves. It puts her front side at the wave, which is not a random left-hand reef break, and that plays to her strengths. It allows competitive mind games, but there's much more to manage. “Surfing is speed, power and flow, and they're looking at what manoeuvres you're doing,” she explained. “If someone does a turn and a bunch of water goes flying, and they throw a bunch of spray, that's a sign of speed and power. “And if their board changes direction, going completely to the left and then going completely to the right, that big change of direction is critical. If a surfer's fins are free of the water, if they go above the wave, that's all taken into consideration. Advertisement 7 Article content “For a wave like Teahupo'o, judges will score barrels a lot, which is when you go inside of the wave and the wave folds over top of you. The scoring is based on how big the wave is and how long you're in the barrel for, or how deep in the barrel you are.” All this should inspire interest because the goal of any new Olympic venture is to have a long lifeline. The X-Games, once considered a playground for stunt-consumed, care-free young snowboarders and skiers, gave the Winter Games a needed new audience. Competitions that captured speed, skill, aerial innovation, and even NASCAR-like pursuits in snowboard and ski-cross events, gained immense interest. For surfing, innovation is often determined by conditions and competitors, and the back-drop of Tahiti is also a draw. That can help keep surfing in the consciousness and what can be when the Olympics arrive in Southern California in 2028. Advertisement 8 Article content “It has the potential in Tahiti to be seen by a lot of new eyeballs and may translate to new fans and new importance and what it takes to get there,” said Domic. “If you use snowboarding as a model in Nagano in 1998 to where it is now, there's a path to follow and learn. We're not only looking at 2028 — which will be a completely different animal with the beach craze — we're already looking at 2032. “The momentum is definitely there and we're going along with riding the wave. We have a lot of junior surfers with Olympics as the target. It's super cool and I'm stoked that the kids have something to shoot for.” As for Dempfle-Olin, incentive was never far away. In a family of surfers, she was always near the water and got her first surfboard at age six. She signed up for her first competition two years later, and then raised a lot of eyebrows at age 11 by becoming the youngest female to win the Tofino Rip Curl Pro event. Advertisement 9 Article content ‘Surfing was something I really loved. I didn't really care if it was cold or not' The inspiration came from sister, Mathea, who is two years older, and captured bronze in longboard at the 2019 Pan-Am Games in Lima, Peru. It was Canada's first surfing medal in the history of the Pan-Am Games, but longboard is not in the current Olympic program. In a Canadian Olympic Committee profile, it became obvious her younger sibling had big plans. “Me and Mathea were very competitive growing up, from surfing to silly things, like making breakfast in the morning, or cleaning our rooms,” said Sonoa. “Everything was always a competition, but it was always a healthy competition. “That's why we were both able to get to the level that we are now. We're always there to support each other, and push each other when we need to.” Advertisement 10 Article content The sisters were also home-schooled by their mom, who also took up surfing, so they became accustomed to being outdoors and moving. It made for a natural transition to boating, hiking and, of course, surfing. “I'm close to the beach, so it's kind of my backyard,” said Dempfle-Olin. “Once I was nine or 10, surfing was something I really loved and did daily. I didn't really care if it was cold or not, I just wanted to get in the water more than anything.” That led to growing an impressive resume. Two months before the 2023 Pan-Am Games, she won her first World Surf League Qualifying Series event, the WRV Outer Banks Pro in North Carolina. And in January of 2024, she claimed her first WSL Pro Junior win at the SLO CAL Open at Pismo Beach, Calif. Advertisement 11 Article content None of this surprises Jeff Hasse, owner and operator of the Tofino Surfing School since 2006, who has ridden waves for 43 years. “We've surfed together. It's amazing to watch the growth of her surfing ability,” said Hasse. “There's the physical development and the passion, and it's amazing to be in the water with her. There's natural talent, but to put yourself on that (world) level, is because she wants to be number-one and is in the mindset to be that good. All those attributes make her a standout.” If it takes a village to raise a child, then Dempfle-Olin is in the perfect location because she's a product of her environment. The locals are supportive and friends are forever. “The kids who grow up here are lucky,” stressed Hasse. “Tofino is a hard place to live in because it's a seasonal town and expensive to live here. We have pro surfers like Pete Devries (eight-time national champion, six-time winner one WSL circuit) to mentor off of. Advertisement 12 Article content “Canada is not through to be a breeding ground for surfing — and I'm into the leisure side of it — but from an Olympic perspective and from the core of athletes here, it would make it so sweet to hold up a gold medal.” Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Olympics: How Sanoa Dempfle-Olin's surfing passion in Tofino started trek to Tahiti Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings