It was only six years ago that Beaumont native, Noah Gregor, was being coached by his dad while playing hockey for the Leduc Riggers. Now, he is a professional hockey player in the San Jose Sharks organization.
He began his career at 16, when he moved to Saskatchewan to play for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Gregor was drafted by San Jose in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and began playing for their American Hockey League team, the Barracudas. He played his first game in the NHL last year, at the age of 21, playing 28 games and scoring three goals. His goal now, coming into the 2021 season, is to make the team as a full-time player.
Q: Have you always known you wanted to be a professional hockey player?
A: Yeah, pretty much, growing up my brother played hockey and my dad played hockey so I was kind of born into it. I never really had any other aspirations in life and I still don’t. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do so it worked out pretty good that I was able to make it a profession.
Q: How big of a role did your family play in your success?
A: My family definitely played a huge role. Everyone in my family was a big part of my success. My dad playing the game helped me a lot with what to expect when reaching the higher levels and my mom by driving me to games and my siblings as well just by watching as many games as they could. So everyone’s really helped me get to where I am.
Q: Was it hard to leave home at 16 to go play in the WHL?
A: It was. I think it was harder on my parents than it was on me though. I think it made it a little easier knowing it was my passion and what I wanted to do.
Q: Do you keep in touch with anyone from your days in Moose Jaw?
A: Yeah, a few people. My billets of course, Glen and Jerry. My roommate, Brett, I talk to him almost daily. A couple other teammates, Jayden Halbgewachs is my roommate in San Jose, we played together in Moose Jaw. So yeah, I kept in touch with a lot of people.
Q: How did you find out you were getting called up to play for the Sharks?
A: I think I was just sitting in my apartment, we had just finished a practice with the Barracudas, and my coach called me. I had no clue what to expect or why he’d be calling me. I was kind of thinking like, ‘What did I do wrong? Why is this guy calling me?’ But he told me I was getting a call up. I think we had only played three games so I wasn’t really expecting to get called up that soon. He said, “Yeah, you’re playing tomorrow night against the Buffalo Sabers, you’ll be in the lineup,” so I was pretty pumped.
Q: Who was the first person you told about the call up?
A: My mom and dad. I called them right away and they had to drop everything and get on a plane the next day so they could be there to see me play in person.
Q: How did it feel to score your first NHL goal and could you describe how it happened?
A: It was pretty sweet. I think that was really the, ‘Welcome the the NHL,’ moment because I went five games before I got a point so it felt great for a goal to be my first NHL point. It was a high flip pass by the defenseman and I was able to beat the other teams defenceman to the puck so just kind of shot it. I actually didn’t even know it went in because it hit the post so I just heard the ring and I didn’t see the puck go in the net. I heard the crowd cheering and I figured out it went in the net so it was a pretty cool moment.
Q: When you found out you were going to be playing for the sharks, was there a player on the team that you were most excited to play alongside?
A: Probably Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, they’re legends of the game so it was pretty cool to share a dressing room with those guys. Guys like Erik Karlsson or Logan Couture, who are kind of current superstars in the league. It was cool to see how they act and how they’re just normal guys.
Q: With the pandemic postponing playoffs, the Sharks haven’t played a NHL game since March of last year. How have you been able to stay ready to play during such a long off season?
A: I’ve had the same trainer since I was 15 or 16 so me and him have a really good relationship and training with him in the summer helps and then there’s a lot of pro hockey players around the Edmonton area so we all skate together a couple times a week too. It’s been a long off season, we’ve never really experienced something like this but I’ve been able to stay on the ice and stay in shape.
