Scott Wasden had not been playing with the Kamloops Blazers for very long when he was named team captain.
Wasden, then a 19-year old recently acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers, was named as the mid-season replacement for captain Ryan Bender. The 20-year-old Bender was traded just before the 2008 trade deadline to his hometown Regina Pats after taking over the ‘C’ at the beginning of the season.
Wasden had been a member of the 2006 WHL champion Tigers and brought that experience with him to a struggling Blazers team.
“I felt very honoured to be named the Blazers captain. It meant a lot to be selected by my teammates to lead the team, even though I had only been there a short while,” Wasden said. “The team had been through a lot of changes with both players and personnel when I arrived, which I believe posed challenges for everyone.”
The previous season, Wasden and the Tigers lost in the Memorial Cup final to the Vancouver Giants. He went from a contending team to one of the worst Blazers squads in franchise history. The positive of the trade was that he was reunited with childhood teammates Brady Calla and Sasha Golin.
It also brought him closer to home and he began his tenure as a Blazer playing against his hometown Kelowna Rockets.
“I remember my first game with Kamloops vividly. I was traded on a Wednesday morning, out of Medicine Hat by noon, and in Kamloops for practice Thursday afternoon,” Wasden said. “I was very nervous to be with a new team, playing in front of all my family and friends. I started the game on a line with Calla and Golin which was special for me. We ended up losing the game, however I scored my first goal and had my first fight as a Blazer.”
Unfortunately, losses were more common than wins for the 2007-08 Blazers and they ended up finishing the season with 58 points, which was the second-lowest total in franchise history trailing only the 1981-82 Kamloops Jr. Oilers 37-point season.
The following season provided better results with the team finishing in third place in the B.C. Division with 72 points, but for the 10th straight season the Blazers failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs.
“I was a player who tried to lead by example. I believe my strongest leadership came from my work ethic at the rink and attitude in the room,” Wasden said. “I was fortunate to be part of a successful team in Medicine Hat and play with some great players who I was able to learn from when I first entered the league. I tried to bring some of what I learned there to the strong culture in Kamloops.”
The following season Wasden attended UBC and played university hockey with the Thunderbirds while completing a Bachelor of Commerce degree in four years.
Upon completing his education, he headed overseas to play professional hockey in Duisburg, Germany.
Statistically, Wasden had his best offensive season scoring 23 goals and 36 assists in 38 games in his one season with Fuchse Duisburg.
“That was one of the best decisions I made. I was able to see another part of the world, playing the game I love,” Wasden said.
Now, the 27-year-old has returned to live in Kelowna where he works as a sales representative for Molson Coors. He said doesn’t get back to Kamloops often, but he makes sure to make it to the game whenever the Blazers are in town.
A History of Blazers Captains:
Matt Needham
Dylan Willick
Chase Schaber
Tyler Shattock
