SACKVILLE, N.B. — The Crossman household is abuzz with excitement over a recent phone call inviting their son to the training camp of the Carolina Hurricanes in a little over a month.
Ethan says he was excited but not overly surprised as he had heard rumors that he might end up in one of the NHL rookie camps this fall as he is entering his final year of junior eligibility.
Like most of the hockey fans in this region, there was little surprise that the Sackville speedster received the call – their main surprise being that they felt he deserved to have gone in the draft after putting up impressive credentials, especially as one of the keys in the Memorial Cup victory in the 2015-17 season by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
Last season, Ethan played for Baie Comeau and they were among the favourites to go all the way but ran into a red-hot goalie in the playoffs and ended their on-ice run by hitting the golf courses before they had planned.
Ethan has been the hottest prospect to ever graduate from the Sackville minor hockey system according to a series of coaches, including Davis Richardson who was his mentor before he left to compete at the AAA level in Moncton. Richardson has the credentials to make such a statement as he had been a rugged winger with the Mounties and had a son who was a rising star before injuries slowed him down.
The phone call from Carolina instructed Crossman to attend their rookie camp in September. It will be during this period that he will have the opportunity to separate himself from the pack and prove his early coaches right in their conclusions.
The Hurricanes will fly him to Carolina on Sept. 4 where he will spend a day or two and then he and the entire rookie camp will fly to Nashville for a tourney with rookies from some other NHL clubs and then will return to the Hurricanes’ home base on Sept. 11.
Ethan has termed his hockey career to this point as 'Jagged Journey' and has turned this term into the name of his two-year-old clothing company, which operates primarily online. He says it continues to be a profitable venture.
During this summer he has been, when training time permits, working side-by-side with his dad Kent at his construction company. But in order to be in proper shape to show his best, he is training daily in Moncton. He spends 15 or more hours each week in the gym and a good deal of time on the ice in preparation for his opportunity of a lifetime.
“I have no idea where my hockey future will lead,” Ethan said during a recent interview. "At present I am a member of Chicoutimi in the Q League and I expect to be there after Baie Comeau made the trade."
Chicoutimi has been building for a Memorial Cup run and have added some outstanding players in their final year of junior hockey.
But this young man has many irons in the fire. He already has completed one year of requirements for a business degree, has the ongoing clothing business, is learning about the family business and still has his hockey skills that could be used to assist him to attend university on a full time basis.
He has also contributed in making Sackville well known across the country and is one of the first Sackville natives to have ever reached this plateau in hockey.
Two big names from the Tantramar region stand out. Bobby Copp of Port Elgin enjoyed success on the blue line with the Maple Leafs, while George Allen enjoyed a career with teams in the NHL.
But whatever fate brings Ethan Crossman, with so many options, he will find success in life after hockey.
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Sackville's Ethan Crossman continues to pursue the sport he loves
