Tayler Read is back playing hockey with a renewed enthusiasm and perspective.
The 20-year-old son of Doug and Janet Read of Wilmot Valley is in his first season with the Kensington Moase Plumbing and Heating Vipers of the Island Junior Hockey League. But his road to the Vipers has not been without adversity.
“I had been playing in Truro a couple of years ago and had some injury problems and I had to take a year off,” said Read.
After playing three seasons of major midget hockey with the Kensington Wild and serving as team captain in his third year, Read made the jump to the Truro Bearcats of the Maritime Junior Hockey League. He suffered a concussion in the playoffs of his rookie campaign and was forced to sit out the entire 2018-19 season.
“We were lucky he was cleared to play and there were times he told me he may never play again because he had some effects for quite some time after,” said Vipers head coach Wade Waddell.
To stay in the game last season, Read turned to coaching. He, Morgan MacDonald and Connor MacIntyre guided the Kings County peewee AAA team to the 2018-19 provincial title.
“It was a good experience,” said Read, who is studying actuarial science at UPEI. “It was a lot of fun and gave me a different perspective on the game for sure.”
Never lost passion
“I talked to Wade over the summer and thought (the Vipers) would be a good fit. Coaching was awesome, but it wasn’t quite the same as playing. I definitely had the itch to get back at it and my head was feeling much better so I gave it a shot and it’s been a ton of fun so far.”
- Kensington Vipers forward Tayler Read
Read never lost his passion to play and once he was cleared to return he reached out to Waddell about joining the Vipers, who host arch-rival Western Red Wings at Credit Union Centre in Kensington on Sunday at 7 p.m.
“I talked to Wade over the summer and thought (the Vipers) would be a good fit,” said Read. “Coaching was awesome, but it wasn’t quite the same as playing.
“I definitely had the itch to get back at it. My head was feeling much better so I gave it a shot and it’s been a ton of fun so far.”
Read, who added the biggest thing he missed from playing was the camaraderie with his teammates, noted he now has a different perspective as a player after coaching last year.
“You see things from a whole other side of the game,” said Read. “Sometimes, as a coach, someone might do something that you don’t like and it goes the same way when you are a player.
“I am able to understand the coach’s perspective and maybe he didn’t like that I did this and you can see things from both sides a little better.”
Read, who Waddell described as a bona fide scorer, has made an immediate impact with the Vipers, recording 21 points in 15 regular-season games.
“He brings an enthusiasm to the rink on a consistent basis that we haven’t seen the last couple of years,” said Waddell. “He brings a winning attitude and he’s a special kid.
“I’m not going to lie, I have never once seen him come to the rink when he was not in a team-first mood and a smile on his face. He always has a smile on his face. He’s a classy kid and is just a positive person to be around and a positive aura about him that rubs off on other people.
“He’s probably one of the most liked guys in the dressing room and a lot of that has to do with his personality and on-ice play.”
These attributes are why Waddell sees a very bright future for Read, on and off the ice.
“One thing I know about Tayler is he’s going to be one of those guys who is going to be successful in life,” said Waddell. “I am just so happy that he’s back, he’s playing something he loves and you can see in his face he is not taking his time playing junior hockey for granted.
“That’s something I try to remind them all, that these years go fast.”
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