Photo credit: Garrett James Photography
Presented by Chevrolet.
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By Nick Greenizan
Growing up in Richmond as the second-youngest of four hockey-playing brothers, Tate Taylor spent a lot of time around the rink.
In fact, Taylor – now an 18-year-old defenceman for the Surrey Eagles – spent so much time in arenas growing up as a member of the Seafair Minor Hockey Association (now called the Richmond Jets), he isn’t even quite sure where his love of the sport began.
“To be completely honest, I don’t remember,” he said. “I just remember always being at the rink, and always having a stick in my hand…We pretty much lived there.”
No matter how it started, he was hooked right away. He played at Seafair until second-year bantam, before moving to neighbouring Delta to play one season for Delta Hockey Academy’s U15 team. From there, he made the jump to the BC Hockey League with the Eagles as a 16-year-old blueliner, who was not only small – “I got pushed around all the time,” the five-foot-11, 165-pound Taylor said of his rookie season – but also just a few years into his new role as a defenceman.
“I started out as a forward, and that’s where I played all my years at Seafair until first-year bantam, when I switched,” said Taylor, adding that it was forward Sidney Crosby, who he idolized growing up.
His first year on the blueline with Seafair, he said, “was rough.”
“I struggled a lot at first. I was really small. I was a first-year guy on the team so there was a lot to learn, but I got better as the year went on,” he recalled.
Having to survive such a steep learning curve prepared him for his rookie season in the BCHL, where he again had to adjust to a new level of hockey.
“It was pretty crazy, that first year [with the Eagles]. Everyone was just so much bigger than me and stronger. When I was 16, it felt like everyone else was 30, but it’s different now.”
Is it ever. This season, Taylor is second in the BCHL for most points by a defenceman with 27 (six goals, 21 assists) in 20 games.
Always touted as a puck-moving d-man, this year is by far Taylor’s best offensive showing at the BCHL level. Ever the good teammate, he’s quick to deflect any praise for the success he’s had so far.
“It’s always what you hope to do,” he said. “You want to contribute, but honestly, I owe it all to my teammates. They’ve been great this year, always getting in the right spots. We have a really good team this year, so that helps.”
Even though he was still green when he entered the league, Taylor still had some familiarity with the BCHL, even back then.
His brother Trey was a recent member of the Vernon Vipers and now plays at Clarkson University, while his oldest brother Ty, also a former Viper and a 2018 draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, plays professionally in Scotland after a four-year NCAA career at the University of New Hampshire.
When the Eagles signed Taylor, Keith called him “a special kid” in a news release announcing the signing.
“He’s one of these hybrid defenders where you can’t tell whether he’s a forward or a defenseman,” Keith continued. “He thinks the game at an elite level.”
“While people might look at him and discredit his ability [based on his size], once you see him on the ice, you’ll understand how good he is.”
With Taylor flourishing on the Birds’ blueline, the teenage defenceman added that it’s been an added bonus to be doing so close to home, where his parents can watch him play. He’s also been able to live at home in Richmond, where he commutes to Surrey daily with four of his teammates who also happen to live in the city.
“My parents are there all the time and it’s awesome to be able to go home after the game and talk to my dad about how I played. He was my coach growing up, so he’s always honest with me,” Taylor said.
Though Taylor missed out on a chance to play with Trey in Vernon, he’ll get the opportunity soon. Last month, Taylor committed to Clarkson where Trey is a freshman. And though the younger Taylor is not yet sure when he’ll make the jump to the NCAA, he’s happy he’ll have some comforts of home there with him in the form of his older brother.
“We’ve never played together, but we’re only two years apart, so we were always out shooting pucks, or working on our stickhandling together,” he said. “Trey always pushed me to get better every day, so it’s one of my dreams come true to get to play on the same team as him. I think going to school with him, just having him around, it will make things that much more comfortable when I get there.”
In the meantime, Taylor will continue to focus on his season with the Eagles, who currently sit second in the BCHL’s Coastal Conference, behind only Nanaimo.
“We’ve got a great team, and a good group of guys,” he said. “This is the closest team I’ve ever been on. We’re going for it this year, I know that.”
