These families left the Mackenzie Delta for Yukon, and a chance to pursue their hockey dreams

Luke Carroll · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 07, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Thirteen-year-old William Gruben said when helium archetypal moved from Inuvik, N.W.T., to Whitehorse successful August 2024, helium missed his friends backmost home. 

His household decided to marque the determination to springiness their lad a accidental to excel successful hockey, a athletics helium says helium loves and hopes to play successful assemblage oregon college one day.

"Obviously it's not an casual determination to uproot your full household and relocate to a caller surrounding," said William's father, Christopher Gruben. 

"You person to deliberation of things similar housing, and acquisition arsenic well too. You permission each your enactment systems behind, you permission each the familiarities of the section life."

Christopher said the determination has paid disconnected arsenic William's crippled has improved and he's present made friends successful their caller community. 

Christopher said they chose Whitehorse partially owed to its comparative proximity to Inuvik via the Dempster Highway. Another crushed was Whitehorse's estimation for processing high-level hockey players like Ottawa Senators centre Dylan Cozens, and top prospect Gavin McKenna. 

'Leaving the accepted life'

Christopher and William followed successful the footsteps of different household from the Mackenzie Delta.

Gary Jerome, who's Gwich'in, moved from Fort McPherson, N.W.T., to Whitehorse successful 2017 truthful his lad Evander Jerome could play competitory hockey.

The determination was a sacrifice. 

"It's leaving the bush beingness right? It's leaving the accepted beingness of hunting, trapping, fishing," Gary said. 

Gary says the determination wasn't conscionable for hockey, it was besides owed to a deficiency of wide recreational sports disposable successful Fort McPherson. 

"Mental wellness is specified a occupation close now, and what bash kids bash erstwhile they person thing to do?" helium said.  

Evander said helium appreciates having entree to the sports facilities successful Whitehorse. He's besides blessed to person William Gruben connected the team. 

"He's similar 1 of my closest friends," Evander said. 

Improving their game

Evander and William played together connected the U-13 Whitehorse Mustangs, a competitory travelling hockey team. 

Jeff Frizzell, caput manager of the Mustangs, says that in his clip arsenic manager he's had players determination to Whitehorse from other communities successful the Yukon, but Evander and William are the archetypal helium tin retrieve from the Mackenzie Delta. 

"I've lone met 2 players from that country of the satellite and they're some conscionable outstanding hockey players," Frizzell said.

"I'm not definite the nonstop reasons they moved to Whitehorse. I'm definite it's to play much competitory hockey, but I truly anticipation there's programming for kids successful those areas." 

Both Evander and William person helped their squad successful large moments astatine high-level tournaments and they got the accidental to play for an elite hockey program in B.C. this spring. 

"Two Mackenzie Delta boys are having a immense interaction connected this high-level hockey ... that's huge," Christopher Gruben said.

This besides whitethorn not beryllium the past clip the young players need to move. If William and Evander support succeeding they whitethorn request to determination southbound for higher levels of hockey that adjacent Whitehorse doesn't offer. 

"And past however bash you marque that enactment financially? Do you anticipation enactment helps to accommodate you to the champion they can? Do you find random enactment to assistance screen the outgo portion you're away?" Christopher said.

Both parents said hockey is costly, but they have gotten support from assorted assemblage members and businesses successful the Mackenzie Delta.

They said they privation determination was much enactment from Indigenous governments to either assistance young people pursue competitory sports oregon astatine slightest connection much recreational sports successful the communities.

William Gruben says he's blessed successful Whitehorse, helium conscionable wishes his friends successful Inuvik had the aforesaid opportunities arsenic him.

"The programme here, if it was successful Inuvik, it would beryllium truly bully for the kids and the improvement there," helium said.