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Kelowna Rockets defender Callan Foote following father's footsteps
Callan Foote is following the footsteps of his father, former NHL great Adam Foote. He has been making a name for himself as a sound two-way defenceman in his rookie season with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets.
“We talk a lot and he gives me good advice,” says Foote, who has scored four goals and 18 points in 39 games this season, on his relationship with his father. “He went through the same process as me except he played in the OHL. He knows how it works and we can talk strategy on how to handle certain things on the ice.”
As a 6-foot-3, 198-pound blueliner, it is inevitable that Foote has some similarities with his father; however, as more of a mobile defender than a shutdown specialist, there are notable differences between the two.
“We have some similarities, but I’m my own player,” says Foote. “But the comparisons don’t bother me and I’m used to it.”
Foote, who isn’t draft-eligible until 2017 because of his late 1998 birthdate, credits his early major junior success to his team. He feels the 28-10-2-0 Rockets’ winning culture has benefited his play.
“Being on a team like this, we succeed because we work together,” he says. “We have a great team and are winning a lot. We know how to win and want to win every night. It’s a great culture to be in and helps you become a better player … I also play with a lot of good defencemen and owe credit to guys like Gordie Ballhorn and Lucas Johansen. They’ve been great to play with this year.”
While growing up in Denver, Foote learned the ropes of hockey through the Colorado Thunderbirds minor hockey program. He especially started to assert himself as a blue-chip talent in his last two seasons with Colorado’s U16 club.
“I owe credit to Angelo Ricci (Thunderbirds director of hockey operations) for helping me develop there,” says Foote. “The last two years I developed a lot there. It was good timing for me to play there because the program has been going in the right direction and is growing now.”
As a second-round pick of the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and a top NCAA prospect, Foote clearly had many prestigious options in hockey outside of the Rockets organization. But with Kelowna’s alumni list including rearguards such as Shea Weber, Duncan Keith and Damon Severson, he felt it was his best development option.
“That’s what drew me to Kelowna,” he says. “I feel it is an opportunity of a lifetime. It was a big reason why I chose this route. You look at the players they have developed and it shows they are a great program for developing defencemen.”
The right-handed freshman is looking forward to not being the only Foote in Kelowna as early as next year. His younger brother, Nolan Foote, a forward, seems poised to play for the Rockets after they drafted him 43rd overall in the 2015 WHL bantam draft.
“Being two years older, I haven’t been able to play with him and I was excited when Kelowna drafted him,” says Foote. “It would be great to play with him in the WHL and I’m looking forward to playing with him in the near future.”
Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen
