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Carrot River’s Pompu all-time scoring leader for PJHL

While Carrot River’s Tyrell Pompu has recorded more goals and points in Prairie Junior Hockey League history than anyone else, it is the people he will remember most about his junior career.
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Tyrell Pompu plays a 2014 game against the Ochapowace Thunder as a centre for what was then the Tri-Town Thunder. Review File Photo/Devan C. Tasa

While Carrot River’s Tyrell Pompu has recorded more goals and points in Prairie Junior Hockey League history than anyone else, it is the people he will remember most about his junior career.

“What I’ve enjoyed the most is just the experience of getting to play junior hockey and the lifelong friends I’ve made over the years,” Pompu said. “Best experience of my life.”

Pompu played his first four PJHL seasons with the Carrot River Outback Thunder organization. This past year he suited up for the Saskatoon AGI Insurance Quakers. On Nov. 5, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound forward recorded two goals and two assists to accumulate 276 points and surpass the 273 points one time Thunder player Eric Ditto, who now coaches the Delisle Chiefs, racked up. At the end of the 2016-17 regular season, Pompu had accumulated 139 goals and 326 points in his PJHL career.

“I feel proud to be the all-time leader,” Pompu said. “Not many people get to experience something like that, so it’s pretty special to me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the fortune of having great linemates and teammates over the years though. Without them, it wouldn’t have happened.”

 As a 20-year-old, Pompu could return for one more Junior B season. While he said his plans for next season are up in the air, there is no doubt that he has had a great career. When former Thunder head coach Randy Cuthill, now with Fort Knox, was first approached about Pompu joining the junior ranks as a 16-year-old, he was concerned about how the then 5-foot-8-ish, 145-ish pounder could handle the physicality playing against older and much bigger players.

“I said we will give a try and make a decision after a few games,” Cuthill said. “Well, long story short, he led the team in scoring and was the PJHL Rookie of the Year that year.”

Throughout his junior career, Pompu has been one of the fastest skaters in the league. Cuthill said he has great vision on the ice and is an excellent passer and playmaker. However, the former Thunder coach emphasized that Pompu’s intangibles are even more important than his impressive skill set.

“Tyrell’s greatest strengths are his tremendous character and strong work ethic that were instilled in him thru the excellent up bringing by his parents,” Cuthill said. “Pooh’s desire, dedication, drive and sacrifice to overcome adversity to be the best he could be made him the dynamic player he is today and you cannot achieve that without being a person with a strong work ethic and being a person of tremendous character.” 

Pompu enjoyed his four seasons competing for the then Tri-Town Thunder and often playing in his hometown rink.

“Obviously it’s a pretty cool experience when you get to play in front of a lot of friends and family all the time,” he said. “You know pretty well everybody so when you see people off the ice you get to talk about the games and whatnot.”

This past winter Pompu was the third leading scorer, with 80 points, on the Quakers. Braden Oleksyn, the league’s leading scorer and league MVP, said that Pompu is a great guy and a great player who loves the game.

No matter where he has played, Pompu has been backed by his parents Darrell and Elvira. His father previously served as an assistant coach with the Thunder.

“They’ve been my biggest supporters forever,” Pompu said. “They always wanted me to do well and they did whatever it took to keep me happy and succeeding. My No. 1 fans and I can’t thank them enough.”