Harmon Laser-Hume played for his hometown Creston Valley Thunder Cats from 2020-22, then moved onto the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, where he played for the Nipawin Hawks and Flin Flon Bombers for two-plus seasons. Laser-Hume is in his first season with the Mount Royal University Cougars in USports.
He won both his starts and earned a 14-save shutout on Feb. 15 against Trinity Western University. He posted a 1.50 goals against average with an .885 save percentage in the two games he played. The Cougars are now getting set to play for a USports national championship after losing in two games to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the Canada West Championship.
Laser-Hume spoke about his season and time in the KIJHL.
KIJHL: What has your first season with the Cougars been like?
HLH: It’s been a learning curve coming in as a young guy. My goaltending partners, Shane Farkas and Riley Sims have been excellent mentors. Watching Shane in practice has calmed how I play, seeing how relaxed he is has really helped me a lot. Simmer is super good for support and has been really resilient in his time. I look up to that. Playing a 28-game schedule, I’ve learned every single point matters. I played two games, but I was happy to get in and get a feel for the league, but it’s been really good.
I was treating practice as my games and learning from that. I’ve had good coaching that’s helped me a lot – simplifying things has been really good.
KIJHL: One of your two wins was by a shutout, what did that do for you in terms of confidence and playing in the league?
HLH: It had been a long time since I’d played (Oct.5 was his first start). I had a notepad in my room and I was ticking off every day that I hadn’t played. I was using that as motivation to work and practice and to keep pushing. The team was phenomenal in front of me.
KIJHL: Where do you feel you have become a better goalie since the start of the season?
HLH: For me, it’s relaxing and not overdoing things. I also think a big part has been becoming a little more outgoing in the room and not so quiet as I was at the start. The big improvements have been off the ice and relationship-wise with my teammates and building trust with them. They don’t know what kind of goaltender you are and it takes time to build trust and getting to know the guys – being closer with them has helped me a lot.
At the start, before even being with the team, my captain Kyle Walker had noticed my practice habits, that I don’t quit on pucks. Justin Lies is my (Flin Flon Bombers) captain from last year, playing with me this year, and he had said to Kyle, ‘When he is on, you’re not going to beat him.’
KIJHL: Talk about the skill level on your team that you face in practice, and in the league?
HLH: Lots of people disregard USports hockey, they don’t really hold it to the high standard it is. These guys are quick and the pace is next to nothing. It’s pretty incredible going into this level and we have got Clay Hanus, one of our defencemen, who won three awards – Canada West Player of the Year, Top Defenceman and Top Scorer. It’s a really talented league. Players are patient shooting the puck. I know in junior, if it goes across to an 18-year-old coming down on a two-on-one, he’s going to shoot it right away. He’s gripping his stick a little too tight and wants to get the puck off. In that league, I could fly across the net if I wanted to and hop into this desperation save right away. Here if you do that, you’re going to be in the corner and the puck is in the net. These guys have so much poise with the puck. You have to let them make the move and be patient.
KIJHL: How did your time in Creston Valley help you advance to higher levels?
HLH: The biggest thing for me was being part of a junior team at 17 because I could have taken that last year and played at Okanagan Hockey Academy. Being around older guys was super helpful. My first year got shut down pretty quick, but we still practiced every day and it was fun. It built me up. I took a step forward and I think more young goaltenders should look at the league as a valid option for stepping into the next level. The KIJHL now being known in junior A, it’s a very valid option. It is a good league and I had a great time there. I had a really good goalie partner in Jaden Little. He was super fun to be around and the first one to teach me it’s okay to be light at the rink. I remember him and I played ping pong before practice. It doesn’t have to be super serious all the time.
KIJHL: What did you enjoy about your time in Creston and the KIJHL?
HLH: It was just getting that exposure at a young age. It was really good for me and fun. It’s a good league to play in. The league has nice places to go to by bus. In the KIJHL, you get to see some pretty scenic views compared to Saskatchewan.
