Ice hockey is far from a mainstream sport in New Zealand, making it difficult at times for players and teams alike to secure much-needed funding, but one young Kiwi is aiming to change that.
18-year-old Jacob Carey is currently playing for the New Jersey Rockets in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) with grand ambitions for both his career and the sport in his home country.
“When people over here find out I play hockey, they say, ‘I had no idea they had hockey in New Zealand’ and so my dream is one day that doesn’t happen. For me, someone needs to make the NHL from New Zealand,” Carey told SENZ.
The National Hockey League is the top-tier league in the world, but no New Zealander has ever made it.
Unlike Australia’s Nathan Walker, who famously made his NHL dreams come true with the Washington Capitals, winning a Stanley Cup in 2018, and has since played over 100 NHL games bouncing between the Capitals and Edmonton Oilers, before becoming established within the St. Louis Blues organisation.
Leaving home aged 13 to attend Windsor, Ontario’s A21 Academy, Carey is considered one of New Zealand’s most exciting prospects currently playing in North America. “I was there for four years – the opportunity they gave at that school to me, the amount of dedication they showed to me, it was really special for me,” Carey said.
The result of that dedication is clear to see when looking at Carey’s offensive production as part of the A21 Academy’s U18 side. In the 2021-22 season, he scored 58 points in 48 games, including 29 goals - followed up by 68 points in 40 games, including 38 goals, the following campaign.
Putting up impressive numbers is something followers of Carey’s career have become accustomed to after he set the New Zealand Ice Hockey League (NZIHL) on fire as a 15-year-old rookie, scoring 18 points in 16 games with the Canterbury Red Devils, alongside older brother Timothy in goal, plus father Neil supporting in team management.
Named the 2021 NZIHL Rookie of the Year, the youngest of the Red Devils’ Carey clan wasn’t afraid of playing in a senior men’s league with full body contact.
“I’m pretty thankful for my genetics,” Carey joked.
“I was a 15-year-old, but I probably could have been mistaken for a 20-year-old. I always played older kids growing up, it wasn’t too much of an adjustment, but I had some great mentors who really helped me be able to play my game and develop my game as well.”
With Canadian junior leagues being tough on allowing import players, leagues based in the USA were a better option for Carey as he looked to further his career after graduating from A21 Academy.
The talented forward settled on the USPHL. Rated as one of the best junior leagues in North America, as part of the National Collegiate Development Conference, the competition is known for preparing young players for NCAA Division 1 and 3 school programs – a potential pathway to the NHL.
Representing New Zealand is also on Carey’s radar in 2024.
After leading the New Zealand Under-18 men’s side to a gold medal victory last year in South Africa, he has been named into both the Under-20 side, plus for the first time, the New Zealand Ice Blacks.
Unlike the All Blacks, the Blackcaps, White Ferns, and other national teams where their players are paid to play and can earn performance bonuses at World Cups, the nation’s best ice hockey players continually battle to fund their own way to annual World Championship tournaments held by the IIHF, often in far-off European destinations.
New Zealand's senior men’s side will once again seek first place to gain promotion this April out of the IIHF’s Division 2B, where they have been since 2012, to join the Australian Mighty Roos in the next tier of international competition. The U20s begin their campaign January 22 with both taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria.
With the addition of Carey’s offensive threat and the speed at which he plays the game, NZ could be feeling confident under new Ice Blacks head coach Darren Blong when they face Georgia, Belgium, Turkey, Chinese Taipei, and hosts Bulgaria.
“Looking at the names on the roster, I think there’s something special brewing in that room. I really truly believe we can do something special at this upcoming championship,” Carey stated.
To help raise funds for his expensive dual commitment, the Canterbury native has launched a Give A Little page with the goal of reaching $10,000 in donations.
Listen to the full interview below: