Matty Socks Junior Review

[fishy 1,757]

Matthew (Matty) Socks grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. As a young boy, he followed closely after his father's dedicated example to hockey. With posters hung around his bedroom of players, old and new, from his and his dad's favorite team. Each game, he and his dad had a tradition: set up camp in the living room and munch on nachos. Together, Matty and his father went skating at the local rink beginning when he was just 4 years old. 

 

At the ripe age of 7 years old, Socks began playing hockey at a local youth hockey club with dreams of becoming the next greatest defenseman. What he didn't expect, however, was the time, effort, and determination it would take to come out on top. Despite his excitement, Socks didn't truly commit to the game until he heard one of his favorite players in a press conference reminiscing about the hours spent in the rink as a youth. 

 

Inspired by his role model, Socks decided to take the next step and join his local team. Young but ambitious, Socks got on the ice and worked hard with his teams. Each game, with the support of his parents just behind the glass, a determined Socks showed up ready to give his all to the team and the game. The older he got, the more time he put on the ice, in and outside of practice. His old coaches tell us that he and his best mate, a fellow teammate, would show up early and stay late to nearly every practice. 

 

"Those two put more time on the ice than most of the other boys on the team," he told us. "It was really motivating for his teammates to watch him grow as a player and a leader."

 

When he turned 18, Socks realized that time alone wouldn't improve his skills. It was the mindset, too. Up to that point, Socks wasn't setting records, but he certainly was getting close. 

 

"I spent a lot of time trying to be the best," Socks told us, "but that's just not the goal. The goal is to create a strong team. Individual players can only take a team so far. Realizing that 3 years ago changed the game." 

 

And that's true: Socks led his team to the championships just this past year. Leading his team in assists in his last season before joining the Las Vegas Aces, Socks showed up and is ready for a strong first season in the VHLM.