Peter Osman is stepping away from the piano this week, but the promising Lloydminster hockey player is ready to make some noise just the same.
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Osman, at home on the keyboard as he is on the ice, is part of a strong Lloyd-area contingent chosen to participate in the Alberta Cup scouting showcase tournament April 23-27 in Red Deer.
As part of the provincial selection process, Osman attended a regional tryout camp in Red Deer in late March. Just a couple of days later, the well-rounded defenceman from the Lloydminster U15 AAA Lancers received word that he had made the Alberta Cup cut.
“I was overcome with joy,” said Osman, 15. “I was doing school and my mom showed me that I made it. I looked at the website and I was extremely excited that I got selected.”
The home-schooled Osman brings versatility to the table, as evidenced by his piano prowess and his elite hockey credentials.
This week, he’s part of Alberta Blue, one of six select teams vying for the Alberta Cup championship.
“I think I’ll show that I’m a two-way defenceman with strong offensive and defensive skills,” said Osman, about six-foot-one and 175 pounds.
“I hope it will just help me develop my skills. That’s really all I want. And I would face very hard competition, which would be awesome.”
Osman isn’t preoccupied with next month’s Western Hockey League draft. He said he’s had a bit of interest from WHL teams, but not as much as some local prospects who attend hockey academies. He hopes a solid Alberta Cup can raise his draft stock with major-junior suitors.
“My hope is that after next weekend, I would get a lot more (interest).”
Osman likes a longtime NHL defenceman, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, as a pro player whose playing style he tries to model.
“I feel like we’re so similar size-wise and he’s such a good player,” Osman said. “He’s offensive, defensive and he plays everywhere. I’ve always loved the player.”
Osman respects Doughty so much so that he decided to cheer for the Kings primarily — even ahead of his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs — in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
This past season in the Alberta Elite Hockey League, Osman was Lloydminster’s top-scoring defenceman with the U15 AAA Lancers, scoring 13 goals and 25 points in 34 games. Right behind him was Mannville’s Cobin Garnett, the only other member of the 2024-25 Lancers selected to participate in the Alberta Cup. Osman and Garnett also benefitted from occasionally practising and playing with the U17 AAA Lancers on a call-up basis.
Scott Pratt, who coached that U17 team, believes the pair of WHL draft-eligible D-men bring intangibles on and off the ice.
“Peter (Osman) has maybe got a bit more shooting finesse around the net. But they’re very similar — very rugged, heavy style hockey players.”
Those similarities between Osman and Garnett extend to their leadership qualities and personal traits.
“Both of those style of players — or character kids — are ones that the junior teams just drool over,” Pratt said.
“Peter is more of a quiet kid, but as soon as he straps up the helmet, everything changes and he turns into a beast.”
While junior hockey beckons a few years down the road, Osman is already showing his versatility.
“Hockey was always my thing, but I’ve also played competitive baseball and competitive swimming,” he said. “That’s what I did when I was younger. And I still play the piano.”
The Level A pianist has played for the past decade and competed in music festivals. His hands are similarly effective for setting up or scoring goals.
“It is time-consuming, but I’ve always been focusing on hockey,” Osman said. “Hockey is my go-to sport.”
As part of his hockey routine, he prays during games and fuels up with honey in the intermissions.
“Honey is good for you because it has natural sugar, which is healthier than most other sugars,” Osman said with a perspective belying his teenage years.
From his family’s acreage just outside Lloydminster, Osman’s flexible home-school schedule enables him to devote even more time to his hockey training.
“If I get all my (school) work done in the morning, I can do some hockey training, like working out or speed training,” said Osman, the second youngest of four siblings. “I have a great training area.”
Osman’s Blue teammates at the Alberta Cup include familiar faces like forwards Josh Frazer and Kael Scott of Lloydminster and defenceman Will Kelts of Consort. Their opponents include Alberta Black teammates Garnett and forwards Damian Anderson of Minburn and Tripp Fischer of Lloydminster. Brody Sunderland, a forward from Kitscoty, is part of Alberta Gold after playing this past season with the St. Albert Raiders Sabres, bronze-medallists at the provincials.
All combined, it’s a bountiful crop of 2010-born players from Lloydminster and the region.
“Yeah, I think it’s a great thing,” Osman agreed. “All around the Lloyd area, there’s a ton of good hockey players.”
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