Matthew Hikida was just entering junior high school when the Richmond, B.C., boy went to Montreal on a school trip with a French immersion class.
“I just decided I’m going to go to Quebec, and Montreal, even though I can’t speak any French,” recalled Hikida, now 19. “So, I just tagged along, and it was a great experience.”
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More than five years later, the Lloydminster Bobcats’ forward returns to Quebec as part of Team Canada West for the World Junior A Hockey Challenge, which runs Dec. 7-13 in Trois-Rivieres.
Hikida’s travelling partners this time around include three Quebec residents with the Bobcats — defenceman Esteban Cinq-Mars, forward Raphael Messier and head coach Eric Labrosse, an assistant coach with Canada West.
“It’s really nice having those guys (going with me), because you have familiar faces as soon as you get there,” Hikida said before departing Dec. 1. “You already have chemistry with those guys.”
Cinq-Mars, Messier and Hikida were selected to a 22-man Canada West roster that includes 13 players from the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), six from the SJHL and three from the MJHL.
Labrosse was also an assistant with the Canada West team that earned bronze in last year’s international tournament. At the time, he coached the eventual MJHL champion Northern Manitoba Blizzard, before joining Lloyd last summer.
“I know how Eric wants me to play,” said Hikida, a third-year Bobcat. “He knows when I’m on, and what I need to improve. He’s not shy to let me know what I’m doing wrong, so it’s nice to have those guys kind of in my corner.”
Just like coach Labrosse, both Cinq-Mars and Messier are in their first seasons with Lloydminster, one of the top teams in the AJHL.
“Esteban brings a very solid defensive game,” Hikida said of Cinq-Mars. “Going against him in practice is always tough. He’s not afraid to give me a cross-check or two. Very hard to play against. I think it shows, because he’s always on (the ice) against those opponents that are the most threats on their team, and he does a very good job of it.
“And then, Messier, he is my linemate. I love playing with that guy. He moves the puck well. He’s unbelievable on faceoffs. He’s very smart, great shot, just a great player to play with or have on your line.”
Hikida, with nine goals and 21 points after 23 games, is second in Bobcats’ scoring, just two points behind overager Jadon Iyogun. Messier and Cinq-Mars are tied for third, each with 18 points.
Hikida and fellow forwards Gus El-Tahhan and Kael Screpnek have been fixtures in Lloyd’s lineup this season, as each dressed in all 23 games through the end of November.
At his point-per-game pace, the five-foot-11, 180-pound Hikida is just one point shy of his point total from the entire 2024-25 regular season.
Now, he’s taking his well-rounded game to an international level as Canada West goes up against Team Canada East, Sweden and the U.S. in the annual four-team tournament staged across Canada.
“I’ve shown a lot of speed and grit, I would say, playing a 200-foot game,” Hikida said.
“When I go there (to Quebec), I’ll have to really use my speed to keep up with these really high-level players, and use my 200-foot game to be very reliable in all situations. Yeah, just be very good on the penalty-kill.”
Hikida mapped out his December plans after Labrosse advised him two weeks ago that he had been chosen to Canada West.
“Eric pulled me into his office and told me all the good news, basically saying that I had made the team and that I just have to keep on performing until they release the roster, because there could still potentially be changes,” he said.
While the Bobcats were taking care of business on the ice last week, winning a pair of road games against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, Hockey Canada made it official in announcing the rosters for the East and West teams.
Four seasons ago, Hikida played in Calgary’s prestigious Circle K Classic —the Christmastime tournament formerly known as the Macs — during his final year with the U18 AAA Greater Vancouver Canadians.
“Yeah, I think that would be the only thing kind of comparable to this (world event), but nothing like wearing your country’s (emblem) on your chest, so it’ll definitely be new,” he said. “I guess we’ll see when we step out on the ice (what it’ll be like). I’m just very excited.”
One of his B.C. acquaintances, Calgary Canucks forward Grant Reid, is among Hikida’s teammates with Canada West.
“Me and him actually skate together in the summer,” Hikida said. “I’m quite familiar with him.
“I don’t really know much information about the MJ and SJ guys, just haven’t really played them, but all the AJ guys are very good and guys that you have to look at when you play their team. There’s a lot of pace with those guys, and they’re all very smart, so it’ll definitely be fun to get to know them and to get to play with some of those guys.”
Along with the three Bobcats, and the Canucks’ Reid, the Canada West players from the AJHL include forwards Hudson Landmark and Will Lutic of the Canmore Eagles, forward Max Leduc and defenceman Matthew Lesyk of the Grande Prairie Storm, forward Brayden Ryan-MacKay and defenceman Sullivan Humeniuk of the Drumheller Dragons, defenceman Taynton Lavender of the Drayton Valley Thunder, and goaltender Luke McKechnie of the Whitecourt Wolverines. Devon Xtreme forward Ben Deacon was added this week.
Hikida partly credits his running routine in the off-season for his breakthrough season with the Bobcats and his selection to play in the world junior A tournament.
“I really didn’t like running, at all, until probably two years ago,” he said. “Last year was probably the most I ran. Before that, I did not like doing cardio, whatsoever.”
“I had to do some form of cardio, and I don’t really love the bike. I prefer running over the bike, so just kept on running. Then, I started running with a buddy of mine, so that made it a little bit more fun than just by myself. It’s nice to have someone there to challenge you.”
He occasionally ran 10 kilometres, and regularly ran a 5K course, sometimes in the morning before reporting to his Golf Town job, or late at night after work.
“My house has a nice dyke that I run on in Richmond, so everything was pretty local,” Hikida said. “It was good that I didn’t have to travel far.
“Just trying to shorten my 5K time. But yeah, for this upcoming summer, I want to run a marathon, so I’ve got to build up to that.”
His hockey journey has long been intersected with that of his 19-year-old first cousin, Jamie Hikida, a former Drumheller forward now playing in the BCHL with the Okotoks Oilers. The longtime minor hockey teammates live just a three-minute walk from each other, and they work out together in the summer.
“I think his (Okotoks) team is going through a couple of injuries, so he gets some better looks,” Matthew said about Jamie. “He’s really been enjoying it. He’s been doing quite good over there, too.”
Matthew’s parents plan to attend the world junior A tournament in Quebec. His older sister is busy with university exams during that time, but she was able to accompany her parents to Lloydminster last month for the Bobcats’ family weekend.
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