A hometown Oiler is set to evolve from Green and Gold to Maroon and Gold.
Okotoks Oilers rookie forward Conyr Hellyer announced he’ll take the next step in his hockey career in the Grand Canyon State after committing to the NCAA Division I Arizona State Sun Devils.
“He’s an unbelievable individual and that’s probably the number-one thing that comes to mind with him,” said Oilers head coach Tyler Deis. “With his work ethic and dedication to his game and his craft, I couldn’t be more happy for the kid.”
Hellyer, an Okotokian and Grade 12 student at Holy Trinity Academy, said a lot of the props for his achievement goes to the opportunities he’s had since joining the junior team.
Through 22 games, the 2004-born forward is third on the Oilers with 16 points.
“Deis has given me a great opportunity,” he said. “As a rookie I’ve been lucky and fortunate enough to play with some good guys like Rieger (Lorenz) and (Brendan) Boyle, I’ve been on the powerplay and been able to really show what I’m capable of.”
Hellyer has been able to jump into a role on the team’s top six, skating with leading scorer Lorenz and 2001-born veteran Boyle on a strong line while also logging heavy minutes on special teams.
Both opportunities are from certain for rookie forwards.
“It’s the IQ of his game and staying within the structure of the game and playing within his strengths,” Deis said. “He sees the game really well and it’s one of those things that benefits him when he uses that to his advantage.”
Deis said Hellyer’s hard work during the off-season allowed him to come in ready to make an impact, opening the door for an NCAA commitment.
“It’s a brand new program which is super cool,” Deis said. “When I went to play Division I hockey, I went to a brand new program (Mankato State), similar to what he’s doing here.
“It’s really cool to be part of something that you’re a pioneer in.”
The Sun Devils, a power in the NCAA’s football and basketball ranks, established their Division I hockey program in 2015-16 under head coach Greg Powers.
Arizona State is not a part of a conference, remaining as an independent, and most recently skated in the NCAA tournament in 2019.
Hellyer went down for a campus visit to the Tempe-based school in November and was impressed with everything there.
“They have good programs and it was a pretty easy decision once I left there,” he said. “The coaches down there are really dedicated to the program, Greg Powers as head coach started the whole Division I process, they were just a club team as recently as seven years ago.
“The dedication with all of the staff definitely impressed me the most and it’s a great place, great school, great education and the student-athletes are held to a high standard there.”
Hellyer, who plans to study business at Arizona State, has been lauded for his character by coaches and teammates throughout his minor hockey in Okotoks.
In 2019-20, he was the AMMHL MVP after guiding the Okotoks U16 AAA Oilers to their Sutter Cup South triumph and joined the Bow Mark Oilers the following season before becoming a full-time member of the Jr. A Oilers.
“He’s a great teammate, really good guy in the room, I know he gets along with everyone,” said Oilers captain Tucker McRae. “He’s been working super hard, he deserves all of the opportunity he’s been getting.
“I’m just really excited for him and it’s a great positive for the team as well.”
Hellyer is the third member of the Jr. A Oilers to earn a NCAA Division I commitment, joining Lorenz (Denver) and Bowden Singleton (North Dakota).
“It’s nice to commit to such a great program and be able to focus now on playing,” Hellyer said. “And developing and just taking in all of the information that I can from the people around me to be able to play at the top of my abilities when I go down to Arizona.”
