Cody Polumbus was born in Montana and found his hockey development take a huge upturn when he ventured to Colorado to play for the Colorado Rampage.

Next season, Polumbus will begin his junior hockey career in the BCHL with the Okotoks Oilers.

“During a trip in Canada, I reached out to Colorado Rampage coach Cody Dion, who is an Okotoks Oilers alumni, and he set up a great opportunity for me to skate for part of the week before I went home,” said Polumbus. “I got there and instantly felt welcomed by the coaches, staff, and the players. I really liked the coaching style and the pace of the practices as well as the attention to detail during the drills. The BCHL is a league that can help me reach my goals as a hockey player, and it is a league where I can see myself having success as a player.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to make the jump to junior hockey. I really like the Oilers organization and I’m excited to work with them to help reach my goals. Being away from home is nothing new to me, and I’m excited to graduate and be able to focus on chasing my dreams.”

Polumbus has realistic aspirations next season north of the border.

“I expect to play hard at a high level,” said Polumbus. “Meaning, be hard to play against on both sides of the puck and make quick plays that are expected on a nightly basis. I have a great opportunity ahead to train with my coaches in Colorado and work hard to have an impact for the Oilers next season.”

Back home, Polumbus got hooked on hockey at an early age.

“My parents were big advocates of having my brothers and me try sports growing up,” Polumbus said. “I ended up falling in love with the sport of hockey. Being from Montana, I was truly blessed with coaches and opportunities that helped me grow as a hockey player and as a human. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to play for the Notre Dame Hounds my first year of high school, which then set me up for two fun developmental years in South Dakota to play for the Sioux Falls Power. After those years, I was blessed to be introduced to Brett Clark, the U18 coach for the Colorado Rampage. I loved the confidence that he gave off, and I valued the fact of having shared faith with a coach. There was no other U18 coach and program that I would’ve rather played for.

“The whole coaching and staff stood out to me, but to name a few, the owner, Coach Andrew Sherman, takes great care of the rinks and does his best to make sure of the well-being of all his athletes. Coach Justin Walters, our strength and conditioning coach, genuinely wants to get the best out of all of his athletes and helps us out during the week to have us ready for games. Jen Kawasaki, our mental strength coach, is an amazing human that cares for each team she works for. The work that she has done in my life alone, I am extremely grateful for. This brings me to my coaches Brett Clark and Cody Dion, two great coaches and resources who work to move players on to the next highest level.”

Looking ahead, Polumbus wants to keep striving for success and setting new goals.

“Some of my short-term goals are to play junior hockey at a consistent high level and to earn an NCAA Division I commitment to continue my hockey and academic career,” Polumbus said. “My long-term goal is to play pro hockey and make a living off what I love to do.”

Photo/Carlaen Mukpik

— Matt Mackinder

(May 23, 2024)