By Matthew Gourlie /

Travis Hamonic learned about dealing with adversity at a young age.

When the Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman was 10 years old, his father Gerald died from a heart attack.

The Hamonics sold the family farm and Travis leaned on his family and his faith as he developed into an NHL prospect and one of the leaders of the Warriors.

The youngest of four children, Hamonic credits his mother Lisa and his family for helping him become the person he is. If the rigors of the Western Hockey League start to get to the 18-year-old, his mother is the first person he turns to.

“For eight years, she’s been my rock,” said the St. Malo, Man., product.

“We have a bond that I think is stronger than most other mother and son’s. It’s something I cherish. I love her and thank her for everything.”

Hamonic has had a lot to be thankful for of late. He was selected in the second round, 53rd overall, by the New York Islanders in last year’s NHL Entry Draft.

He said making the NHL would be the culmination of a dream for himself and his family.

“I really want to do it for (my dad) and the rest of my family as well,” Hamonic said. “I know he’s watching over me in heaven. I asked him to watch every game and hopefully he is.”

Hamonic calls himself a “pretty religious guy” and wears the No. 3 to represent the Holy Trinity as well as himself and his parents.

Considered undersized, Hamonic fell to the ninth round of the 2005 WHL Bantam draft. Using that as motivation, the six-footer kept working and broke into the Warriors lineup 19 months later.

Last season saw Hamonic come into his own. He was part of Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the IIHF World Under-18 championships and earned a summer invite to the Canadian national junior camp after being picked by the Isles earlier than the 
pundits expected.

“Looking back on it, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Hamonic said.

“I was drafted in the ninth round and my character is to say ‘screw that’ and to prove everyone else wrong. It’s the same thing for the world juniors, the under-18s and the NHL draft. No one really had me pegged to go there, but if you give me an opportunity, I’m going to make sure I capitalize on it.”

He showed his character last season — whether it was finishing a game after breaking his jaw in two places or sitting on the City of Moose Jaw’s Youth Advisory Committee and being named the Warriors’ scholastic player of the year.

He had 22 points and 101 penalty minutes in 61 games last season, but has increased his production tremendously this year, notching 12 points in 15 games.

How did Hamonic go from a 162nd overall bantam pick to a world-junior hopeful in three years?

“There’s been a lot of hard work in the summer and a lot of hard-working days, but it’s all paid off so far,” Hamonic said.

“When I got the opportunity (to play in Moose Jaw), I wanted to make the most of it. If you give me an inch, I’m going to take a metre.”