By Adam Hawboldt /

Becoming a professional athlete is no easy task.

You don’t just snap your fingers and — poof! — you’re in the big leagues.

No. To get to the upper echelons of any sport, it takes dedication, perseverance and years of unrelenting hard work.

This is a cold, hard truth David Dotan knows all too well — and not because he’s ever played in the pros.

Instead, the 17-year-old defenceman learned these lessons from his mother, Larisa, a former member of Russia’s Olympic fencing team and his father, Jimmy, an ex-professional soccer player.

“They’ve been there and know what it takes,” said the 17-year-old from Richmond, B.C. “They know about the commitment and work ethic you need. It’s good to have people support you and help guide you who know those things.”
Indeed it is.

And so far, all that help has been paying off.

After a season with the Greater Vanvouver Canadians in the BC Major Midget League last year, Dotan earned a spot on the Prince Albert Raiders blueline for the 2008-09 campaign.

However, it is now, in his first WHL season, that the lessons he learned growing up will really pay dividends.

“The game here is a lot different,” he said, “The players are bigger, faster and stronger. And they all have two goals — winning and becoming a professional athlete.”

Yet, for Dotan to achieve these goals — to help the Raiders win and, perhaps, one day play pro hockey — won’t be easy.

In fact, as of Oct. 4, the 6-4, 208-pound rearguard had appeared in only two of the Raiders first seven games.

But this lack of ice time doesn’t discourage Dotan. He knows the road to a regular shift leads straight through the Valley of Hard Work.

And it is a road he’s more than willing to travel.

“I know I have to work on making decisions quicker and my positioning,” he said. “Right now, I’m trying to adjust to the speed of the game. Once I get that down, my positioning will be better. Then I’ll be able to play my size — be able to throw more hits and be more physical.”

For his part, Raiders coach/GM Bruno Campese has faith in his young defenceman.

“Right now, David is in a situation where he’s not in the lineup every night,” said Prince Albert’s bench boss, “but he’s a big guy and has the potential to be an every-day guy. There’s just lots of skill stuff we want to hammer home first. It’s going to take some work and patience.”

Luckily for Dotan, these are things he comes by honestly.

“All I can do is play as hard as I can when I get the chance and practice hard every day,” he said. “After that, whatever happens, happens. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Notes: With Dotan in the lineup, the Raiders are 1-1. Overall on the season, Prince Albert boasts a 4-3 record … Through seven games this year, the Raiders lead the East Division in goals-for (25) and sit second in goals-against (19).