By Mase Scarlet
On Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026, Zach Whitecloud, current defensemen number 28 for the Calgary Flames, paid a visit to Chief Old Sun Elementary School from 1:30 to 3:00 pm, and then afterwards, he took the time to pay a visit to “More than Bannock” at the Siksika Deerfoot Sportsplex to enjoy a good Indian Taco.
During his visit, the gymnasium at Chief Old Sun got split down the middle for Zach to be able to play a ball hockey game with the hockey program students at Chief Old Sun, while the rest of the students and some community members watched from the other half of the gymnasium. Then he took the time to sign items, while the hockey program students continued to play behind him.
In a quick moment with Siksika Media, Zach explained how excited he was to come out to Siksika and be a part of our community for the day. He went on to explain how there was an interest when he first got traded here: “I know when I first got traded here, there were a lot of nations that reached out to have me come out and be a part of community things, or going to schools and seeing the kids,” Zach Whitecloud said.
Further on, he explained, “that’s something I’m really excited to do and happy to be a part of. So being able to make it out here after the end of our season was a goal of ours, and I’m glad we got to come out and play some ball hockey and have some fun with the kids and just play a little bit,” he said.
Robb Kerr from the First Nations Health Consortium introduced him to the students & community members at Chief Old Sun. “Then in January, he got traded into the Calgary Flames,” Robb said, and went on to explain how as soon as Zach Whitecloud got off the plane, he said he wanted to go and meet the kids in Treaty 7. We’d also like to send a thank you to Kevin from Hockey Heroes, as well as Nathan & Kayla, who were able to visit our community with Zach Whitecloud.
Thank you.
