Prince Albert Raiders captain Evan Herman departs the team with 214 games as a Raider under his belt. (Submitted Photo/Mark Peterson Media)

By Rob Mahon

Herman Departs WHL

The Raider Way: fearless leader Herman reflects on Raiders career

Mar 30, 2023 | 12:00 PM

If you spend any time around the Prince Albert Raiders, you’ll hear them refer to “Raider hockey” or perhaps “the Raider way”. It’s a difficult term to sum up, encompassing values like selflessness, sacrifice, hard work, and determination, and Raiders fans know it when they see it.

For four seasons, Evan Herman was a prime example of what “the Raider way” meant. Fearless and hardworking, he spent 214 games as a Raider blocking shots, throwing bodychecks, scoring goals, and standing up for his teammates. And now his junior career has come to an end.

“It’s definitely a different feeling,” Herman said. “It’s one of those things that doesn’t quite feel real yet. Everyone says time flies by, but I didn’t think it was going to fly by this fast.”

Herman was told how fast his career would go by older players when he first joined the Raiders in 2019. In his rookie season, he put up 22 points and 30 penalty minutes in 59 games, giving Raiders fans a taste of the kind of player he would be for years to come.

Though COVID would cancel the playoffs that season and force the Raiders into a hub environment in Regina, they were back in front of fans in 2021-22. That’s when Herman began to take off offensively, setting a career high with 28 goals. He was named captain of the team after the trade of Nolan Allan this year, and put up 38 points in 64 games.

Court proceedings

'The impact of this trauma will echo for generations': court case surrounding La Ronge woman's death reaches conclusion

6h ago

Going Global

P.A.'s Zablocki named to Team Canada for U18 Women's World Championships

6h ago

Election 2024

Birch Hills staff won't share election decision

7h ago

Playing just under four hours from his hometown of The Pas, Man., Herman was actually closer to home than he would have been anywhere else in the WHL. His family took advantage of the opportunity.

“My cousin pointed it out yesterday, he was able to watch my first goal and my last goal in the Brandt Centre,” Herman said. “I’ve been fortunate enough my whole career to have family at probably 70 percent of my games.”

Fittingly, that last goal at the Brandt Centre (a short-side snipe off the rush) was also the last goal of the season for the Raiders, putting an exclamation mark on Herman’s final season in green, white, and gold.

“That was kind of the icing on the cake,” said Herman. “With the game winding down, it kind of started to set in that this was it. I can’t thank my teammates and coaches and everyone around us for allowing me to play and giving me the best years of my life.”

Herman’s hockey future isn’t set in stone. He said he would have phone calls to make and decisions ahead in the coming days as he looks for the next step, but he knows his career is not over. And he knows his time in Prince Albert will always be with him, no matter where his hockey road leads.

“My time spent here in P.A. has been second to none,” Herman said. “The best years of my life, for sure.”

—

rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP