By Jeff D'Andrea

New Raider Millette has something to play for

Nov 20, 2014 | 4:00 PM

Cory Millette will have a lot on his plate as he’s adjusting to his new team, the Prince Albert Raiders who acquired him from the Saskatoon Blades on Thursday morning.

But Millette’s late father Adrien will never be far from his thoughts.

Every time Millette ties up his skates, he thinks of his father who was 52 years old when he lost a long, grueling battle to leukemia on Jan. 30, 2011. He was a very important part of Millette’s life—he still is.

“My father, he’s been the biggest inspiration in my life,” said Millette, the 19 year old from Storthoaks. “He led me in the right direction and taught me everything I really know about hockey. He was always there for me; he’d take me to the rink for practice or just for skating.

“He was always just a big part of my hockey career.”

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Although he said he’s excited to be a part of the Raiders and to stick around in his native province of Saskatchewan, Millette has a ton of respect still for the Blades—his former team and his new rival.

The Blades named Millette their captain for one game on Oct. 18 to honour his father. It was a game in which they auctioned off blue and pink jerseys and donated the profits for breast cancer research.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” said Millette, who got to share the tender moments of the night with his mother Kim. “I can’t say enough of the organization for doing that for me. It was very special.”

When Adrien passed, Millette was playing for the Moose Jaw Generals Midget AAA hockey club at the time as a 15 year old. He was enjoying a three-point game after a 5-0 win over the Prince Albert Mintos on Jan. 30, 2011. After hearing the bad news through a phone call, Millette took the week off to spend time with his family. Despite not skating all week, Millette returned that weekend to score 10 points in two weekend games against the Battlefords Stars.

Ray Wareham, head coach of the Generals then, was amazed at how well Millette handled the situation.

“Right from day one, he’s been fantastic and has handled it with such maturity,” Wareham told the Moose Jaw Times-Herald at the time. “You don’t see men sometimes, let alone a 15-year-old kid, do that.”

When the Raiders were doing their research before pulling the trigger on the Millette deal, they learned of how well Millette coped.

“We did a little bit of homework and that certainly came up,” said Raiders general manager Bruno Campese. “He’s certainly determined, everyone that we talked to just talked about that he is a real good kid and a great character, a low-maintenance guy that goes about his business and does his thing.

“It talks a lot about facing adversity, staring it right in the face, and fighting through it. Good on him.”

Raiders up to 12 forwards

Millette’s addition puts the Raiders’ up to 12 forwards, not including defenceman Mackenze Stewart who has filled in recently on the third line. Stewart is suspended for Friday’s game against the Swift Current Broncos. Both Campese and Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid both confirmed that Millette would take Stewart’s spot on the third line on Friday, alongside Matteo Gennaro and Tim Vanstone.

But although the addition of Millette puts the Raiders up to the minimum amount of forwards, Campese isn’t in a panic to strike a trade for another.

Instead of filling those spots with new players, Campese wants to get some of his affiliates involved instead. Forward prospect Luke Coleman, who plays for his hometown Red Deer Midget AAA Optimist Chiefs, will travel with the Raiders while they embark on their three-game Alberta road-trip next week.

Campese also wants to give Dylan Williamson and defenceman Cody Paivarinta some opportunities to practice and possibly play with the Raiders this season as well.

Stat check

Millette had 14 points in 22 games with the Blades this season, and 34 points in 61 games with them last year.

Millette was selected in the second round of the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft by the Red Deer Rebels. He has 88 points in 189 career games in the WHL.

Looking ahead

Millette and his new Raider club will take on the Swift Current Broncos on Friday before going on a three-game road swing in Alberta facing the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sunday, the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday and the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday.

The next home game will be on Saturday against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea