The 2024 fifth-round pick discussed how his faith has impacted his journey to a spot on an AHL roster.
A few months ago, Owen Allard was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas.
This came after he was selected in the seventh round of the Ontario Hockey League draft.
And on Saturday, he took a big step forward to the NHL when he was officially assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners, which will give him a chance to potentially be called up during the season.
But, as he's said many times, it doesn't come without a great support system.
Growing up in a faith-oriented family, he said his faith in Jesus Christ was passed down to he and his siblings through his parents, who received that faith from his grandparents.
"That's what I love about my family, they love me as Owen Allard," he said. "They've always supported me whether I was a hockey player or not."
He added he's even got to spend some quality time with his father, who is down with him in Utah during training camp. Allard is planning to repay him by going on a hike or going out with him somewhere.
He may want to figure out first how he's going to spend his first professional paycheck, though, once he gets to Tucson and puts on that Roadrunners' jersey.
Safe to say Allard is already repaying his parents in spades after a monster performance in the Rookie Face-Off and in training camp that netted him that chance to live his dream.
"There's some kind of bumps in the road, but that's life," Allard said. "I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason; I wouldn't be anywhere without my Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ)."
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