Defenceman Ta’Amu already making franchise history

There was a time when Alofa Tunoa Ta’Amu — though he’d prefer you simply call him Noa — briefly thought football might be in his future.

“I played for one year, my freshman year of high school. I got a pick-six,” the 18-year-old recalled Monday while speaking with the Free Press at Hockey For All Centre.

That’s a pretty good start. It also turned out to be the end.

“My dad didn’t want me to be better at football than him, so he told me to play hockey,” said Ta’Amu with a laugh.

His grandfather had already been beating that drum for years.

“When I was born, he looked at me and said, ‘Those are hockey hands,’” said Ta’Amu. “So that’s how I started playing.”

It appears to have been the right decision.

“When I was born, he looked at me and said, ‘Those are hockey hands.'”

Ta’Amu was selected by the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday with the seventh pick of the seventh and final round of the NHL Draft. The rugged defenceman heard his name called while watching the live broadcast with his family at their cottage in Penticton, B.C.

“Just a lot of excitement. Something I’ve been looking forward to since I was a little kid. I’ve been dreaming about it, and it just seemed so surreal,” said Ta’Amu, who holds dual Canadian and U.S. citizenship.

“My whole family’s proud of me and I can’t thank them enough and can’t thank the organization enough. A lot of hugs.”

Ta’Amu also made a little history, becoming the first player of Samoan heritage ever drafted into the NHL. His father, Ed, was born in Hawaii and has deep family ties to the tropical island country of Samoa, where ice is generally found only in drinks.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s something that my dad’s been talking about ever since I was a kid. And it’s pretty cool that I get to represent the Samoan community in the hockey world,” said Ta’Amu.

“But I’m not the only one, that’s for sure. And I think there’s a lot of kids coming up that are Samoan, coming up to play hockey.”

There’s little question he inherited some impressive athletic genes.

Ed Ta’Amu was an offensive lineman selected by the Minnesota Vikings in 2002, but a serious knee injury derailed his NFL hopes and limited his professional career to the Arena Football League. It was while playing for the Spokane Shock that he met Jessica Scott, a B.C. native attending Gonzaga University on a soccer scholarship.

The rest, as they say, is history.

“I think there’s a lot of kids coming up that are Samoan, coming up to play hockey.”

The couple married, welcomed their only son — Noa was born in Kansas City, Mo., while Ed was playing for the AFL’s Brigade — and eventually settled in Penticton, B.C., after Ed retired.

“Ever since I was 10, growing up he’s really pushed me hard in the gym. And my mom, too. He works me hard and makes sure I’m doing what I’m doing. He was a pro so he’s a good role model to show me the way around,” said Ta’Amu, who now stands 6-2 and weighs 227 pounds.

“With my Mom’s side being Canadian, they’re just big hockey fans. They love it.”

Ta’Amu has spent the past two seasons with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. The left-shot defenceman recorded 12 points (three goals, nine assists) and 81 penalty minutes in 62 games last season.

“Physical. Very reliable. Just a big presence out there,” is how Ta’Amu described his game. “Hard. People don’t like playing against me. I think that will be a big factor in the future.”

History says seventh round picks rarely make it to the NHL. But scouts believe Ta’Amu has enough raw tools to potentially buck the long odds.

“Ta’amu’s game is all about disruption and strength. Agile with surprisingly quick feet, he’s a deft rush defender, capable of matching footwork, timing pokechecks, and even surfing into angle-offs,” is how Elite Prospects described him.

The Jets watched him plenty this past year in the WHL and clearly felt he was worth taking a flyer on.

“Ta’amu’s game is all about disruption and strength.”

“He’s got good feet. He moves well for a big guy,” said director of amateur scouting Mark Hillier. “Chipped in a little offensively there but kind of plays an old school, hard-nosed game. Not afraid to drop the gloves in a scrap. We liked his old school approach, stay at home D, and he plays hard.”

Ta’Amu is soaking up the experience at development camp this week before returning to B.C. for another important summer of training.

He’ll be back with the Oil Kings this fall for his third WHL season — after stops at Jets rookie camp and perhaps even main training camp — with the ultimate goal of rewarding the organization for putting its faith in him.

“Winnipeg was a great place (to be picked). I’m really thankful for it,” he said.

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