Photo Credit – The Canadian Press / Darryl Dyck:
When Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby were 16 years old, they were already projected to be among the best NHL players of all time.
When Mark Letestu was 16 years old, he was with the St. Paul Canadiens, a junior B team not far from his home town of Elk Point, Alta.
?I was hoping to play junior A hockey,? recalled Letestu, who announced his retirement on Sunday. ?I?m still in the eleventh grade, trying to get through Math 20. It would have been a long view to think about anything like an NHL career.?
From St. Paul, Letestu would go on to star with the Bonnyville Pontiacs, winning AJHL MVP in 2005/06. After a season at Western Michigan University, he earned a pro contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins? farm team.