Regina Pats' 19-year-old defenceman Ephram McNutt can fly on and off the ice.
McNutt, who the team acquired in a December trade with the Prince George Cougars, is working on obtaining his pilot's license. During an appearance on the SportsCage, he updated his progress towards his post-hockey goal.
“I'm finishing my ground school right now, I'm pretty close to being done. I was waiting for a medical appointment to do my solo and now I'm going to take my federal exam at the end of the month. Then I will do a little bit of in-air stuff and I will have my private pilot ticket.”
McNutt is used to jetting around the country. He and his family moved around Canada following his mom’s career as a superintendent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Aklavik, Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Halifax, and Truro, Nova Scotia. And now I'm back in the West. I was in Red Deer and now we're in Pinoka County, Alberta.”
That moving around inspired McNutt to pursue piloting.
“Being in so many little Northern isolated communities with mom and bouncing around on some pretty tiny planes from a real young age. I put in a lot of hours in the right seat or the backseat, crying away when I was really little. The Northern exposure in those small planes [showed me that] I love aviation.”
McNutt's next step is obtaining his night rating and float plane endorsements to further his flying experiences. In the long term, he wants to get a commercial license and work for a big airline.
“That's kind of every pilot's goal. They'd love to get over to Europe. They make the big bucks and fly in some pretty gorgeous settings.”
McNutt started his pilot’s training while playing with the Prince George Cougars, using the Western Hockey League’s scholarship program.
“It's been a bit of a journey, but it's super fun to have something I'm passionate about while playing. It's something I could start in P.G., and the WHL scholarship is pretty nice. They pay for a lot of that stuff. I've been pretty grateful in that way.”
McNutt is passing on the possibilities of the WHL scholarships to his teammates.
“That's something I stress to some of the younger guys. I've played with a couple of guys who took their air brake license and started their welding ticket. And if they don't see themselves as a post-secondary guy, there are so many other options.”
For now, McNutt continues to focus on his play with the Regina Pats for the remainder of the WHL season before turning his eye to the sky this summer.
