Ian Maier is a great example of overcoming adversity. While Maier was a three year Red Wing, he only played a total of 68 games for the Red Wings, but still managed to become a fan favourite and a one of the most reliable defenders the Red Wings had.
After his first season was cut almost entirely due to the pandemic, Maier played only 16 games before an injury nearly ended his career. He didn’t play the rest of the season, and in fact couldn’t even go to the gym until there as less than a month to go before the beginning of the 2022-23 season. Even with that much time off, he quickly showed that he was one of the best defencemen for the Red Wings and was almost voted in as the team captain this season.
With a smooth skating, shut down style of game, Maier was most effective in his own zone and denying entry into it. In his zone, Maier was quick to clear out the other team from in front of his net and laid down to block shots. Along the wall, Maier had an excellent sense of setting a gap to make it tough for teams to enter the zone, and his team leading 69 hits on the season include some of the biggest hits of the entire year.
“Ian over came so much adversity over his junior career. He became a staple on the back end for us this past season and logged important minute while being a leader on and off the ice. He is also a huge contributor to the community, specially being involved with minor hockey teams.” – Head Coach Cody Mapes
Maier has not signed on with a college team at the time of this writing. If his hockey career does continue on, any college team might be surprised to see his skill develop even further than it did here in Weyburn.
