Ottawa 67’s defenseman Kohyn Eshkawkogan joins the My Hockey Hero podcast to discuss his hockey journey, Indigenous identity, and ambitions in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Growing up in Little Current on Manitoulin Island and belonging to the M'Chigeeng First Nation, Cohen shares how his family, community, and early years on the ice shaped him as a player and person.

Cohen reflects on Truth and Reconciliation Day, his great-grandmother’s experience as a residential school survivor, and the importance of learning, understanding, and acceptance. He also talks about bringing his Ottawa 67’s teammates to Manitoulin Island to learn about Indigenous culture through community visits, a sweat lodge ceremony, smudging, archery, and teachings about eagle staffs.

Hear about Cohen’s development from minor hockey and the Manitoulin Panthers to the Nickel City Suns, the Hill Academy, and the Ottawa 67’s. He discusses becoming a two-way defenseman, being drafted by Ottawa, representing Team Ontario at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, winning gold, and competing for Team Canada at the U17 and U18 levels.

Cohen also shares his focus on helping the Ottawa 67’s pursue the Memorial Cup, his education plans at Penn State, the players who inspired him—including Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, and Bobby Orr—and his advice to young hockey players: work hard, enjoy the game, don’t take opportunities for granted, and ask for help.

Born in Halifax and adopted into a white family in Sarnia, Ontario, Mike McKegney grew up on a backyard rink that helped shape three high-level players: Mike, his older brother Ian (who reached the NHL with Chicago), and his younger brother Tony (who starred in the NHL with Buffalo, St. Louis, and Quebec).

In this candid conversation, Mike reflects on his adoption journey, growing up as a Black player in 1960s–70s Canadian hockey, and becoming the first Black player ever signed by the Montreal Canadiens. He shares stories from Sarnia minor hockey, the Kitchener Rangers, pro stops in Nova Scotia, the NAHL, San Francisco, and Switzerland, and what it was like to skate alongside legends in Montreal’s system.

Mike also opens up about his experience with hockey's drinking culture in the 1970s, his own struggle with addiction, and how it derailed his NHL ambitions, and the 26 years of sobriety that transform his life. With honesty and humility, he looks back on what might have been, what he’s learned, and why he’s ultimately grateful, for his family, his career, and his life now in Belize.

On this episode of My Hockey Hero, we celebrate the journey of Hayden Paupanekis, a six-foot-five center from the Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba and draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens (2025 NHL Draft, 4th round, 69th overall). Hayden reflects on learning to skate at five in Winnipeg’s minor hockey system, the support of his family and community, and the pride he takes in being a role model for Indigenous youth.

He shares what it was like to be drafted into the WHL by the Spokane Chiefs, the challenges of moving away from home, the impact of his billet family, and adjusting to the business side of junior hockey. Hayden also talks about his offseason training, his experience at the NHL combine in Buffalo, the feedback from Montreal, and his transition to the Kelowna Rockets as they chase the Memorial Cup. We wrap up with rapid-fire questions on his role models, pregame rituals, and advice for young players about hard work and having a growth mindset.

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