O’Ree finalist spotlight: Arjun Atwal

The Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award presented by Hyundai is given to an individual who, through hockey, has positively impacted his or her community culture or society. The award honors O'Ree, the former NHL forward who became the first Black player to play in the NHL on Jan. 18, 1958, and has spent more than two decades as the NHL's diversity ambassador. After a public voting period and votes from O'Ree, NHL executives and Hyundai executives, the winner will be announced in June. There will be a winner from the United States and one from Canada.

Today, a look at one of three Canadian finalists, Arjun Atwal:

Sonny Sekhon wasn’t surprised when Arjun Atwal decided to pass up playing pro hockey overseas to keep working on a program to help South Asian youth and others in communities of color in Canada enter and advance in the sport.

“Arjun is a proud Sikh and one of the tenets of Sikhism is a philosophy called seva, which is selfless giving to the community,” said Sekhon, friend of Atwal’s. “I know a lot of decisions in his life are motivated just because he wants to do that, to show the path that he walked to all these kids in our community to help them navigate it so that they can reach a better and further destination than he did.”

Atwal, a former major junior and Canadian college hockey forward, founded AZ1 Hockey in 2020 to expand hockey, primarily within Western Canada’s South Asian, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and new immigrant communities where families may not have the resources or knowledge to guide their children through the sport.

“My focus as a South Asian athlete that was privileged enough to play for 20 years -- lucky enough, while I was playing -- I got the chance to give back to not only my community, but other minority communities that need growth within the game of hockey,” the 25-year-old Edmonton native said. “Our mission is to kind of make hockey a little bit more affordable, a little more accessible. Seva is a huge, huge word that that really drives our organization.”

Through his work, Atwal was named one of three finalists for the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in Canada. The winner, who will be named in June, will receive a $25,000 prize to be donated to the charity of their choice, with the other two finalists each receiving a $5,000 prize donated to a charity of their choice.

“When I found out I was a finalist for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award presented by Hyundai, my first initial thought was, ‘Wow,’ just kind of reflecting on kind of the impact I was making on some of the kids in the community here in Edmonton and around Western Canada,” he said. “And this award not only highlights that but helps me in my goals to not only introduce more BIPOC kids to the game, but help them excel in the game, where we could see more at the highest level in the NHL and PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League).”

AZ1 Hockey has 400 boys and girls, mainly in Western Canada, who range in playing ability from novice to elite level. The program focuses on the progression of players through on- and off-ice training and mentorship. It helps promote elite players to scouts and hockey front offices and provides a support system for players and their families who think they may have been subjected to racial or discriminatory behavior.

Atwal, whose family immigrated to Canada from India, began playing hockey when he was 4, following his older brother and cousins into the sport. He played for Sherwood Park of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, where he had 233 points (86 goals, 147 assists) in 163 games, and Saskatoon of the Western Hockey League, where he had five assists in 45 games from 2016-18.

As Atwal’s playing career progressed, he was disappointed to see fewer and fewer players of color with him at the elite level.

“As a player, I took it as a chip on my shoulder and that really made me excel,” Atwal said. “However, unfortunately, for others, they would have a different mindset. Maybe they wanted to try a different field where there is more BIPOC representation, and they are not such a minority. That’s what really drives me. Hockey is a wonderful game, and I feel the more people we can get involved and attached to it, good things will come.”

Atwal went on to play for the University of Calgary and had 41 points (16 goals, 25 assists) in 59 games from 2020-24. He said that after graduating in April 2024, he received offers from three teams in Europe to cross the Atlantic and play.

He mulled the offers over.

He thought about seva.

“I love playing the game of hockey, and playing pro would be a fantastic opportunity for me. I kind of worked my whole life toward that,” he said. “After weighing it out with family and friends, I don’t think I could have given up helping these kids.

“A lot of them even urged me to try, but I knew deep down I would have some regret if I made that decision. About a year in, I’m really happy with the decision I made because this year has been fantastic, not only for AZ1 but for the kids who are making leaps and bounds within their own careers.”