The search began in an Alberta snowstorm

By Marc Weber - The Province- November 30, 2007

Darrell May isn't one to recommend racing home in a snowstorm while frantically dialing away on a cell phone, but some things just can't wait.

"I remember specifically that night," the Chilliwack Bruins GM said of watching Nick Holden play for the junior A Camrose Kodiaks three years ago.

"When you're scouting and you see a player and get excited, you want to get him on your list as soon as possible.

"I'm driving through the night in the snow, with about 50 feet of visibility, and I'm phoning all of our scouts to get on the Internet."

The clock potentially ticking at that point was on the Bruins having to submit Holden's name to the WHL before midnight, in case another team had tried to list the strapping defenceman that day.

Being an expansion team, Chilliwack had first dibs.

May's frenzied phone behaviour was to find out if Holden was already protected.

"I went through three or four [scouts] -- 'my Internet won't work,' 'I'm not near my computer' -- and finally I got someone to say, 'No, I don't see him on anyone's list,'" recalled May, who shares Holden's hometown of St. Albert, Alta. "I couldn't believe it.

"Since then people say, 'How did you find him?' He was there for everyone to see, but for whatever reason he wasn't protected."

What a find the Bruins' first ever listed player has turned out to be.

Heading into tonight, as Chilliwack looks to end a six-game skid against porous Portland at Prospera Centre (7 p.m., TEAM1040.ca), the 6-foot-4, 200-pound sits seventh among WHL defencemen in scoring (7-15-22).

He's the team's captain, their indisputable rock on the back end and he quarterbacks the power play.

Surprisingly, Holden wasn't all that interested in pursuing the puck life growing up, opting to suit up along side his sister Tiffany in pee wee and only taking the game seriously part way through midget.

"When I was really young I loved hockey, but I almost quit," said Holden, the latest in a family of rearguards after dad John, one-time Vancouver Giant step-brother Jack Redlick, and Tiffany, who will be in the crowd Sunday along with Holden's parents and grandparents.

"It wasn't a priority. So I just played house league with my sister.

"We were D partners and we had a lot of fun playing together."

Even after Holden's passion picked up, it still took some convincing by May to lure him to the WHL.

Holden had NCAA offers -- the most serious coming from the University of Alaska Anchorage -- and he wasn't certain he could cut it in the Dub. But May kept calling and encouraging him, and a few days into training camp Holden knew he belonged and signed with the Bruins.

Now in his second season with Chilliwack, the 20-year-old, who attended the Edmonton Oilers rookie camp this past summer, has attracted more serious attention from NHL teams, including Colorado and Toronto.

He's certain to get another shot at playing professionally next season.

"I didn't think this would come out of it," he said, "but now that it's in front of me, I want to go as hard as I can and take my hockey as far as I can."