'It was a dream come true': Moncton teen top Maritimer picked in QMJHL draft
Monday was a night to remember for the Gill family.
Fifteen-year-old Spencer was picked 5th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft by the Rimouski Oceanic.
The defenceman, who won a national Midget AAA championship with the Moncton Flyers in May, was the highest player selected from Atlantic Canada.
"It was really a feeling I've never had before,” said Spencer. “It's what I've worked for since I was a little kid, so really it was a dream come true."
Younger brother Zach plays defence for the Under-15 Moncton Hawks, while big brother Dyllan has played two seasons with the Royun-Noranda Huskies in the QMJHL.
"It's boys turned into men," said Dyllan.
"Midget hockey, it's a lot of younger guys trying to make it to the next step to major junior, and major junior is a business. It's your life. You're there, you're living away from home and you're there for hockey."
While they live in Moncton now, all three boys grew up playing their minor hockey in Riverview. Getting to see two of her boys drafted to play in the Canadian Hockey League was special to their parents Melissa and Jamie.
"They've sacrificed a lot in making different choices along their hockey path," said Melissa.
"As a parent, you couldn't be prouder. We've always encouraged them to give 100 per cent no matter what and always be humble."
Zach also hopes to be drafted into the Quebec league someday and gladly takes advice from his big brothers.
"When we're outside shooting pucks, they make sure I don't make that extra stick handle to get the shot off quick and stuff like that," said Zach.
If Spencer makes the Oceanic, he'll play against Dyllan for the first time ever at some point during the season.
"It's going to be fun being able to compete against him at a high level and it's really going to be a night to remember for everyone," said Spencer. "Me, him and the whole family."
Dyllan is looking forward to the chance to play against his little brother, but admits it will be strange.
"It's going to be the first time I'll ever be on the other side of the ice as him, but it'll be pretty cool," said Dyllan.
"For my parents, I'm sure it'll be a special moment seeing two of their boys on the same ice surface."
The Gills are still celebrating Spencer's big night, but another celebration could be coming this weekend. Eighteen-year-old Dyllan is eligible for this year's NHL draft taking place in Montreal from July 7 to 8.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.