EDMONTON — A teenage hockey player convicted of aggravated assault for badly injuring an opposing player with his stick has been given a six-month conditional discharge.
But he’ll have to donate $1,000 to the Edmonton Stollery Children’s Hospital and do 50 hours of community service in a hospital trauma unit.
The 18-year-old cannot be named because he was 17 when he speared Austin Hoekstra (HOKE’-strah) during a midget AA game.
Hoekstra had to undergo emergency surgery to have part of his bowel removed and spent 17 days in hospital. During the trial, court heard that the Leduc Oil Kings player speared Hoekstra in the abdomen after he refused a challenge to fight.
Youth court Judge Geoff Ho had already said the attack was unprovoked and admonished the player for using his hockey stick like a weapon.