Jacobs-Webb stickhandles through pandemic to keep dreams alive

(Hockey Canada photo)

MONTREAL – Anton Jacobs-Webb made a big move in 2020 but it wasn’t on the ice as a member of Canada’s national Para ice hockey team.

Actually, he left his Gatineau, Que. home in the National Capital Region and headed to Montreal to pursue his chemical engineering studies at Concordia University. While he is comfortably installed in his new digs, Jacobs-Webb has been, in fact, attending his courses online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I moved in September but unfortunately there’s not a lot going on these days so it’s hard to get a grip on what life is like living in Montreal compared to Ottawa,” said Jacobs-Webb, whose engineering interests are particularly in aerodynamics and design.

‘’I spend most of my time at home studying mainly because I have a heavy workload. And the transition to online has made it even more difficult because I really didn’t know what to expect at all. It took me awhile to get use to it.”

The hard work and discipline that’s required to become a high-performance athlete has helped him overcome the hurdles in his studies.

‘’Online school is a lot of self-motivation,” the Nova Scotia native admits. ‘’Which wasn’t too bad for me. The hardest thing is always being at home.’’

His only outlet of course is to get on the ice and maintain his conditioning. He gets ice time once a week with other Quebec-based national team players including Dominic Larocque and Antoine Lehoux at the Howie Morenz Arena in Montreal. 

Jacobs-Webb wants to be a reliable offensive force on the team and has worked hard on his goal scoring abilities. He and all his teammates also meet online once a week to review video, establish a training schedule and work on team building activities.

The 20-year-old centre was born with his left leg shorter than his right and has worn a prothesis since birth. He underwent surgery to amputate his left leg above the knee in 2012.

In 2022, Jacobs-Webb hopes to be in the line-up at the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games. He has gained valuable international experience competing at three Défi Sportif Altergo tournaments and two Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cups.

Now he wants to take the next step.

‘’I’m very hopeful for Beijing,’’ he said. ‘’That’s what I’m working towards.’’

There’s no doubt when Jacobs-Webb sets his mind to a goal, he is there to score.