Alumni Spotlight: Jayde Cadieux

The first year of college is often a touchstone memory for those who can become a student-athlete. For former Rustler Jayde Cadieux, it was the reignition of her women's hockey career and playing a role in the start of something new and special.

The 5'4 forward from Cold Lake Alberta is preparing for her fifth and final year of postsecondary eligibility with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. However, when she graduated high school, playing hockey after high school didn't seem likely until her former coach Morgan Mann reached out.

"COVID hit and then I'm just at home and hadn't signed with a team," Cadieux said. "Then Morgan called and that is one of my favourite memories."

"I had played for him before and I knew that he was going to make sure that the girls and I were OK and that we were going to work hard. I also remember thinking that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to play competitive hockey again, in a place that could be a steppingstone to a higher level of hockey."

Joining the first ever women's hockey team at Lakeland College, Cadieux quickly found herself in a leadership role, being named the first ever captain in program history. She said it was a critical moment in her growth on and off the ice, one in which she had plenty of support.

It was a huge honour when I got appointed, "Everybody in our young group was a leader, but it was still a huge honour," Cadieux said. "It wasn't the letter on the jersey though, it was being a part of the team and community. I wanted everyone else to feel welcomed like that, so that was my main focus."

"I think being a young leader was exciting and challenging, but the community around us helped make it easier as they did a lot for us, they helped us become a team and the whole process made me a better captain and person. It's not just about the sport, it's the community life lessons and Morgan and the coaches helped me through it."

While in a probationary period as a new program in the ACAC, the Rustlers competed in the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League. Cadiuex said the experience was unreal, with the squad winning the 2022 AJFHL Provincial Championship 4-3 in overtime, setting the stage for even more success for the program.

"We were so proud of it, knowing that we started something amazing and can continue on for generations," she said. "We didn't know if we were going to get accepted into the ACAC initially and it's amazing so see where this group came from to where it is now, back-to-back ACAC champions."

The former captain noted she's kept in close contact with many members on the team and has continuously returned to Lloydminster for the Hockey Fights Cancer game.

"Some of the girls are now my best friends, so just creating and growing those connections throughout the year was unforgettable," Cadieux said.

"The first year of the hockey fights cancer game, there was no alumni, so we had some parents and women around the community come out, then mixed the teams. This past year, it was a full alumni squad and the Rustler team. There's more graduates since then, so we will all keep coming back and wearing the Rustler crest. Plus, it's a great cause."

Since 2022, Cadieux has suited up for the Huskies, who were the host for the 2023 U-Sport National Championship. In the times she's returned to the Border City, she's enjoyed seeing the evolution of the program, including their new home at the Cenovus Energy Hub.

"When I saw the dressing room for the first time, I thought this is crazy to see," she said. "Where as at the Russ, we'd get dressed in a trailer, walk in the snow and go into the rink."

"A lot of the stuff from that trailer is in the new rink now though, including Morgan's green couch," Cadieux said laughing.

Having recently completed her Bachelor of Science and Kinesiology, the fifth year is finishing a long-awaited vacation in Costa Rica before returning to U of S, where she will take two certificate programs as she finishes her time as a Husky. She is also still pursuing professional opportunities on the ice. As she begins to transition to the next phase of her journey, Cadiuex said she will remember the lessons she learned as a Rustler, without which she may not have continued her hockey career hockey or had the growth and leadership opportunities that followed.

"As a little girl, a lot of the opportunities I've pursued weren't available, so I'm very grateful and I'm grateful for getting that chance at Lakeland," she said.

"Morgan always said, at the end of the day, it's not just being an athlete, but being a good person and I try to live by that. If you show kindness, and are hard working, you were going to succeed at whatever you do."