Blazers forward Behm swings for national long drive championship
Calgary, Alta.– Nathan Behm loves a challenge.
Like many hockey players, he enjoys hitting the links over the summer and considers himself an above-average golfer.
But on a whim, he decided to see exactly how he stacks up against his age group.
“I just wanted to enter a competition and kind of see where I stood up against them,” Behm- who has no prior competitive golf experience- explained. “I was just kind of researching ones that are in my area, and there ended up being Nationals in Edmonton.”
There wasn’t much time until the United Long Drive Canadian Championship, but Behm submitted a video of him driving at the range and earned an invitation to the main event.
Up against roughly a dozen other U17 golfers, he had two and a half minutes to hit two rounds of six balls and hope for the best.
“Off the first round, I felt like I was pretty good,” Behm recalled. “So in the other rounds, I kind of just went for it.”
The 17-year-old ended up launching the winning drive 340 yards off the tee to claim the Amateur Long Drive Canada U17 crown and earn a berth at the Ultimate Long Drive U-17 World Championship.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Behm said. “It was pretty cool. The guy was saying it’s right up there with all the other top guys in the world.
I’ve been golfing for quite a while now, like since I was about five. I never really played any tournaments or anything, so it was my first one and I ended up winning it.”
For reference, the 2024 PGA Tour average drive is 354 yards.
While Behm will be unable to attend the World Championship in South Carolina in late September, he plans on bringing his new trophy with him to Kamloops for motivation as he enters his first season of NHL Draft Eligibility.
“I think just not putting too much pressure on yourself, just kind of playing and the rest will take care of itself,” Behm said of the crucial campaign ahead. “I’d say I’m a dual-threat, a passer and goal scorer. I can do a little bit of everything and just help the team win.”
The 6-foot-2, 198-pound forward was named Kamloops’ Rookie of the Year in 2023-24 after putting up 12 goals (including a pair of overtime tallies) and 19 assists for 31 points in 68 games as a 16-year-old.
Big shocker- he also prides himself on a powerful slapshot.
Behm finished fifth on the Blazers in both goals and points but says a lot of his development came from his seven games played with the team as a 15-year-old in 2022-23.
“When I was 15, I was mentored by some of the guys that have now moved on to pro, so I think it was good for me to kind of learn from them last year,” Behm added. “I was kind of taking a bigger role, even as a younger player, so I thought I did really well.”
While Behm is focused on helping the Blazers return to the WHL Playoffs and hearing his name called at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, he can now add another goal to his list- defending his title and potentially competing in more long-drive competitions.