'We call it the barn': Homemade rink helps train Vancouver Island hockey star

On Vancouver Island, a young hockey star is turning heads and preparing for his future, all while practising at a backyard rink located in a barn.

Noah Kosick puts his skates on one foot at a time, just like anybody else. But there are a few things that separate him from your average 14-year-old.

He plays in a U-18 league with Pacific Hockey Academy, and was coached by his dad, Mark.

"He had a good year and I was proud of him," said his father.

Between making fancy passes, Kosick practises at a homemade hockey rink.

"We call it the barn," he says.

That's because it is a barn, on a Saanich farm, where Kosick comes every day.

"I basically grew up here," he says. "It's an unreal facility and place."

That practice has helped him become one of the top young players in the hockey universe.

Several websites have him pegged as a top prospect for the WHL Bantam draft.

While his future is uncertain, Kosick says playing in Victoria "would be special."

"If that's how it worked out it certainly would be something special for our family," he says.

But for now, Kosick spends most of his time far from the eyes of scouts in the barn.

When asked if he thought it was the coolest place in the world?

"Yeah, for sure," says Kosick. "Any kid that loves hockey dreamed of having a place like this."

Despite it having its own scoreboard and even the WHL logo on center ice, that's not the teen's favourite feature.

"The Zamboni when it gets going," he says.