Jermaine Loewen’s story isn’t over, but that doesn’t stop him from occasionally reflecting on everything he’s gone through: parental abandonment, adoption, a new country, a late start in hockey, and making history.
“All the obstacles and the adversity I’ve been through, and I just was able to keep fighting through that and persevere,” said Loewen, a 21-year-old forward who played five games with the Wolves before being sent to the ECHL. “I’m here today because of a lot of help from people and my perseverance as a player and a person.”
Born in Mandeville, Jamaica, Loewen was given up by his birth parents when he was a year old. When he was three and living in a children’s home in May Pen, Jamaica, Loewen’s picture was spotted in a sponsorship brochure by Stan and Tara Loewen, who were about to go to Jamaica for three weeks of volunteer work.
The Loewens met Jermaine in Jamaica, and 21 months later, adopted him and took him home to Arborg, Manitoba. A year after, Loewen was gifted his first pair of skates for Christmas and began playing organized hockey five years later.
Loewen took to the sport, caught the eye of the junior Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers, and became the first player born in Jamaica to be taken in the NHL draft when the Dallas Stars took him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. However, he didn’t sign after his final junior season and was picked up by Vegas, who have him in their organization.
Regardless of whether Loewen makes the NHL, his story is an example of staying with it.
“The one thing I want to say is we’ve all got stories and things that we go through, but to always look and be positive in life,” Loewen said. “I hope my story impacts people. Everybody’s got something to give on this earth. That’s something I really want people to understand who are going through struggles, is that there’s hope and if you keep believing and you keep on that path, good things come to people who work hard.”
The perseverance is one of the aspects Stan Loewen recognizes in his son.
“He’s an incredibly persevering person,” Stan Loewen said during a phone interview. “Just because something is hard or difficult or challenging doesn’t mean we don’t do it. Whether that’s been in school, academics, challenges in his young childhood, just a real spirit, a real character of perseverance.
“I think perseverance is the word that describes him incredibly well,” Stan Loewen added. “I don’t know if there’s a word that would describe him better than that.”
The pride Stan Loewen has in his son comes through clearly. He discusses Jermaine’s humility and how he takes nothing for granted. Hard work is expected, and he relishes being an underdog. Like Jermaine, Stan Loewen sees value in his story. He thinks it teaches the importance of self-belief, surrounding yourself with good people, and not quitting.
“It’s not just proud of the hockey player that he is,” Stan Loewen said. “I’m the most proud of the human that he is. Hockey is part of what he does right now, but he is a person that in his heart loves to be there for people. We think he will do things in his life beyond hockey. Maybe hockey or sports will be a platform in some cases for him to be able to help other kids or other people.
“I think Jermaine will spend his life, in many ways, helping people and many people, whether it’s from less-fortunate backgrounds.”
