Holt just what the doctor ordered for Huskies

But halfway through the 2024-25 season, Holt is indeed successfully juggling academics and athletics, completing classes and passes with surgical precision while leading the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Huskie men’s hockey team in scoring as the Huskies sit just two points out of first place in the Canada West conference standings with a 12-4 record and ranked sixth in the country.

“It is definitely a challenge managing both, but I have been able to make it work,” said Holt, who is in his fourth year with the Huskies and his first year in the Medical Doctor (MD) program in the College of Medicine. “I love playing hockey, but I understand and respect the amount of work that it takes to be in med school and to be successful, so that was something I was struggling with but I thought I would try it and see if it was possible to do both. I have had lots of support from our hockey coaching staff working around my schedule and from the team at the College of Medicine who have been super helpful in allowing me to make adjustments to my clinical work. So they have been very helpful in allowing me to pursue both and I am extremely appreciative.”

Holt has held the hot hand for the Huskies with seven goals and 22 points in 15 games to sit second in league scoring at the midpoint of the season. Holt has scored power-play, shorthanded, shootout and game-winning goals this season and has been just what the doctor ordered on special teams, helping the Huskies put on a clinic on the power play at a league-leading 32.3 per cent success rate and sitting second in the league in penalty killing at an impressive 87 per cent.

“We have a really good team this year and we want to make a strong push for the Canada West championship and ultimately go to nationals,” said Holt, who is just a point away from matching his point total of 23 last season. “We are looking to have a good second half and to put ourselves in a good position for the playoffs this year.”

Holt’s success on the ice has been matched by his excellence in the classroom, earning national recognition as a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian for four years in a row at USask after posting grade point averages of better than 80 per cent while completing full course loads. One of 121 Huskie student-athletes who earned the distinction of being Academic All-Canadians this year, Holt said his dedication in the classroom comes naturally.

“We are student-athletes, so school comes first,” said Holt, who began his first year of med school in August, 2024. “And I think it’s something that has been ingrained in me for a long time. My parents helped foster that idea and that culture in our family. We have all these privileges to play sports, but school comes first and classrooms have priority and that is kind of the way that I have lived my life through school and through sports, through managing those two. So obviously success in the classroom is something I am extremely proud of and I have worked hard to ensure that happened.”

A master of multi-tasking, Holt’s commitment in the classroom and on the ice make him the consummate student-athlete role model for the Huskies program.

“Dawson has contributed so much to Huskie Athletics, not only has he been a leader on the ice, but he was also the president of the Huskie Athlete Council over the past couple of years,” said Huskies Chief Athletics Officer Shannon Chinn. “We are very proud of him. It takes exceptional determination and hard work to be successful in all that he is doing, and med school hasn’t slowed down the number of goals he has scored this season!”

To complete his courseload, Holt regularly puts in long hours studying on road trips, and has even taken an exam remotely between games.

“There has definitely been times when it has been harder to manage with exams and mandatory classes,” he said. “And there are definitely more hours spent doing homework on the road in the hotel rooms and catching up on lectures, but those are small sacrifices in the long run and I am managing well so far.”

On the ice, Holt is quick to credit his teammates for his success, in particular his linemates Chantz Petruic (seven goals, 20 points in 15 games) of Moose Jaw and former NHL fourth-round draft pick Josh Pillar (six goals, 17 points in 16 games) of Warman, who are currently 1-2-3 in team scoring.