The lifelong Ottawa Senators fan names Russian stalwart Alexei Yashin as his role model, but his own route to playing pro didn’t quite go to plan after knocking himself out 20 seconds into his first shift for Wheeling Nailers. In this conversation with Clare Freeman, Bakker recalls the long and slightly terrifying trips to St John’s in Newfoundland for two months at the Montreal Canadiens affiliation team. He’s humble and honest about his game style, which Bakker claims focusses on creating space and energy for his team mates. But one of his proudest claims to fame was achieving a Gordie Howe hat trick last season.

Now, with family in Europe and plenty of Dutch heritage to uncover, Bakker views moving to Manchester Storm as a great opportunity to travel and get accustomed to a European way of life. And we warn you, his musical guilty pleasure may shock you...