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Camrud is on the comeback trail, representing both the past and the future for the Humboldt Broncos. He is the link to both — and he wants to lead the way into next season.

He wants “to be the guy to represent everybody who isn’t here anymore,” says Camrud, a feisty 5-foot-9, 181-pound forward from Saskatoon who played minor hockey in the Knights, Aces and Wild zones.

“Everything is for them. If I can be that person for them, to the best of my ability, I want to and I’m going to do it the best that I can for the organization, for the city of Humboldt and, even if I’m not, I’m still going to be a leader in some sort of way for everybody.”

Photo by Liam Richards / Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Compared to most of his teammates, Camrud sustained relatively minor injuries in the April 6 bus crash at an intersection between Tisdale and Nipawin. The team was only 15 or 20 minutes outside of Nipawin, where the Broncos were travelling to battle the Nipawin Hawks in an SJHL playoff game, when the bus was struck by a semi-trailer unit.

In the violent and catastrophic crash, 16 people died. Those who survived were left with both physical and emotional scars.

Camrud soldiers on.

He says he’s doing “all right.” He did not suffer any fractures or broken bones, but did endure a concussion. Camrud continues with physiotherapy, plus chiropractic and massage treatment for his shoulder and neck. Right now, he’s trying to recover as much as possible because he wants to get back to playing hockey as quickly as he can.