Congratulations to KIJHL alum Shea Weber (Sicamous Eagles 2000-02) on his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov.11.
In a Sportsnet.ca story, Weber said during his speech, “there’s so much to be grateful for when playing this game.”
“And it’s not just the big moments, grinding out a playoff win or taking home Olympic gold. It’s in the small — seemingly routine — moments that matter the most.”
The 39-year-old from Sicamous, B.C., whose career ended prematurely because of a long list of injuries, has been unable to play since helping drag Montreal to the 2021 Stanley Cup final. Weber registered 589 points in 1,038 games with the Canadiens and Nashville Predators. He added 42 points in 97 playoff contests. With his hometown Eagles in the KIJHL, Weber had nine goals and 48 points in 52 career games.
You can watch his speech in the video below.
Creston Valley Thunder Cats head coach-general manager Geordie Wudrick is an assistant coach on the KIJHL Prospects team for the BCHC Prospects Game in Langley on Nov. 19.
“It’s going to be a neat experience. I was lucky to play in these types of events and in the Western Hockey League I played in the CHL Top Prospects Game and that was one of the coolest events I ever attended as a player,” said Wudrick. “When I saw the opportunity to get a chance to be part of this game, it was something that I was really excited about.”
Wudrick added it’s a neat opportunity for the players to showcase their abilities to scouts, especially from the WHL. It puts a lot of the top talent in that age group against each other. He’s happy to be part of that and help the players and team be successful.
This week’s KIJHL Notebook will highlight the remaining players from the Kootenay Conference selected to play in the Prospects Game.
Eddie Mountain Division
Kimberley Dynamiters head coach-general manager Derek Stuart said Luke Davies is “one of the best forwards in the league, I would have been shocked if he wasn’t selected.”
“He is a good skater with a great shot and a lot of skill,” said Stuart. “What I like most about him is how smart he is. He understands how hockey is to be played and you can tell he came from an elite U18 program.”
Ashton Sledz has proven to be a “big game player” for the Columbia Valley Rockies, and on the weekend scored a game-winner. Four of his eight goals are winners.
“He’s just quietly done it,” said Rockies head coach-general manager Tayler Sincennes. “He’s a guy that you check the box score at the end of the night, and he always has one. He’s a quiet, hard working kid that just goes about his business. He’s not flashy in any way, but scores goals and to be honest, it’s a little bit of a surprise coming in as an 18-year-old. You don’t always expect those guys to produce right away.”
And then Peter Godley leads with 10 goals.
“He’s a super smart kid, his hockey IQ is up with some of the best I’ve seen in my time coaching,” said Sincennes, who began coaching after the 2017 season and joined the Rockies in 2021. “He knows the right spots to go to, he’s got good hands and moves the puck really well. When he’s around the net, those good hands pay off, he can get the puck off quick and find ways to score.”
Wudrick, the Thunder Cats head coach, said the organization is very proud of Berkley Gross’s selection for the KIJHL Prospects team. He credits the players’ consistency to start the season as to why he deserved the selection.
“At age, 18, that’s playing in all situations right now, there’s a handful of 18-year-olds playing on both special teams. That’s one of the keys to him being able to make that team.”
The Fernie Ghostriders are trying to find some secondary scoring as they rely a lot on Tayler Haggerty (1.85 points-per-game), Ben Skarsen (1.55 PPG) and Coden Fournier (1.08 PPG).
“For us to be able to have success and play in the playoffs and go deep, we have to find some secondary scoring.”
Players that Scharff believes can help with that are older players such as Jack Lambert, Riley Enns and Keegan Fellows, who they traded for. Also in that group is Sawyer Samycia, who has been playing well of late.
“There’s a handful of guys there that we feel can do it and we’re just waiting for that to happen,” said Scharff.
The Golden Rockets goaltending tandem with Landon Garbitt and Riley Deck has provided consistent play with head coach-general manager Jed Houseman saying “they give us a chance every night.”
An injury to Garbitt forced Houseman to lean on Deck, a Saskatoon, Sask., native, to play more and getting action in five straight games. Deck was named the KIJHL’s Top Goalie for his performance in two games, which included a 49-save win against the Fernie Ghostriders on Nov. 8. Over the two games, Deck had a 1.93 goals against average and a .949 save percentage.
“He’s been solid for us from the get-go,” said Houseman. “He had an exceptional weekend last weekend. One of my favorite things about him is just how calm he stays in the net, he doesn’t over commit. His tracking is quite good. He’s a really good kid and has high character. He’s a great guy for us to have.”
Neil Murdoch Division
The Beaver Valley Nitehawks’ penalty-kill is not only the second best in the league at 90 per cent, it has scored a league-best 12 short-handed goals. Head coach-general manager Terry Jones said it’s “been a weapon for sure.”
“Yeah, pretty crazy is right,” said Jones, adding he hasn’t seen something like this before. “We’re more dangerous shorthanded then we are on the power-play to be honest. It’s been pretty unreal actually. It’s just a combination of opportunistic chances and some really good offensive plays.
“I don’t really have an answer for it, I don’t know why it’s happening,” added Jones. “It’s not something that we’ve tried to do, just something that’s honestly happened.”
Ollie Clement, who talks about their penalty-kill on this week’s Top Shelf podcast, leads the team with four short-handed goals, and is one of the six to eight players the Nitehawks lean on.
The Grand Forks Border Bruins will have Phoenix Flett and Ryker Rougeau play for Team KIJHL.
Flett started the season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League playing for Devon Xtreme before joining the Border Bruins. He made his debut on Nov. 1, collecting an assist against Nelson. He’s averaged 9:34 of ice time a game. Rougeau, 17, is a local who started the season in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans and played in two games. He has four points in two games with the Border Bruins, while averaging 15:05 a game.
Jacob Armstrong has two wins in three games since joining the Nelson Leafs and head coach-general manager Briar McNaney says he’s been playing very well.
“He’s been very impressive so far, he has a good buzz around town and the effort he puts in during practice on those details are starting to show in games,” said McNaney. “He’s a bit of a sponge which is great for our goalie coaches.”
Since joining the Castlegar Rebels on Nov. 1, local product Brayden Rotach has brought more offence and has four points in four games. Rotach will represent the Rebels, along with defenceman Ben Filippone, on the KIJHL team for the BCHC Prospects Game.
“He’s a very crafty player who has a very good hockey IQ,” said head coach Nick Headrick. “He always plays his head up, so he’s helped us offensively at 5-on-5 and on our power play. We got him on the left flank now and he plays in that position very well. He’s been a big addition to our team.”
Filippone leads the Rebels blueline with 12 points in 14 games, while playing an average of 23:21 of a game. Headrick said that Filippone is a big, strong, composed player when under pressure.
“He is physical in front of the net and in the corners,” he said. “He has a heavy shot from the point and is a great leader for his age both on and off the ice.”
The Spokane Braves are getting offensive production from Deegan Sellers and captain Cameron Oien. In their past three games, each had five points. Braves assistant coach Jason Greenwell said Sellers brings a scoring presence with a lead by example work ethic.
“Deegan is used in a lot of different situations and has been continuing to grow his game in the KIJHL and adapt to the league. We are consistently utilizing players with different groups through situations such as power-play and 5-on-5.”
“Cameron has done a fantastic job of picking up his play in the past few weeks,” Greenwell continued. “Having Owen Ames back in the lineup has helped add to that first line and taken some pressure off of Oien. Oien has the potential to be a top player in our league and it’s great seeing him start to have that confidence.”
