The 2018-19 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) season is nearing and the 100 Mile House Wranglers will be no longer be led out of the tunnel by former captain Justin Bond, who has aged out as a junior hockey player.
This season it will be forward Kolby Page with the “C” stitched above his heart.
“It was a no-brainer to pick Kolby, he’s well respected in the room and an easy leader to follow,” said head coach and general manager, Dale Hladun.
Tom Bachynski, president of the franchise, also had things to say about Page, calling him a quality guy and the organization is more than excited with Page being named the franchise’s next captain.
With 115 games with the Wranglers under his belt, the 18-year-old is the only remaining member from the 2015-16 KIJHL championship winning team, which also went on to win the Cyclone Taylor Cup and the Keystone Cup.
Unlike Bond, who was known for his offensive flair, leading the franchise all-time in points (156), assists (79), goals (77) and penalty minutes (381), Page is more of a grinder only scoring a total of 36 points in his junior career.
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Other returning veterans are Rob Raju, Darian Long, Garrett Hilton, Jackson Miller, Jaysen MacLean and Ethan Tucker.
There have already been eight players recruited to the club.
Jacob Gullmes is a goalie from Maple Ridge who played for Yale Academy in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League last season.
Six new forwards will also be looking to open up their goalscoring account with the Wranglers this upcoming season.
Nic Flinton, from Williams Lake, played two games for the Summerland Steam (KIJHL) last season.
The five other forwards are Dylan Carr, Carson Zimmerman, Cody Barnes, James Pederson and Chase Schurack.
Dylan Carr is from the 108 Mile Ranch and dressed for the Wranglers for one regular season game last season, scoring a goal and an assist. He also appeared in one playoff game.
“We are excited to have another local player in our roster this season,” said Hladun. “Dylan has good skating skills and I like the fact that he finishes his hits when he has the opportunity to do so. Opponents will find him tough to play against.
Two defenders will also be joining the team, Jaxon Passeri and Kyle Haugo. Passeri played for the Williams Lake Tier 2 team last season and was described by Hladun as having great vision with offensive instincts. Look to him to be anchoring one of the power play units this year.
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Haugo is a veteran of the KIJHL. The 20-year-old defenceman used to play for Hladun when the latter was the general manager and head coach of the Fernie Ghostriders. He already has 108 KIJHL games under his belt and will aide Page in providing leadership.
The club’s main training begins on Aug. 31 and will be small in numbers, but Hladun says it will be highly competitive.
“Our team will have a lot of new faces in the roster. We look to be much younger than in previous seasons with upwards of eight to 10 school aged players in our lineup. I sense the majority of our division will carry younger rosters than last season as well,” said Hladun. “Our team looks to have some strong skill and should be a good skating club. I am excited how our team is already shaping up for the upcoming season.”
The Wranglers will play their first pre-season game against the Kamloops Storm on Sept. 3.
Players not returning to the Wranglers are Joel Patsey (Langley Rivermen- BCHL), James Gordon (Trinity West Trojans of the BC Intercollegiate Hockey League), Kevin Fillier (LaRonge Icewolves - Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League), Travis Gook (Grant MacEwan College) and Quin Garrison and Hayden Lyons who have been traded to the Princeton Posse.
Frazer and Liam Dodd are on tryouts with the Merritt Centennials and the Olds Grizzlies of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, respectively.
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