The skill and leadership Devan Suidy displayed in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) over three seasons has paid off for him.
The former 100 Mile House Wranglers captain drew more than a few awes from the South Cariboo Rec. Centre crowd last season – his lanky 6-foot-3 frame circling the ice for punishing hits; his surprisingly smooth hands consistently finding the back of the net.
The 21-year-old from Langley is taking that size and talent to the collegiate level next fall, suiting up for the Voyageurs men's hockey team and pursuing a career in power engineering on a partial scholarship with Portage College in Lac la Biche, Alberta.
And he says he has Wranglers coach Dale “Duner” Hladun to thank for it.
“A big reason I went to 100 Mile is I know he has connections. He pulled through for me.”
Suidy isn't sure what the Alberta College Athletic Conference has to offer with respect to hockey competitiveness, but he's looking forward to getting back on the ice again in a few months.
Suidy scored 21 goals and 16 assists in 43 games for the Wranglers, averaging nearly 0.9 points a game, in 2014-15. In the playoffs, he scored five goals and seven assists in 11 games.
Suidy played for Hladun previously with the Princeton Posse, and Hladun made him captain of the Wranglers when he joined the club for his last junior season.
“That group of guys made it so easy to be captain,” Suidy says of the Wranglers. “Usually the captain has so much responsibility, but those guys really made it easy for me. Not one guy on that team stood out as a pain in the butt or something like that. I loved it. The community is so easy to get along with too. Everyone loves the team.”
Asked what he'll remember most from his season in 100 Mile House, which draws amongst the biggest and loudest crowds in all the KIJHL, Suidy responds promptly: “The fans. It was insane playing in front of that many people every home game. That's hard to come by anywhere you go.”
Hladun says his former captain is “proof in the pudding” that Junior B hockey is not the end of the road for players if they work hard enough.
“What these players have to learn is hockey's fun, but you have to use it as a tool. Now [Suidy] is getting some schooling paid for because he can play hockey. Yea, you can enjoy [the game]. But you have to embrace the fact it can help you get something. This opens doors.”
College hockey can open doors later on down the road too, the coach adds.
“You wouldn't believe where your connections will go just because you've played college hockey. I think it's a great opportunity for Devan, and a good reward for him for being three years in our league and being the captain of our team. I'm real proud of Devan.”