B.C.‘s longest running Junior A franchise (51 years) – the Merritt Centennials – is set to start its inaugural season in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League on Sept. 20 in Quesnel. Centennials head coach-assistant general manager Wes McLeod gives insight on his roster for their Quick Shift team preview.
KIJHL: With assembling a new roster, what did you feel was important when it came to the type of players that you wanted to build with to create a strong foundation?
WM: The first thing we looked at was character. We want to build from the dressing room out and feel that if we have the right people, we’re able to build the right culture and sustain success over the course of years to come. First and foremost, it was about finding those right kids. On the ice, we play in a small rink (Nicola Valley Memorial Arena) and understand it’s going to be warfare at times out there. We have to find players that are willing to go to the hard areas and play with a certain level of grit and physicality. It’s going to the net, into those hard areas and being first to pucks, being good along the wall. You are trying to find players that are comfortable in those areas and willing to go there with speed and force and are good at coming out with pucks.
KIJHL: What should fans be excited about when it comes to this team?
WM: I think there is a lot to be excited about. We’re going to be extremely community oriented. You can really feel the excitement from the community towards our group. Merritt is extremely passionate about their team and organization. With it being one of the longest standing junior franchises in B.C., that carries weight. As a program, we are going to make sure that we’re holding that responsibility at a high level to be at our best, to perform at our best each day. The players understand that.
KIJHL: Talk about the local players you have recruited and what each will bring?
WM: From our April camp, we signed Merritt natives Luke Sowpal and Cooper Harrington. They are younger players.
Sowpal (2007-born) played for the Cold Lake Aeros last season (59 PTS in 34 GP) and will be a fan-favourite. Luke has some offensive upside, but he still has that tenacious work ethic. He’s not afraid to go to spots on the ice that are hard to get to. He is a shifty right-handed forward with a great release and possesses the ability to score from anywhere.
Harrington (2008-born) played for Thompson U17AAA last year (18 PTS in 32 GP). While he is smaller in stature (5-3, 130 pounds), he plays a big game. He’s not afraid to go into hard areas, go to the net and will try to hit the biggest guy with no fear. He is relentless in hunting pucks and creating turnovers and will be a pest.
We have three players from Kamloops – brothers Ezra and Jobie Siemens. Ezra played Thompson U17AAA, Jobie played for the Chase Heat. They have Merritt connections and Jacob Bishop.
Ezra provides a steady presence on the backend combined with vision and ability to break pucksout under pressure, really caught our eye.
Jobie is a physical work horse, who makes a good first pass and is an all-around solid defenceman.
We acquired Bishop from Chase, and he will add more of that community bond. He is a phenomenal kid, who has shown through main camp and the first week that he has leadership qualities. His teammates love him. I can tell already he is a bit of a glue guy in that room. He’s willing to do the extra things and help out his coaches however he can. On the ice, he’s a hard-working player. There is nothing flashy about his game, but he’s effective. He is good in all areas – a good 200-foot player.
KIJHL: When it comes to your leadership group, what are the important characteristics that you want each player to possess?
WM: It’s about our core values in terms of being a good teammate. We want them to bring positive, contagious energy to the rink every day. We want them to be good in the community and lead on the ice through their work ethic. They will be able to communicate and doing it at this age isn’t always easy and good leaders have those qualities to talk to their teammates, listen and feel the pulse in the room to know that if the coaches are pushing too hard, then they can communicate that with the coaches or vice versa.
We are not close to choosing the leadership group yet. As a new franchise, we’re going to give it time to develop organically.
KIJHL: Are there first-year players who are ready to make an immediate impact?
WM: Ethan Nesimiuk (2006-born) is a big, strong, left handed defenceman, who really impressed at main camp. He plays with a physical approach, an active stick, and a formidable presence in front of the net. His competitiveness in 50/50 puck battles poses challenges for opponents.
Rune Carlson (2006-born) is a very versatile two-way forward, who does everything. He brings a combination of speed, skill and grit. He’s a pretty good, complete 200-foot player that can play in all situations.
We feel that we have 1A and 1B situation with our goaltenders Dylan Spackman and Mathis Perron. Spackman played for the Red Deer Chiefs in the Alberta Elite Hockey League. He possesses athleticism, competitiveness and character qualities. His excellent skating allows him to move swiftly and compete in the net. He had a really strong main camp and we’re excited to see what he can bring in our crease. Perron is signed out of Shawnigan Lake in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, and he is a big strong kid (6-2, 185 pounds), there is a lot of upside to his game.
