Beaver Valley Nitehawks captain Kaleb Percival received a very special honour, earning the KIJHL’s Jaxon Joseph Memorial Scholarship last week.
It was only appropriate to pause and observe a moment of silence on April 6 for the players who died in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
Joseph began playing junior hockey in Beaver Valley with the Nitehawks in 2015 before moving on to play in the B.C. Hockey League and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
Tragically, Joseph was one of 16 members of the Broncos killed in the accident on April 6, 2018.
Joseph’s goal was to play college hockey, and so the $2500 scholarship named in his honour is intended for an individual who shares his athletic and academic aspirations while having displayed a commitment to community engagement.
“We’re very excited to learn that Kaleb has been awarded the Jaxon Joseph Memorial scholarship,” said Nitehawks head coach Terry Jones in a release. “We feel that Kaleb is the perfect recipient.
“He’s a great teammate, a hard-working and dedicated player, and a top-notch leader, citizen and person. Selfless, humble and kind — these are qualities that Kaleb and Jaxon both shared as members of the Nitehawks.”
For Percival, who is attending the University of Jamestown in North Dakota, the scholarship affords significant aid for his post-secondary education.
Percival was an integral piece to the Nitehawks run to the conference final this season, and is honoured to have skated on the same ice as Joseph.
“With Jaxon being a Beaver Valley alumni, it definitely means a lot more, too,” said Percival. “The way he conducted himself around the rink, it has definitely carried on.
“It’s quite an honour to get a scholarship under his name.”
In his three seasons in Beaver Valley, Percival appeared in a total of 103 regular season and 46 playoff games, scoring 26 goals and recording 111 points, including 42 points in postseason appearances.
Following the 2023-24 regular season, Percival was named the Neil Murdoch division’s Top Defenceman and Most Valuable Player.
Academically, Percival thrived in his high school studies and graduated from J.L. Crowe Secondary in Trail with a 3.86 GPA while achieving straight A’s in his Chemistry, English and Pre-Calculus courses.
He has also shown a strong commitment to giving back to the community by helping with bingo hall clean-up, supervising at Fruitvale Community Night, assisting community members move in and out of homes, and bringing cookies and hot chocolate to the homeless he met in downtown Trail.
He picked up garbage to beautify his former high school and volunteered at a kids camp in Montrose.
Meeting the homeless through the team chapel program was one of the more meaningful experiences, and Percival credits head coach Jones, a big advocate for volunteer work in the community.
“It teaches you a lot at a young age,” added Percival. “The biggest thing is not sitting back and watching. Get involved, even if it might be uncomfortable. Don’t be afraid to go out of your way to help someone.
“The little things in the community can make such a difference.”