Trail Smoke Eater Mitch Foyle received high praise from the BCHL this week with an “honourable mention” nod for Player of the Week honours.
“It’s always great to see our players, and especially local players earn a share of the spotlight, especially at the BCHL-wide level,” said Smoke Eaters head coach and general manager Bill Birks in a release.
“Mitch has shown steady improvement since we brought him in as an AP last year and he’s going to be a big part of this team for years to come.”
The 16-year-old Fruitvale native had a three-point night Friday in a 4-1 win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and scored the only Smokies goal in the loss to West Kelowna.
“I didn’t really expect it at all, it just kind of happened,” said Foyle of the honourable mention.
Foyle AP’d for the Smokies last year when he played with the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, and has worked hard to make the transition to junior A hockey.
“Playing Major Midget helped me develop a lot to make the step to come here this year and I think throughout the year, I’ve developed a lot more,” said Foyle. “I feel more confident, and can do a lot more than I could at the beginning of the year.”
Trail is preparing for a home-and-home series with the Silverbacks, a crucial series for the Smokies who are tied with Salmon Arm for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Interior division.
The Gorillas have four games in hand on Trail so the task to surpass them may be a difficult one for the Smoke Eaters, but it’s one that Foyle says the guys in the dressing room are ready for.
“I think that we all believe that we can do it, it’s just going to take everybody going and working hard, that’s all that we can do.”