Former Beaver Valley Nitehawk, Mason Spear, can’t get enough of the Kootenays as the Medicine Hat native committed to the Selkirk College Saints Men’s Hockey program this week.
Spear is already familiar to local hockey fans following three seasons in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks, Kimberley Dynamiters and Fernie Ghostriders. He spent the majority of his junior career with the Nitehawks, who he helped to a KIJHL Championship this spring as one of the team’s assistant captains.
He scored 21 goals and totalled 49 points in 42 regular season games during the 2011/12 campaign and added another 16 points in 17 playoff contests.
The 21-year old’s career KIJHL totals include 37 goals, 65 assists and 551 penalty minutes in 129 games.
“Mason’s work ethic, grit and skill level make him a tremendous addition to our roster,” says Saints head coach Jeff Dubois. “He plays a high-energy, physical game that I expect to be very effective in our league and he’s also shown the ability to put up some good offensive numbers, particularly over the past year in Beaver Valley. He’ll have the opportunity to step up and be a solid contributor in his first BCIHL season.”
Spear is one of a number of Saints recruits with ties to the West Kootenay, as Trail native and former Smoke Eaters captain Logan Proulx and Nelson Leafs alumnus Connor McLaughlin both committed to Selkirk College earlier this offseason.
His addition also brings the total number of KIJHL graduates on the Saints roster to 10.
“I can’t express how happy I am to come back to the Kootenays for the chance to further my education and to continue to play hockey,” says Spear. “I’ve been playing in this area for the last two seasons and it’s like my home now. I just love the area and the people here and to have the opportunity to go to school and to play hockey at the next level is a bonus.”