CASTLEGAR – If the Selkirk College Saints are to return the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) championship trophy to the West Kootenay, it will take a dressing room full of dedication to get them to the ultimate goal.
As Saints’ head coach Brent Heaven assembles his roster for the upcoming 2018-2019 season, leadership is a quality that scores high on his charts. With the addition of former Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) standouts Landon Walters and Andrew Thompson, the veteran coach feels good about how the squad is shaping up.
“Being a good leader is about competing hard every night and having the character to show your teammates what it takes to succeed,” Heaven says. “Both Andrew and Landon have shown this leadership at the junior A level and we are pleased to welcome them Selkirk College.”
Originally from Regina, Walters spent his final season of junior with the Weyburn Red Wings where he scored five goals and added 24 assists.
“Landon brings more than 100 games of junior A experience in the SJHL,” Heaven says of the five-foot-10 centre. “We feel that Landon will be a great addition to our program and one that has the potential to be a difference maker.”
Walters was drawn to Selkirk College by the team’s tradition of excellence and the beauty of the West Kootenay. He is enroled in the Business Administration Program where he plans on acquiring the skills and knowledge to get into the family business.
“I will bring a positive attitude, leadership and compete to the team,” Walters says. “Always positive either up or down in the game, I’m a leader on and off the ice. I hate losing, I’m a very competitive person.”
A six-foot-two left winger, Thompson was the captain of the Melfort Mustangs during the 2017-2018 season where he scored 17 goals and added 10 assists.
“Andrew is a great leader and constant competitor,” Heaven says. “He has shown a very high compete level to go along with his lead-by-example style of play. We are very pleased to be able to add another strong character player that we know will be a staple of our lineup moving forward.”
Originally from Lethbridge, Thompson is enroled in the Electrical Foundation Program on the Silver King Campus. With 104 penalty minutes in the SJHL last season, Thompson will be looking to add even more spirited tenacity to the Saints roster.
“I will be bringing a physically two-way forward style of play,” he says. “Playing hard in the gritty areas and competing day in and day out is what I pride myself on.”
The Saints begin the 2018-2019 BCIHL season in September where they will be looking for a return to the championship series. This past March, the Saints lost to the Trinity Western University Spartans who claimed their first ever league title. The Saints captured four straight provincial championships between 2013 and 2016.