Prospects Camp, New GF President

Junior-aged players from as far away as Edmonton and Prince Rupert are set to descend on Nelson this weekend for the first West Kootenay edition of the DHI Prospect Showcase camp.

The Rebels are expected to be among the local teams involved in this weekend's events and have been advertising the camp on the team website as part of their 2011-12 recruiting process.

I chatted with Princeton Posse head coach Dale Hladun, who has been running similar camps in Prince George since 2007, earlier this week. To listen to that interview, click here.

I found it interesting that Hladun made reference to the fact that there will be 20 year-olds at the camp, due to the presence of SJHL, MJHL and college coaches and scouts in Nelson this weekend. Usually a prospects camp is meant to identify the younger players in the junior hockey system, but he told me his goal is to get kids of all ages playing at the highest possible level.

New Bruins President: After Michael Wirischagin stepped down earlier this week, the Border Bruins have named Ward Faust the new team president. In chatting with Faust, it seems as though the Bruins are hoping the new blood off-ice will translate into a rebirth of the team on the ice and in the community. To listen to my conversation with him, click here.

Winds of Change: My friend and colleague Jon Zacks has, unfortunately, been laid off as sports director at Mountain FM due to some tough economic times in our industry. It's a real shame, as Jonny did a heck of a job with the Trail Smoke Eaters (and Rebels) last season and was a pleasure to work with (read his take on the situation here). That means, though, that my position will now involve a lot more sports reporting than was usually the case, so in the coming months this blog may transform from having a strict focus on the Rebels to having more of a West Kootenay/Boundary flavour, though I don't expect anything to change regarding my volunteer positions with Castlegar. If you, the reader, have any suggestions on what you'd like to see, don't hestitate to drop me a line at cwahl@mountainfm.net

Bits & Bites: A bit late on this one, but Beaver Valley's Colton Donselaar has committed to SAIT for the 2011-12 season. Last year's Nitehawks captain spent four years in Fruitvale and was the club's only 20 year-old. Nanaimo (BCHL) has received commitments from a pair of KIJHLers, Shawn Holliday (North Okanagan) and Colton Dahlen (Revelstoke). Holliday had 77 points in two seasons as a Knight, while Dahlen put up 21 points in his rookie year with Revelstoke in 2010-11.