The Peninsula Panthers will have a young and talented Club this season and are in the process of reloading some of the talent that left the team over the Spring and Summer.
20-year-olds Justin Post, Drayson Lum, Ty Tremblay and former Captain Spencer Loverock have all aged-out of the Junior Hockey ranks however, Loverock has landed on his feet in a Div III NCAA program in Wisconson, USA.
Two youngsters who played with the Panthers as 17-year-olds are now a year older and just a bit wiser and both will be plying their trade in the BCHL this coming season. Cam Thompson, who lead all scorers with the Panthers in his rookie campaign, has been signed by the Victoria Grizzlies. Ryan Warner, who shared the Rookie of the Year Award with Thompson and 16-year-old Marty Westhaver, was inked to an agreement with the Trail Smoke Eaters, also of the BCHL.
"These three kids really had great seasons with us last time around and are full value for what they have accomplished in jumping to the next level," explained Pete Zubersky.
"Our program is about giving kids a chance to develop and hopefully make the jump and so we are all pretty happy to see them achieve their goals. We were coming down Island from Campbell River last season after a game with the Storm and Warner came to the front of the bus to have a chat. I asked him why he decided to come out to the Peninsula as he resides in the Westshore and it is certainly more of an effort to get out to the Panorama. Ryan told me that he had done a lot of research and he believed that playing on the Peninsula with the Panthers gave him the best opportunity to develop and move to the next level. I thought the statement from a young kid was telling," said Zubersky.
Zubersky felt that there were others who might have a chance to make the jump if not this season, certainly soon. "Marty Westhaver and Shawn Parkinson (pictured below) were both 16-year-old kids who played well last season and opened some eyes. I know that both will be in the Grizzlies camp later in August and are hoping to show well. They are both really great kids and both should end up playing in an NCAA Div I program in several years. They are both very young and if they do not move to the BCHL this season, they will most likely shine and gain even more confidence out here. The BCHL is an older league. It does not matter where it all shakes out, both are poised to have great hockey careers and I am excited for the opportunities that both will see down the road. I still remember when Jamie Benn played in his first World Junior tournament and the Times Colonist called on Boxing Day to get a comment or two. I remember saying that Jamie was just touching the tip of the iceberg and there was going to be a whole lot of excitement for the young fellow in the next five years. I believe that Parkinson and Westhaver will have a ton of excitement ahead of them as well."
Zubersky explained that there will be others who have been signed who will be in BCHL and WHL camps. "Holden Cochrane is a 17-year-old forward with an abundance of skill and he will be down in Tri-Cities for the Western Hockey League Camp. Cochrane played last season with the Victoria Royals Major Midget Club. Also signed by the Panthers and a teammate with Cochrane last season is 16-year-old Joe Stafford-Veale. The speedy forward has also been invited to the Grizzlies Camp and will look to get his feet wet there. Marshall Brown played with the Westshore Wolves last season as a 16-year-old and we liked what we saw in him and it looks like he has a big upside. I made a deal for the youngster and he too has been invited to the Grizzlies Main Camp. Seventeen-year-old Thomas Spink is a defenceman who played last season in the Okanagan Hockey Academy and the offensive-minded rearguard will also get a look from the Grizzlies brass in their Main Camp."
Zubersky had some compliments for a couple of other 17-year-olds who have been inked by the Panthers. "Carson Cox played Midget in Saanich last season and he was signed in April at our Spring Camp. He has looked great the past couple of weeks and I look for a big year out of the youngster. He is a solid kid and I really don't expect it to take long before he becomes an impact. 17-year-old Jack McMillan played at the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy last season, hails from Delta and he came into our camp in April. I don't think he knew what to expect but had a great camp and we committed to him when it closed out on the Sunday. I loved his camp from start to finish. I have been speaking with the kid and he is excited to get the season going and it sounds like he has been busting his butt over the past couple of months. The youngster can skate and both he and Cox add a ton of energy and should be fan favorites right away. Stafford-Veale fits into that model as well.
The Panthers have some balls in the air trying to figure out who will land where and at the same time are in the process of evaluating new talent looking to crack the squad. The Club will play their first exhibition game on Friday, August 26th at 6:00 pm at the Panorama Recreation Centre when they host the Westshore Wolves. And the Club will open their 2016/17 regular season the following Friday on September 2nd when they play host to the visiting Saanich Braves.
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