Recruiting for the 2013-14 Thompson Rivers University WolfPack has for the most part revolved around three Junior B hockey teams, one of them being the Nelson Leafs of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
WolfPack general manager Chris Hans and head coach Don Schulz are pleased to announce that a second member of the Leafs' 2012-13 squad has agreed to join the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League team in September.
Colton Schell, a 5-foot-11 forward from New Westminster, B.C., is the WolfPack’s 12th recruit committed for the upcoming season. Schell will be enrolled in the Police and Justice studies course at Thompson Rivers.
"I'm very happy to be able to be a part of the WolfPack team and I'm looking forward to the start of the season," Schell says.
He played 52 games with the Leafs last season, scoring 25 goals and adding 42 assists with 154 minutes in penalty time, and he added five goals and seven assists in six playoff games.
"Colton is a dynamic player who brings a tremendous offensive upside to our line up," says Hans. "He led the Leafs in regular season and playoff scoring and was seventh overall in the KIJHL scoring. He also brings some grit to our line up having picked up 154 penalty minutes last season. I expect Colton to have an immediate impact in the BCIHL considering his great junior career which saw him put up 1.1 point per game average over four seasons."
"He makes players playing with him better," states Nelson coach and general manager Frank Maida. "Colton was our captain, he was a leader both on and off the ice. He works hard and is a great kid."
"I’m very excited about this new adventure," Schell explains. "I like that Kamloops is a small city but still has all the amenities of a big one. I’ve heard many good things about the TRU campus."
Says coach Schulz: "I'm most pleased and excited about the addition of Colton to our forward contingent. I was impressed with his play when I scouted him. He is quick with his mind, feet and hands. He is tenacious on the puck and creative when he gets it; he’s also opportunistic and get himself open when he’s away with the puck. He’s not a watcher but a mover and an initiator. His stats are a testament to his play and obviously carried this through into the playoffs when everything in the game intensifies and matters most."
"Like most players out of junior, there will be a transition period for Colton to get used to the speed and strength of our league. I expect him to handle that easily and provide significant contributions from the get go. He is a very welcomed addition to our hockey club."
Schell joins defenceman Cameron Weir as the 'Nelson-connection' with Thompson Rivers for 2013-14.
"It’s always nice to know someone going into a new place," he explains.
While Weir says: "Colton is a player that has a nose for the net and has the ability to score goals."
The WolfPack are involved in a number of community initiatives— something Schell is looking forward to being a part of.
"I believe helping in the community is a very good thing to do, I’m all for it," he says. "We were very involved with the community in Nelson and as the team captain last year, I took it upon myself to keep the team interested in community involvement."
Other WolfPack recruits for 2013-14 are forwards Daniel Higgs (Aldergrove Kodiaks, PIJHL), Ryan Veillet (Aldergrove Kodiaks, PIJHL), Brandon Watson (Osoyoos Coyotes, KIJHL), Brodie Gibbon (Selkirk College, BCIHL)and John Proctor (Selkirk College, BCIHL), as well as defencemen Alex Martin (Delta Ice Hawks, PIJHL), Ryan Cuthbert (Delta Ice Hawks, PIJHL) and Cameron Weir (Nelson Leafs, KIJHL), plus goaltenders Mark Menicucci (Aldergrove Kodiaks, PIJHL), Chris Solecki (Fernie Ghostriders, KIJHL), and Stephen Wolff (Selkirk College, BCIHL).
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