2016-17 Recruiting Guide Sprds

2016/17
CRESTON VALLEY THUNDER CATS
RECRUITING GUIDE
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A THUNDER CATS PLAYER?
JEFF DUBOIS
HEAD COACH/GENERAL MANAGER
CELL: (250) 513-0189
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEB: CRESTONVALLEYTHUNDERCATS.COM
OUR PROGRAM
AMENITIES/FEES
SELKIRK COLLEGE
JOHNNY BUCYK ARENA
Creston fans fill the rink named for the
Boston Bruins great & Hall of Famer
The Thunder Cats are one of just five
KIJHL teams that have totaled 100 wins
over the past three regular seasons
The Creston Valley Thunder Cats organization takes great pride in offering players a first-class junior hockey
experience that develops the physical, mental and scholastic skills necessary to move on to higher levels
of junior and college hockey. Our experienced coaching staff targets high-character, hard-working and
committed student-athletes, and the structure and accountability our team environment provides is aimed
to give players a competitive advantage over their opponents both on and off the ice.
The experience of living in the Creston Valley and playing for the Thunder Cats will prepare you for the next
steps in your hockey career and in life. Our organization strives to emulate the core qualities of a Junior A
program competing at the Junior B level, providing athletic and personal development opportunities and
resources that include the following and more:
1. Professional coaching and leadership from a dedicated full-time staff;
2. A minimum of four 75-minute practice times per week, plus morning skates on game days;
3. Additional icetime available for individual and positional skill development;
4. Off-ice strength/conditioning training and season-long access to a gym, pool and fitness centre;
5. Mandatory community volunteer commitments on behalf of the team;
6. Weekly team video analysis sessions as well as ongoing individual video review;
7. Room and board with a welcoming billet family vetted by the team (fees apply);
8. Fully-licensed equipment (helmet, visor, gloves, pants, bag) and team apparel included in season fee;
9. All hotel accommodations and meals provided while traveling with the team on the road;
10.Educational advising to prepare players who wish to advance to play university/college hockey;
11.Assistance from coaches in identifying/contacting higher level teams to promote player advancement;
12.Nutrition/supplies provided for all games, including snacks, fruit, Gatorade, tape, wax, laces;
CRESTON VALLEY THUNDER CATS JUNIOR HOCKEY CLUB
OUR
FACILITY
As the primary winter tenant at the beautiful Creston & District Community
Complex, the Thunder Cats are able to offer a number of resources and amenities to our players,
including full-time use of a dedicated team dressing room and season-long access to a fitness centre,
weight room, swimming pool, hot tub and sauna. Our 8 hours of weekly icetime for team practices and
individual positional and skill development rival most Junior A programs.
VIDEO
TOOLS The Thunder Cats utilize pro-style Steva video editing software to break
down team and individual game video in order to optimize skill development, systems play and
in-game decision-making. Video is also used in weekly scouting sessions of upcoming opponents.
TEAM FEES Thunder Cats players are responsible for payment of an annual season fee
and monthly billet fees. The season fee covers all hockey-related activities and team equipment,
while the billet fee covers room and board with a local family carefully selected by the team. To
learn about specific fee amounts for the 2016/17 season, speak with head coach Jeff Dubois.
Fitness Centre
Swimming Pool
Weightroom
HARD WORK ISN’T EASY, BUT IT’S FAIR
THE CRESTON VALLEY
THE KIJHL
SELKIRK COLLEGE
The Creston Valley Thunder Cats are based in Creston, British Columbia, Canada. Creston is a small,
welcoming community of 5,300 residents in the scenic Kootenay region of the province. Driving times
to Creston are approximately five hours from Calgary and eight hours from Vancouver, and the town is
easily accessible from two nearby airports: the Canadian Rockies International Airport in Cranbrook and
the West Kootenays Regional Airport in Castlegar. Creston is also just 10 kilometres north of the Porthill
border crossing for convenient access to Idaho, Washington and Montana.
Located in the scenic Creston Valley, Creston is a friendly, hard-working community that thrives on
agriculture, forestry and tourism. It is also a tremendous outdoor adventure destination that features
nearby access to hiking, fishing, mountain biking, and various water activities at Kootenay Lake.
High school-aged players in Creston attend Prince Charles Secondary School and are aided by
educational advisors who work with the team to manage the challenges of balancing full-time schooling
with junior hockey. Players who have completed high school can begin work on their post-secondary
education at the College of the Rockies, which offers a wide range of web-based university-transfer
courses in arts and sciences, as well as academic upgrading classes. The Thunder Cats offer a bursary
program that can cover tuition costs for those who enroll in post-secondary courses while in Creston.
Creston Community Complex
College of the Rockies
CRESTON VALLEY THUNDER CATS JUNIOR HOCKEY CLUB
Prince Charles Secondary
DANE BIRKS
2013 Pittsburgh Penguins
6th Round Draft Pick
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is the premier development league at the Junior
B level in Canada. For 49 seasons, KIJHL teams have successfully developed and prepared players to
move on to Junior A and Major Junior hockey, as well as college and university programs at all levels in
Canada and the United States.
The KIJHL consists of 20 organizations spread throughout the interior of British Columbia, with teams
split into the Eddie Mountain, Neil Murdoch, Doug Birks and Okanagan divisions. Each team plays a 52game regular season schedule that runs from September to February, with 16 teams advancing to the
KIJHL playoffs and competing for a league championship and a spot in the Cyclone Taylor Cup, B.C.’s
Junior B provincial championship, in April.
Over 45 future National Hockey League players got their start in the KIJHL, including Shea Weber,
Barret Jackman, Cody Franson, Chuck Kobasew, Adam Deadmarsh and Ray Ferraro. Countless others
have earned scholarships after progressing to leagues like the WHL and BCHL, while many of those
who finish their junior careers in the KIJHL are recruited by college teams in B.C., Alberta and the U.S.
Thunder Cats players are able to affiliate with teams in the British Columbia Hockey League
and we work hard to help create these opportunities. During the 2016/17 season, BCHL
teams affiliated seven Thunder Cats players, which was more than from all other teams in
the Eddie Mountain Division combined. The Trail Smoke Eaters are one hour from Creston,
making it easy for our players to attend practices and play games when called upon.
RULE #76: NO EXCUSES, PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION!
PLAYER ADVANCEMENT
HEAD COACH
Thunder Cats alum Colby Livingstone
spent the 2015/16 season with the
Victoria Grizzlies and Canmore Eagles
Development and advancement are at the centre of the experience we provide for players who wear the
Thunder Cats jersey. Whether it to be higher levels of junior hockey, or college and university, our staff
works hard to ensure that every athlete reaches their full potential and has opportunities to advance.
Over the past five seasons, 23 Thunder Cats have advanced to Junior A/University hockey:
Skylar Pacheco (Prince George Spruce Kings, BCHL)
Alex McDougall (Powell River Kings, BCHL)
Dane Birks (Merritt Centennials, BCHL)
Colby Livingstone (Canmore Eagles, AJHL)
Tyler Podgorenko (Notre Dame Hounds, SJHL)
Maverick Lynes (Selkirk Steelers, MJHL)
Riley Bosman (Fort Frances Lakers, SIJHL)
Kyle Michalovsky (Amherst Ramblers, MHL)
Logan Styler (St. Stephen Aces, MHL)
Angus Johnston (Woodstock Slammers, MHL)
Seth Schmidt (South Shore Lumberjacks, MHL)
Matti Jmaeff (Amherst Ramblers, MHL)
Brandon Parrone (College of St. Scholastica, NCAA DIII)
Trevor Hanna (Castleton State College, NCAA DIII)
Connor Kidd (Becker College, NCAA DIII)
Scott Swiston (Augustana College, ACAC)
Marcel Fuchs (Selkirk College, BCIHL)
Jackson Bruce-Fuoco (Selkirk College, BCIHL)
Brandon Formosa (Univ. of Central Oklahoma, ACHA DI)
Kyle Richter (Univ. of Central Oklahoma, ACHA DI)
Trevor Leblanc (Univ. of Central Oklahoma, ACHA DI)
Andrew Hodder (Univ. of Central Oklahoma, ACHA DI)
Nick Kovacik (Jamestown College, ACHA)
CRESTON VALLEY THUNDER CATS JUNIOR HOCKEY CLUB
Dubois coached players from Major
Junior, Junior A & Junior B to a pair of
championships at Selkirk College
JEFF DUBOIS HEAD COACH/GENERAL MANAGER
Dubois is entering his third season with the Thunder Cats after joining the team from
Selkirk College of the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League in June 2014. In his two years
in Creston, he has led the team to an overall regular season record of 61-33-3-7 in 104
games as well as a pair of postseason appearances. In that time, 12 Thunder Cats players
have affiliated with BCHL teams, four have moved on to Junior A programs full-time
and seven have earned commitments to play university hockey in Canada and the U.S.
SKYLAR PACHECO
TREVOR HANNA
236 games in the BCHL
Brock University (CIS)
2011-2014; Committed to
Castleton State (NCAA DIII)
At Selkirk, Dubois led the Saints to a pair of BCIHL championships in two seasons behind the bench, totaling
a combined regular season and playoff record of 49-6-1. During the 2012/13 season, the Saints set BCIHL
records for wins and points in a season as well as for the league’s longest-ever winning streak. In 2013/14,
Selkirk successfully defended their league title while setting a new league mark for lowest goals against
in a season with 51 in 24 regular season games. Dubois was named the BCIHL’s Coach of the Year at the
conclusion of both seasons. Prior to joining the Saints, Dubois spent six seasons as the General Manager at
Simon Fraser University, where he led the program to three BCIHL titles and five league finals appearances.
He also played two seasons as a member of the SFU men’s hockey team while studying Political Science.
Dubois previously served as the B.C. scout for the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs and has developed a vast
network of Junior A and university coaching contacts across Canada from his time at Selkirk College and SFU,
as well as from three years spent in the BCHL head office as the league’s Director of Communications.
SUCCESS ISN’T OWNED, IT’S LEASED. AND RENT IS DUE EVERY DAY.