On Jan. 20, the Powell River Kings goalie tandem became a goalie trio. Kings head coach and general manager Stephan Seeger Jr. signed 2006-born goaltender Ryan Tamelin, who hails from Invermere, B.C.
Tamelin is a product of the Okanagan Hockey Academy who also has playing experience in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and Alberta Junior Hockey League. Before joining the Kings, Tamelin played seven games for the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs this season.
This article is about Tamelin’s path to Powell River. Before that though, I will cover several other January and February roster changes for the Kings.
More roster changes
In January, the Kings saw three players depart the team while two more players joined. 2005-born forward Christian Maro joined the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League on Jan. 11.
At the end of January, the Kings traded 2005-born defenders Wyatt Davis and Willem Terwood to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs for future considerations.
Aside from Tamelin, another player to join the Kings roster included 2006-born defender Coen Miller. He got into three games with Powell River before leaving to sign with the Vernon Vipers. Before coming west to the BCHL, Miller last played for the Valley Wildcats of the Maritime Junior Hockey League.
Before the Feb. 10 roster deadline, the Kings signed three players. 2005-born forward Quentin Harvie came from the New Jersey Rockets of the National Collegiate Development Conference, 2005-born defender Dante Ersoni was brought over from the Central Canada Hockey League’s Cornwall Colts, and . 2007-born blueliner Nathan Lebrasseur was signed from Champlain St. Lawrence Lions of the Québec Collegiate Hockey League.
The Kings also traded 2004-born forward Joel Purdom to the Sherwood Park Crusaders for future considerations and sent 2006-born forward Tommy Karmiris‘ BCHL rights and future considerations to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs for 2006-born forward Jacob Wingfield. Karmiris currently plays for the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Burlington Cougars. He’s also spent time with the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.
In a subsequent move, Powell River flipped Wingfield to Langley for future considerations from the Rivermen. The final roster change saw the Kings sign 2005-born forward Jackson Potulny. He started the season with the Penticton Vees before being traded to the Rivermen in November.
These roster changes continue a trend that many BCHL teams experienced throughout the season. Several teams have seen players leave to join Canadian Hockey League rosters. Meanwhile, other BCHL teams tinkered with their rosters since the beginning of the regular season — the Kings have done both.
Tamelin’s beginnings
During the 2020-21 season, Tamelin spent time with the East Kootenay U15 AA zone team and ended up being drafted in the ninth round, 183rd overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. From the following season through to 2024, Tamelin played at the Okanagan Hockey Academy. He started with the OHA U16 Prep team in the 2021-22 season before moving up to the U17 Prep team in 2022-23.
As a 15-year-old, Tamelin played 13 games for the U16 Prep team, posting a 5-6-1 record, a 4.61 goals-against average, and an .878 save percentage. In 2022-23, the 16-year-old Tamelin got into 19 games with the OHA U17 Prep team and finished with a 12-4-2 record, a 2.35 goals-against average, and a .928 save percentage to go along with two shutouts.
That season, he made his junior hockey debut with the KIJHL’s Columbia Valley Rockies as an affiliate player. In one game with Columbia Valley, Tamelin made 22 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Kamloops Storm in November 2022. That month, he also signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Victoria Royals.
For the 2023-24 season, Tamelin joined the OHA U18 Prep team, going 13-4-0 with two shutouts, a 2.82 goals-against average, and a .913 save percentage. He made his WHL debut on Jan. 13, 2024, and made 33 saves for the Royals in a 5-4 overtime loss to Saskatoon.
Last September, Victoria sent Tamelin’s rights to the Spokane Chiefs for an eighth-round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft.
Before signing with the Kings, Tamelin played seven games for the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the AJHL. In Bonnyville, he formed a tandem with former Cowichan Valley Capitals goaltender Cody Butikis. Tamelin and Butikis are two of six goaltenders to be used by the Pontiacs this season.
In seven games with Bonnyville, Tamelin was 2-2-1 with a 3.37 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage.
The Kings’ goalie trio
Tamelin is now part of three goalies sharing the Kings’ crease, along with 2005-born Cooper Flemming and 2004-born Vincent Lamberti.
Things will certainly change between the pipes in Powell River after this season. Lamberti will age out of junior hockey and has committed to play NCAA Division III hockey at Amherst College this fall. There’s no guarantee that Flemming will stay with the Kings, so Tamelin could be the only goalie to return for next season — and even that isn’t guaranteed.
Between this season and last season, Powell River has iced nine different goaltenders. Lamberti is the only one to appear for the Kings in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Tamelin won his debut game for Powell River on Jan. 24, making 31 saves in a 7-4 victory over Nanaimo.
Photo credit: Island Images Photography
