Warriors add to coaching staff
The West Kelowna Warriors announced on Wednesday that they have hired Brent Hayter as their Sports Therapist and Mental Skills Coach.
A therapist in the Kelowna, B.C. area, Hayter brings 25 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach, power skating instructor, coach, and teacher to the Warriors.
Thunder snags Roberts from the Express
2003-born defender Luke Roberts (four goals, 18 assists in 110 games with Surrey and Coquitlam from 2020-23) has signed with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Drayton Valley Thunder for the 2023-24 season.
Roberts, a native of West Vancouver, B.C., scored once and added six assists in 45 regular season games with the Coquitlam Express in 2022-23. He also played in five playoff games.
Two former BCHLers sign with ECHL’s Mariners
25-year-old forward Troy MacTavish (three goals, two assists in 37 games with Nanaimo in 2015-16) and 25-year-old defender Owen Norton (four goals, 27 assists in 58 games with Surrey in 2017-18) have signed with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners for the 2023-24 season.
MacTavish, who hails from Ottawa, Ont., spent the 2022-23 season as a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Birmingham Bulls. The former Clipper scored 16 goals and added 23 assists through 53 regular season games. He also contributed three assists in 10 SPHL playoff contests.
Norton, who calls Ancaster, Ont. home, played four games with the Mariners at the end of the 2022-23 season following his fifth and final season at Mercyhurst University. He collected four assists in 36 NCAA Division I regular season games. He finished his collegiate career with seven goals and 37 assists in 159 games.
Berry heads to Germany
24-year-old defender Spencer Berry (three goals, 29 assists in 129 games with Surrey and Langley from 2015-18) has signed overseas with Bietigheim Steelers of DEL2, Germany’s second tier of professional hockey. It is his first season of professional hockey following five seasons of NCAA Division I hockey.
Berry, who is from White Rock, B.C., played 37 games at the Rochester Institute of Technology during the 2022-23 season. He scored one goal and seven points. He finished his NCAA career with one goal and 16 assists through 125 games.