Heading west has certainly paid off for the Cowichan Valley Capitals forward Brock Cummings.
The Mississauga, Ont. product has quickly established himself as a key contributor for the British Columbia Hockey League team. As of this writing, the rookie is third on the team in scoring.
“When looking at junior leagues in Canada, the BCHL was the number one league I had in mind because I think it is the best junior league in Canada and it was the league I thought would help me develop the best,” the 18-year-old said.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Cummings has scored a team-second-best 15 goals through 45 games and totaled 27 points. In his third contest as a Capital, Cummings lit the lamp twice in a 4-1 victory on Sept. 29 over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. In a 4-3 win over Merritt on Dec. 8, he also scored twice and recorded an assist for a three-point outing. His hat trick on Jan. 5 spurred the Caps to a 5-3 defeat of Chilliwack.
“Brock has been able to produce offensively as a first-year player for a couple of reasons,” Capitals head coach Mike Vandekamp said. “He is a big strong player who goes to the net and has good hands around the net. He also can see the ice well and make plays.”
However, it is not just on the offensive side where Cummings excels.
“Brock is an exceptional defensive centre,” Vandekamp added. “He understands where to be in his end and can win battles with his physical strength. He is also a tremendous face-off guy and penalty killer.”
High school success before joining the BCHL
Cummings spent the last two seasons developing his game in Massachusetts, playing for Belmont High School. Last season, he paced the squad in assists with 32 in 30 games and was second in points with 40.
The leading scorer at Belmont in 2022-23 was Ronan O’Donnell, who also played in Cowichan Valley this season, and had team highs of 24 goals and 43 points in 30 games. This season the Fairfield, Connecticut product had six goals and 15 points in 20 games for Capitals before joining the United States Hockey League‘s Madison Capitols. He has committed to play at Yale University after his junior hockey career.
In addition to playing for Belmont, Cummings suited up in 2022-23 for U18 AAA Boston Junior Eagles and had two goals and three points in 12 games. “I think that the main difference between the BCHL and the level I played in last year is the speed and the maturity of many of the players,” Cummings said.
Love the Island
He has quickly come to appreciate what the Cowichan Valley Capitals offer – on and off the ice.
“The things I’ve enjoyed so far about playing for the Capitals are getting to know all of my teammates and building close friendships with many of them while making memories that’ll last a lifetime,” Cummings said.
“What I’ve enjoyed about Duncan is the difference in scenery compared to living in Mississauga like going hiking or going to the ocean,” he said, describing his new locale.