Since the BCHL’s announcement and preseason games well underway, teams are having to expand rosters. Vernon has added more players, some will make it on the final roster, some are getting practice for upcoming seasons and some will not make the Vipers. Meet some of the players below.
The Rockets are now 10&0 to start the year! Game winner to Quinn Paterson your OT hero! @BCHockey_MML A very gutsy win for the guys today. pic.twitter.com/jguoIj8eLk
— Okanagan Rockets U18 AAA (@OkanaganRockets) October 20, 2019
Forwards
Quinn Paterson
Paterson is a 17-year old right-winger from Kelowna. He spent last year playing with the Okanagan Rockets U18 of the BC Hockey U18 AAA League. He also played four games with the Merritt Centennials as an affiliate. Paterson has spent the majority of his playing career in the Okanagan and playing for the Rockets.
Kaidan Johnson
Johnson is a soon-to-be 18-year-old forward from Burnaby, BC. He spent last season with the Vancouver NE Chiefs in the BC Hockey U18 AAA League. He played in the Mac’s Tournament and had five points in three games. Johnson also played at the Burnaby Winter Club from 2017-19.
Jeremy Rainville
Rainville was added to the Vipers after being cut by the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Brigham, Quebec native had 24 points in 61 games for the Olympiques in 2019-20. Rainville also spent the 2018-19 season playing with the Sherbrook Phoenix of the QMJHL and had seven points in 24 games.
Jordan Tonelli
Tonelli is a 20-year-old from Armonk, New York. He is the son of former NHLer John Tonelli, who won four straight Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders from 1980-83. Tonelli spent the last season with the Ceder Rapids RoughRiders of the US Hockey League as the captain and had 15 points in 33 games. He was committed to playing NCAA hockey for Brown University this season but it looks like he’ll play his final year of junior eligibility in Vernon.
Zackary Tonelli
Zack Tonelli is the younger brother of Jordan. He is an 18-year-old from Armonk, New York who spent the last year playing for the Yale Jr Bulldogs in the BEAST U18 Tournament Series, as well as Taft School in the United States High School Prep League. Tonelli was the captain of the 2019-20 team at Taft and had 24 points in 25 games. He is committed to play for Brown University starting in 2021-22.
Defensemen
As of this writing, the Vipers haven’t added any new blueliners to their roster.
The Richmond Sockeyes have announced that goaltender Roan Clarke (@DeltaWildHockey/@CSSHL) has committed to the team for the upcoming 2020-21 season.#PJHL | @R_Sockeyes pic.twitter.com/stEWvXo6fk
— PJHL (@Pacific_Junior) July 31, 2020
Goaltenders
With Reilly Herbst drafted by the Jamestown Rebels of the North America Hockey League, and not on the Vipers roster, Vernon is using two rookie goalies in Kobe Grant and Roan Clarke.
Kobe Grant
Grant played a single game for the Vipers last season as an affiliate player. He also played for the Thompson Blazers U18 team in the BC U18 AAA League. He played in 21 games with the Blazers and had a goals-against-average of 3.14. Grant also played one game with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in 2018-19 as an AP and had a save percentage of .500.
Roan Clarke
Clarke spent last season with the Delta Hockey Academy Prep team of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He played in 22 games and had a 2.79 GAA and a .908 save percentage. The Cloverdale, BC native has spent the majority of his playing career at the Delta Hockey Academy.
Vernon will have to make some roster decisions to trim the team down for the start of the 2020-21 season, but it should make for some competitive games for fans to look forward to.
