Originally published in the Cranbrook Townsman/Kimberley Bulletin (May 19, 2016)
When the Kootenay Ice traded captain Luke Philp to the Red Deer Rebels in a pre-trade deadline blockbuster back in January, the veteran centre took solace in the fact he was going to get the opportunity to compete for a Memorial Cup championship.
Nearly five months later, the 20-year-old Philp and the Rebels prepare to host the nation as Memorial Cup competition opens Friday from the Enmax Centrium in Red Deer.
Former Kootenay Ice fan favourite and current Red Deer Rebels captain Luke Philp discusses the opportunity to compete for a MasterCard Memorial Cup championship.
Originally published in the Cranbrook Townsman/Kimberley Bulletin (May 12, 2016)
The Western Hockey League Bantam Draft is a complex beast, especially for kids weighing their options and mapping their future.
Yes, we are talking about kids as old as 15, some as young as 14 years, tasked with the challenge of making a major life decision with immense pressure weighing down upon them from every discernible direction.
On the flip side of the equation, WHL franchises are presented with an opportunity to brighten their future by adding a young thoroughbred to the stable. A miss step can leave any club reeling before falling behind in the annual horse race towards the WHL post-season.
The aforementioned shouldn’t come as news to anyone who follows major junior hockey in Canada, but what I’m working towards might surprise some fans and citizens in Cranbrook.
Payton Lee, pictured with the Edmonton Oil Kings during the 2015-16 WHL season. – Taylor Rocca Photo
Originally published in the Cranbrook Townsman/Kimberley Bulletin (May 10, 2016)
Payton Lee has taken to the ice at surface at Western Financial Place plenty of times over the course of his hockey career.
So while the friendly confines of his hometown Western Hockey League barn aren’t unfamiliar territory, the 19-year-old locally-grown goaltender is excited to spend a little more time here than he has in recent winters while playing across the province with the Vancouver Giants.
New Kootenay Ice goaltender Payton Lee discusses returning to his hometown of Cranbrook to finish out his Western Hockey League career.
The Ice Block 