The off-season is in full swing for the West Kelowna Warriors.
The BCHL team was eliminated from the firs round of the playoffs in early March, and rearrangements to the roster have begun. With players committing to universities and different leagues, the Warriors have signed prospect John Evans in one of their first moves of the off-season.
Evans, 17, and originally from South Surrey, has spent the past four season with Delta Academy of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL). He had 20 goals and 52 assists in only 35 games last season with Delta Academy.
“John is coming off another terrific season with the Delta Hockey Academy who have developed him on and off the ice,” said Warriors GM and head coach Brandon West.
“(He) is going to have a bright future here with us and we expect him to be a leader in the offence in due time. We feel that he is an elite 2002 who can make things happen on the ice and Warriors fans will be excited to watch him develop over the coming years.”
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Evans played just under 10 games with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles last season, and registered one goal; he still decided to commit to Warriors for this upcoming season because of his familiarity with the coaching staff.
“Brandon West was coaching in Surrey when I attended Eagles training camp last year so he got to know my game,” said Evans. “When he was hired to coach West Kelowna it made sense for me to play for coach West and the Warriors.”
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Evans led the Delta Academy in points by a long shot, registering 72 points over the next closest total of 39 points.
He said that he’ll be working on both aspects of his game going forward.
“I try to focus on my defensive game and that tends to lead to getting good offensive opportunities.”
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