Quesnel’s new Junior hockey team is ramping up for its first season.
The team held an ID camp in Prince George on May 18th and 19th to find talented players for the upcoming season. The camps are held to help teams identify which players they want for the coming season, but also to see up and coming talent for future years.
“Overall the talent level was quality. We will commit to two players out of that camp and possibly a third. And there are eight to 10 we’re going to invite to main camp to see if they can still make our club,” said the team’s coach and general manager Dale Hladun in an update with the Quesnel Observer. “If we get kids to main camp and start playing guys in exhibition seasons, that’s the far better measuring stick.”
Hladun has over 35 years of coaching experience, he has coached teams in Manitoba and across B.C. Being part of the Quesnel River Rush isn’t his first time coaching in the city, he was part of the coaching team for the Quesnel Millionaires when they were active in the 90s. Most recently he coached the 100 Mile House Wranglers in the 2023/2024 season.
The River Rush is a new team to Quesnel after local business owner and proud hockey parent Tracy Mero bought the North Okanagan Knights and brought junior hockey back to Quesnel.
READ MORE: Quesnel confirmed: River Rush the newest KIJHL team
Hladun is continually meeting with players from the old North Okanagan Knights team. One of those players Hladun is enthusiastic to see join the River Rush is forward Cash Anderson.
“He’s got connections to Quesnel, he’s got family in Quesnel, he spends a lot of his summers in Quesnel and he’s been fantastic about helping me convince some of the other kids on that roster to come up and play for us,” Hladun said. “Cash is an exciting player. Extremely fast, a wonderful young man, he’ll be great in the community so we’re pretty lucky to have Cash coming up from Salmon Arm.”
While the team can’t sign players until June 1st, Hladun said Anderson is committed to coming to Quesnel.
The main camp for identifying players will run from August 6th to 9th in Quesnel. After Labour Day, 20-30 players will return for practices and exhibition games to help further evaluate them and determine the team’s roster.
Season tickets for the games held in the West Fraser Centre are on sale now at $320 for adults, $240 for seniors and students, $200 for children between six and 12 and free for kids under five. The tickets include a custom ID card and lanyard, designated seating that shows the pass holder’s name and skipping the lineups on game nights. On May 27th and May 29th folks can head to the West Fraser Centre to pick out their seats from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
“We had a professional photographer come and shoot the sections, and we printed them out on hard stock to label them all. We are extremely organized and want to show the city of Quesnel how we operate,” said the team’s business manager Hillary Shearing in an email to the Observer. “They (season pass holders) will also be entered into a draw for a free week of hockey school, and the chance to win a River Rush jersey.”
The team’s partnership with the Lhtako Dene Nation to raise the interest level in community sports is important to them and the team’s logo was designed in a group effort including consultation with members of the Lhtako Dene Nation. The goal of the logo was to represent Quesnel’s history and use colours paying tribute to the Kangaroos and Quesnel Millionaires.
“Team sports are essential for mental health, team building, and socialization in general,” Shearing said.
Along with the River Rush, the KIJHL also approved the sale and move of the Summerland Steam franchise to Williams Lake where they will now be known as the Mustangs.
Tyrel Lucas will serve as the Williams Lake team’s first head coach and general manager.