The Chilliwack Chiefs will have plenty of Abbotsford talent in prominent roles next season.
The B.C. Hockey League (junior A) team recently announced that defenceman Eric Roberts will serve as captain for the 2014-15 campaign, with forward Jordan Kawaguchi – a fellow Abby native – joining Roberts in the leadership group as an assistant captain.
Roberts is no stranger to wearing the C – he was captain of atom, peewee and bantam teams while playing in the Abbotsford Minor Hockey system. He was also a member of the Abbotsford Pilots' 2011-12 squad which won the Western Canadian junior B championship.
"It was obvious in our discussions that he would be a great person to lead our team,” Chiefs head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic said. “He has a tremendous work ethic. He battles hard and we want to be a hard team to play against in all zones. We expect Eric to lead our team and prepare them for those battles. We are going to strive for excellence and it starts in the dressing room under Eric’s leadership.”
Roberts, in his second full season with the Chiefs, posted one goal and nine assists in 51 games in 2013-14. Kawaguchi notched nine goals and nine assists in 49 games.
"Jordan is very mature for his age and had an excellent finish to last season,” said Tatarnic. “We are very excited to have Jordan back and in a leadership role. We’re confident he will be a great example along with Eric to our returning and new players.”
The Chiefs also announced that forward Kohen Olischefski has committed to join the team for the 2015-16 season.
Olischefski spent last season with the Yale Secondary hockey academy's Elite 15 team, scoring 18 goals and 35 assists in 30 games while captaining the team to the Canadian Sports School Hockey League championship. He was also named league MVP.
He's expected to see some action with the Chiefs next season, while spending the bulk of his time with Yale's U18 team.
“I am extremely excited to be given the opportunity to play for a team so close to home that I grew up watching,” said Olischefski. “The Chiefs are a first class organization and I am thrilled that I will get to wear the Chiefs jersey."