McArthur Commits to the Rebels

The Castlegar Rebels continue their busy and exciting offseason in preparation for the upcoming 2019-2020 season. At the conclusion of this past season, graduating goaltender Cedric LeSieur committed to play for the Liberty University Flames (ACHA), and following a trade with Nelson, sending returning 20 year old goaltender Curt Doyle to the Leafs, the Rebels were left with a hole in the crease. This weekend the Rebels are excited to announce they have filled a piece of that hole, with the commitment of Tyler McArthur from Fort St. John. Head Coach and General Manager Carter Duffin spoke about the goaltending situation and move leading up to this announcement. We had built an excellent relationship with Tyler and the McArthur family prior to trading Doyle. Knowing we were going to add a solid player in net, gave us the confidence to move Doyle to Nelson, to play his final season in the KIJHL with his home town team.

 

 

McArthur had an exceptional season in 2018-2019 with the NEBC Yukon Trackers out of Fort St. John, playing in the Northern Alberta Midget AA League. McArthur lead all goalies in the NAHML in both save percentage and goals against average, posting a 0.938 SV% and a 1.95 GAA. His achievements didn’t stop there, in addition to being an affiliate player with the Fort St. John Huskies and seeing action in the Hockey Alberta Junior B Provincials, he helped backstop the NEBC Yukon Trackers to a BC Hockey Midget Tier 1 Provincial Championship Title this past March.

McArthur stops pucks and wins games, that’s a simple way to describe him from last season. He is very calm in net, kills second chance opportunities and tracks the puck extremely well, said Duffin. While speaking to McArthur about making his decision to commit to Castlegar he said I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Rebels, the great coaching staff and facility. They are here to develop their players to further their careers. Hearing that the community is very supportive and about the great billet families, it made my decision that much easier!

The McArthur family is a supporter of Junior B Hockey in Fort St. John, billeting the Huskies goaltender Jonathan Bateman, who McArthur was able to lean on through the recruiting process. There was a lot going on through the recruiting process, being able to ask Coach Duffin every question me and my family had and get a thorough and straight forward response was huge. Having the opportunity to talk to my billet brother about the process helped me make an educated decision, as this is a big step into my Junior career.

The Rebels are excited to welcome Tyler McArthur to Castlegar. When asked about what the fans can expect from him this season McArthur said,

Firstly, I am excited to be a part of the great community of Castlegar! I am a very calm goalie in between the pipes, but will be very energetic and I am excited to get some wins in front of the great fans in Castlegar!

The Rebels Main Camp kicks off in two months on August 30 at the Castlegar Complex, and will be followed by a number of exhibition games in the following two weeks. For players and families with questions about camp information or registration, please reach out to Head Coach and General Manager Carter Duffin by e-mail at: carter.duffin@gmail.com.

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