REBELS COMMIT TO THEIR NEWEST PLAYERS

The Castlegar Rebels are excited to announce their first two commitments for the 2020-2021 season. The Rebels will be bringing in two more players from Prairie Hockey Academy of the CSSHL. Last season Prairie Hockey alumni Jaedon Little contributed to the Rebels offense with 9 goals and 26 assists for 35 points in his 37 game rookie campaign. This coming season the Rebels will look to continue the trend and welcome forward Zach Ashworth and defenceman Colton Aikens.

This past season Colton Aikens led Prairie Hockey Academy and the CSSHL Midget Varsity league in scoring, registering 27 goals and 22 assists for 49 points in 32 games. Aikens, from Briercrest, Saskatchewan, was the Captain at Prairie Hockey Academy and will have an immediate impact, bringing more offense to our blue line. Head Coach and General Manager Carter Duffin spoke about adding Aikens to the Rebels roster “Colton is an elite level player, he has a vision for the ice that is a step ahead of everyone else around him. He skillfully controls the puck and will be looked at to be a quarterback for our offense, right out of the gate this season!” Aikens is excited to be coming to Castlegar next season, he talked about his decision “the culture of the team is phenomenal and growing up in a small town, Castlegar seems to be a great fit for me – and to add, it’s a beautiful town”. Aikens also looks forward to performing in front of the Rebels fans next season. When asked what the Rebels fans can expect to see from him, he added “I plan to bring my hard work and playmaking ability to the ice to help the Rebels to a successful season”.

Ashworth, originally from Estevan, Saskatchewan, will come to the Rebels following two seasons with Prairie Hockey Academy. In 55 games over the past two seasons he scored 23 goals and added 38 assists for 61 points and 38 PIMs. This past season Ashworth was a nominee for the CSSHL Midget Varsity Most Sportsmanlike Player award. Head Coach and General Manager Carter Duffin is excited to add Ashworth this season “He brings an exceptional compete level, paired with his skill and high hockey IQ to get to the right spots at the right time. His play away from the puck allows him to create opportunities for offense every time he is on the ice”.  Ashworth talked about his decision to commit to the Rebels “Hearing about how Coach Duffin runs the Rebels organization, and the positive impact it has on the Castlegar community, that is what makes me want to be a Rebel!” When asked about what the Rebels fans can expect to see from him this season, he described himself as “a quick two way forward that plays the game with intensity and a high compete level”.

If you want to see a glimpse of what to expect from Ashworth next season, check out a highlight reel of his goals on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WTb06v4PsBo

The Rebels are excited about the pipeline of players they have with Prairie Hockey Academy. Duffin spoke about their program and relationship “PHA is focused on developing players skills and abilities, but more importantly, they develop excellent young men. The type of guys you want to build a program around. At Junior hockey character trumps skill, so you want to be confident in the young men you add to your program. For prospective players to play for the Rebels, they need to have high skill, compete & grit, IQ and high character. These are the qualities that are developed at PHA and we are excited to continue to add players from their program”.