The Nanaimo Buccaneers’ playoff chances received a ringing endorsement.
Defenceman Jake Calverley rejoined his hometown team this month just before the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League’s trade deadline, coming from the Victoria Cougars in exchange for future considerations.
The Cougs are defending champs. They’ve won four of the last five titles. They’re in first place. And with all that in mind, do the Buccaneers, winners of 10 of their last 11, have a better chance to win a championship?
“I’m going to go ahead and say yeah, I think so,” Calverley said. “The work ethic of this team is not like anything I’ve ever seen before. Obviously, it’s showed that we’re going to be giving every team in the league a run for their money.”
Calverley’s return wasn’t just about joining the league’s hottest team, however.
“I’ve played the great majority of my career for this organization and there really is no place like home,” Calverley said. “In the end, I decided that I really missed wearing the black and yellow and I’m just extremely grateful for [management and ownership] making it happen to get me to come back, and for the boys being so welcoming.”
Calverley can play a two-way game, but he’ll primarily be asked to bring grit, experience and leadership. He said it takes a little bit of re-adjustment to Buccaneers hockey, but said the coaching staff has broken things down for him so that he feels comfortable.
“Getting a guy that knows our system from the year before and knows the way we play, it’s an easy fit,” said Dan Lemmon, Bucs coach and GM. “And he’s a guy who’s well-liked in the dressing room. We’re excited to add him back.”
Calverley’s third stint with the Bucs – he also played a season with Saskatchewan’s junior A Battlefords North Stars and has affiliated with the Nanaimo Clippers and Powell River Kings – is his final stretch of junior hockey. So he’s “really, really happy” to finish things with the Buccaneers, where he fits best.
“It’s an awesome environment in the room,” he said. “You look around the room and there’s no doubt that everyone in there has each others’ backs, absolutely no questions asked.”
GAME ON … The Bucs play the Cougars on Thursday (Jan. 19) at 7:15 p.m. at the Nanaimo Ice Centre. Tickets will be available at the door and cost $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and students and $5 for kids 6-12.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com
