At least five members of the Summerland Steam will not return to the Junior B hockey team when the next season begins in fall.
Nelson Hurry, Kendell Wilson and Rylan Sideroff are moving on to play on Junior A teams while Brett Huber and Daylan Robertson are aging out of the league.
Junior A and B hockey is for players between the ages of 16 and 20.
Gregg Wilson, co-owner and general manager of the team, said all the 17- and 18-year-old players with the Steam have had multiple opportunities to attend Junior A hockey camps.
While some players on this year’s roster will be absent next year, Wilson does not anticipate difficulties in bringing talented players for the upcoming season.
“It’s easy to recruit when you have a strong year and a good coach,” he said.
Over the past season, the Steam finished in second place in the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference: Okanagan Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
In playoff action, the team defeated the Kelowna Chiefs and then faced the top-ranked Osoyoos Coyotes, losing the best of seven series after the sixth game.
