The Cowichan Valley Capitals’ first new recruit of the off-season is Adam Grenier.
The 16-year-old forward from Coquitlam committed to the team last month, just before the hiring of new head coach Geoff Grimwood was announced.
Born in 2003, Grenier played this past season for Burnaby Winter Club’s midget prep team in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League, finishing second on the club with 39 points on 15 goals and 24 assists in 36 games. The 2019-20 season was all about getting ready for the next step.
“The staff prepared us for junior, coached us like we were in junior,” he said in a press release from the Capitals. “I’ve heard it’s a challenging jump from prep league to junior but I’m excited.”
Grenier comes to the Caps already familiar with the B.C. Hockey League. He was picked by the Regina Pats in the 2018 Western Hockey League bantam draft, but felt that junior A was a better fit.
“Growing up in Coquitlam, I’ve always been around the BCHL,” he said. “I have a lot of buddies that have chosen the BCHL; they say nothing but great things about the league. I chose this route because of the academics and my style of play. School is really important to me.”
Grenier put up 22 points in 25 games with BWC’s Elite 15s team in 2018-19, and 25 points in 30 games with the bantam prep squad in 2017-18.
“I see the ice pretty well,” Grenier said. “I like to play on both sides of the puck, skate well too, and obviously producing offence and points is fun.”
Dan Whiteford, an assistant coach with the Caps who will continue his duties under Grimwood, likes Grenier’s hard-nosed style of play.
“Adam’s got good hockey sense,” Whiteford said. “He’s a hard-working guy with a nose for the net and a high ceiling. He was successful at a very good program in Burnaby Winter Club and we think he can produce at the junior level.”
The Caps’ playoff success over the past two seasons, and the fact that a dozen members of the 2019-20 roster committed to post-secondary teams was a big part of the attraction.
“They move guys on, which is important to me,” Grenier said. “I think this is a good spot to go to help me get to the next level and the NCAA.”
Grenier got a brief taste of junior hockey last year, suiting up as an AP for one game with the Chilliwack Chiefs.
“It was really nice to get a game in,” he said. “It was Teddy Bear Toss so that was a lot of fun, it was nice to get that experience in. I’m really excited to come to Cowichan and play for the Capitals.”
