As the offseason rolls along, the Cowichan Valley Capitals have announced the addition of a highly touted defenceman, while their starting goalie from the previous campaign has signed a deal to continue his hockey career in the university ranks.
In late June, the Caps acquired big 2003-born defenceman Owen Simpson from the Pickering Panthers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in exchange for future considerations.
Already committed to the University of Connecticut once his junior hockey career is finished, the 6-foot-4 Simpson played the 2020-21 season for the Boston Jr. Bruins of the National Collegiate Development Conference after the OJHL cancelled its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and finished with four points and 17 penalty minutes in 13 games. He last played Canadian junior hockey in 2019-20, posting 16 points in 45 games for the Whitby Fury as a 16-year-old.
“Owen will play a big role on our back end,” Capitals head coach and GM Brian Passmore said. “He is a big, smooth-skating defenceman who will help improve our transition game, breakout and power play. Owen is an elite-level player and we are very pleased and excited to welcome him.”
Meanwhile, Lucas Pfeil, who handled the bulk of the Caps’ goaltending duties in the Port Alberni pod in 2020-21, has committed to McGill University in Montreal for the upcoming season. Pfeil appeared in 16 of the Caps’ 20 games in Port Alberni, with a 3.17 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. Prior to joining the Caps, he played three years of major junior hockey with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League.
“We are very happy to announce that Lucas Pfeil will be continuing his hockey playing career at prestigious McGill University,” Passmore commented. “Lucas brought maturity, commitment, leadership, calm and resolve during his time with the Capitals in the 2020-21 season. He stuck with the process through thick and thin. Lucas is very deserving of this opportunity and we would like to congratulate him on this accomplishment. We wish him the very best with his school and hockey experience at McGill.”
