With puck drop on the 2025-26 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League season this Friday, Sept. 19, we take a quick look at the Castlegar Rebels.
The Rebels finished fourth in the Neil Murdoch division with a record of 15-21-4-4. They were swept in the first round by the Grand Forks Border Bruins.
Alex Evin, who took over as head coach last February, heads into his first full season as coach. He has a group that is showing they have a high work ethic.
“I definitely like our forward group,” said Evin, who as an associate coach with the Prince George Spruce Kings helped them win a BCHL championship in 2019, then earn silver in the Centennial Cup. “We still have some decisions to make about who will start the year with us. I think we’re gonna have a lot more depth than we thought, which is a really good thing.”
Since camp, Evin has been focused on building a foundation through compete levels and habits they want to see on a daily basis.
Returning Players: F- Josh Gamble (44-14-31-45), Aidan Hicks (38-12-13-25), Brayden Vopat (17-2-3-5), Ben Luterbach (33-1-5-6), Jordan Brunham (39-3-5-8), D- Josh Hogman (41-7-16-23), Jayden Spence (28-2-3-5), G- Zach Veninsky (20 GP 6-7-2 | 4.64 GAA | .865 SP.).
Acquisitions: F – Cooper Barclay (signed from Lake Cowichan Kraken – VIJHL – 39-15-9-24), Eli Florko (via trade from the Spokane Braves – 33-1-4-5), Adam Valach (via trade from the Quesnel River Rush).
Rookies: F – Deegan Kyle – West Kootenay Crusaders U18 AA – (16-11-9-20), Julian Knelsen – West Kootenay Crusaders U18 AA (played four games as an AP for Rebels last season), D- Ethan Hogman – Parkland Athletic Club Saints U18 AA (31-9-16-25), Rhett Steel – Swift Current Broncos U18 AA ), Hunter Edwards (signed from Carrot River Outback – Prairie Junior Hockey League – 5-8-0-3 | 4.78 goals against average | .891 save percentage).
Team Outlook: Evin is going to change how they play. It starts with focusing on foundation then the fundamentals that will help them be successful.
“There will be a lot of different things happening this year,” added Evin. “I think we have a forward group that can make plays. We hope to be one of the teams that plays fast and a good team game, that’s our goal.”
Veninsky, a second-year goalie, is a hard-worker who was challenged to come back ready to earn a spot.
“It’s still early, but we’ve really liked what we’ve seen from him,” said Evin, a former goalie. “He was very steady at camp, showed good leadership and had a very good first preseason game.”
Veninsky will share the crease with Hunter Edwards, who played Junior B in Saskatchewan and was named the Carrot River Outback Thunder Goalie of the Year.
“I think he has a ton of potential to be a very good goalie in this league and maybe beyond,” said Evin. “That will be our tandem to start the year and then we will see how things go.”
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