The Campbell River Storm acquired two new forwards this week.
The Storm acquired Braydon Horcoff (1994) from the Princeton Posse and, later in the same day, the team acquired Campbell River native Dom Kolbeins (1996) from the Sicamous Eagles of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL).
Horcoff, from Prince Rupert, started this season with the Posse playing 12 games and notching nine points (two goals, seven assists) and played the last two seasons with the the Castlegar Rebels where he won a KIJHL Championship last season.
Horcoff, a skilled, physical centre tallied 29 points in 88 regular season, while adding another nine in 24 playoff games with the Rebels.
“I’m excited for the chance to potentially win another league championship,” Horcoff commented when asked about joining the Storm. “I expect to bring a physical, gritty style of play to the table, a personal goal I’d like to achieve is to get onto the BCHL Island teams’ radar for call up and this organization helps make that happen.”
Kolbeins was acquired in a three-way trade from the Sicamous Eagles of the KIJHL. The Storm player going the other way is Californian Paul Ramsay who will play for Princeton.
Kolbeins first played Junior for the West Sound Warriors of the NORPAC Jr B league in the United States. Kolbeins finished last season with 38 games played and 45 points. This season Kolbeins has contributed six points in 17 games with the Oceanside Generals including a penalty shot goal against the Storm.
“I’m really excited to play in front of the best fans in the league. Growing up watching and idolizing the Storm I can’t help but feel a bit nervous for my first game,” Kolbeins said after stepping off the ice for his first Storm practice. “I feel my ability to grind out wins will be my biggest asset to the team. I’ll block shots and play a lot bigger than my size suggests and am looking forward to doing whatever it takes to win a Championship.”
Both Horcoff and Kolbeins are expected to make their Storm debuts when they look for revenge with the first place Nanaimo Buccaneers rolling into town on Friday night.
Associate coach Stefan Jensen was very excited when reached for comment regarding the recent acquisitions, “adding a player like Horcoff is huge in terms of success later on in the season and into the playoffs. He brings a physical element and a high compete level down the middle of the ice,” Jensen continued to rave about the recent additions stating Kolbeins is a, “dynamic forward that creates energy every time he is on the ice.
“With his work ethic and speed he will be able to step in and contribute with secondary scoring in our lineup.”
The Storm host division rivals the Naniamo Buccaneers on Friday in a rematch of last week’s 3-2 loss where 952 fans attended and continue the weekend by travelling down-Island to play the Cougars in their first visit to Victoria this season on Sunday.
In their only meeting of the season the Cougars dispatched the Storm 2-0 in front of a nearly sold out crowd at the Brindy. For ticket information please visit www.campbellriverstorm.com.