There’ll be three Cariboo Cougars alumni to keep an eye on during the BC Hockey League’s (BCHL) upcoming season pending COVID-19.
On Saturday (Sept. 5), Hunter Brown was the latest to announce his commitment to the Merritt Centennials for the 2020-21 season.
He’s now the third U-18 AAA Cat to sign with a B.C. club for this year and the sixth to join a junior ‘A’ team following the 2019-20 campaign.
Merritt Assistant Head Coach Levi Stuart believes Brown will fit perfectly with the Cents’ culture on and off the ice.
“He has all of the intangibles to be an all-around high-end player,” said Stuart in a team release.
“He is an outstanding skater and keeps his feet moving at all times. He has an elite shot with a pro release and knows how and when to use it. He is a big body and a strong kid who has the potential to be an elite new age power forward at whatever level he plays.”
Brown matched his jersey-number in Cariboo’s points standings last season.
The six-foot-one Fort St. John forward finished sixth with 30 points in 39 games, including 16 goals and 14 assists, along with 28 penalty minutes.
A season earlier, he tied the scoring race with the Cougars’ U-16 AAA team with 17 goals and 31 points in 29 games.
He was also taken in the seventh round of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, 138th overall, by the Red Deer Rebels.
Brown is set to join teammate Alex Ochtiwa in the Nicola Valley and could compete against his former captain John Herrington on the Prince George Spruce Kings.
Merritt failed to make the playoffs last year after going 14-40-1-3, a significant drop compared to their second-place Interior Division finish in 2019 with a regular-season record of 36-15-4-3.
As of this publication, the BCHL has tentatively set Dec. 1 as its start date for the 2020-21 season, pending approval from B.C.’s provincial health office.
