The Columbia Valley Rockies are a junior "B"
ice hockey team based in
Invermere,
British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the
Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The Rockies play their home games at Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena.
The Rockies joined the league in 1978 as an
expansion team
An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
. In its KIJHL history, the team has won the
Keystone Cup twice, in 1989 and 1990; the
Cyclone Taylor Cup The Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament serves as the British Columbia Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship. The annual tournament is held amongst the champions of British Columbia's three Junior B, C, D, Junior B ice hockey leagues, as well as a hos ...
once, in 1989. The Rockies have won the KIJHL Championship three times, in 1988, 1989 and 1990. They won five division playoff titles as a member of the Eastern Division from 1978-1996 and three division playoff titles as a member of the Eddie Mountain Division from 1996-2012.
History
The team was founded by Eddie Mountain, of whom a KIJHL division was recently named. The team won three straight KIJHL Championships in the late 1980s and in 1989 took home the
Cyclone Taylor Cup The Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament serves as the British Columbia Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship. The annual tournament is held amongst the champions of British Columbia's three Junior B, C, D, Junior B ice hockey leagues, as well as a hos ...
and the
Keystone Cup under the direction of
Tom Renney, who is currently an assistant coach of the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
of the
NHL.
Season-by-season record
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''
Records as of February 22, 2014.
Playoffs
Cyclone Taylor Cup The Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament serves as the British Columbia Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship. The annual tournament is held amongst the champions of British Columbia's three Junior B, C, D, Junior B ice hockey leagues, as well as a hos ...
Keystone Cup
Alumni
*
Doug Barrault
Douglas Barrault (born April 21, 1970) is a Canadians, Canadian-born former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), Right Winger. Drafted 155th overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars, he played in four National Hock ...
* Taylor Dakers
*
Wade Dubielewicz
Wade Roger Dubielewicz (born January 30, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 43 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2003 and 2010 with three teams: the Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, and Ne ...
*
Cory Flett
As a given name, Cory is used by both males and females. It is a variation of the name Cora, which has Greek origins and is the maiden name of the goddess Persephone. The name also can have origins from the Gaelic word ''coire'', which means "in a ...
* Marc Garthe
* Logan Koopmans
*
Jeff Lank
Jeff Lank (born March 1, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played two NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1999–2000 season.
Lank was born in Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Prov ...
*
Riley Nelson
Riley Nelson (born November 8, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who most notably played 11 seasons for minor league team, the Colorado Eagles in the ECHL. He is the all-time franchise leader in goals, assists and points fo ...
*
Jason Marshall
*
Tom Renney
*
Craig Stahl
Awards and trophies
Keystone Cup
*1988-89
*1989-90
Cyclone Taylor Cup The Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament serves as the British Columbia Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship. The annual tournament is held amongst the champions of British Columbia's three Junior B, C, D, Junior B ice hockey leagues, as well as a hos ...
*1988-89
KIJHL Championship
*1987-88
*1988-89
*1989-90
Coach of the Year
*Matt Hughes: 2005-06 (Divisional)
Most Sportsmanlike
*Darryl Mcivor: 2003-04 (Divisional)
*Cody Steele: 2005-06 (Divisional)
*Cody Steele: 2006-07 (Divisional)
*Tyler Nypower: 2017-18 (Divisional)
Most Valuable Player
*Andrew Billinghurst: 2001-02 (Divisional)
*Jason Botterill: 2002-03 (Divisional And League)
*Reid Mitchell:2007-08, 2008-2009 (Team)
*Ryan Skytt: 2016-17 (Team)
Rookie of the Year
*Taylor Dakers: 2002-03 (Divisional)
*Trevor Bailey: 2005-06 (Divisional)
*Josh Antunes/Kale Hawryluk: 2017-18 (Team)
Top Goaltender
*Taylor Dakers: 2002-03 (Divisional)
*Tyler Bilton: 2003-04 (Divisional)
Playoff MVP
*Ben Kelsch/Ryan Skytt: 2017-18 (Team)
Top Scorer
*Rocky Mix: 2002-03 (Divisional)
*Brett Bjorkman: 2007-08 (Divisional)
Heart and Hustle
*Brandt Black/Fraser McMann 2017-18: (Team)
Coaches Choice
*Brennan Nelson 2017-18: (Team)
Most Improved
*Hunter Beckett: 2017-18 (Team)
Community Involvement
*Brandt Black: 2017-18 (Team)
Top Defenceman
*Kale Hawryluk: 2017-18 (Team)
Top Defensive Forward
*Brennan Nelson: 2017-18 (Team)
Top Forward
*Mike Dyck 2016-17: (Team)
References
External links
Official website of the Columbia Valley Rockies
{{Cyclone Taylor
Ice hockey teams in British Columbia
1978 establishments in British Columbia
Ice hockey clubs established in 1978