Thompson Blazers off to Mac’s Midget Tourney after best start in over a decade

For anyone who’s watched the Thompson Blazers of the BC Major Midget Hockey League this season, the sight of Logan Stankoven filling the net has been a regular one for the team in 2018.

“He has a way of seeing the game and always looking for a chance to score,” Thompson Blazers Captain Kaden Dempsey says. “That’s one of the great things about him is he’s always looking for that chance to score because that’s what he loves to do.”

“He’s a goal scorer through and through,” Head Coach Carter Cochrane says. “Even watching him when he’s up with the big Blazers, he’s got a Western League shot now at 15. I think it’s something that’s exciting for us, for him and for the fanbase here in Kamloops.”

The rookie leads the league in scoring with 57 points (31 goals and 26 assists) nearly 20 points ahead of the next highest scorer in the BCMML. Despite the success the 15-year-old has been having, he remains humble.

“I don’t really expect anything. You’ve got to put in the work, and from work comes success,” Stankoven says. “Not everything is going to go your way, so you’ve just got to keep working hard.”

While Stankoven’s success has been a huge factor in the turnaround, the team has been getting contributions from up and down the line-up. That improved play has helped fuel the Blazers to a 14-10-0-0 record, good enough for 5th in the Major Midget league.

“A lot of our success has been from hard work,” Stankoven says of his squad’s solid play this season. “You know, coming to the rink every day and putting in the time and putting in the effort. That’s what it’s all about.”

“It starts at the top with our Captian Kaden Dempsey,” Cochrane says. “Guys like Jarrod Semchuk and Aiden Sutter, our two 16-year-olds who have already exceeded their point totals from last year. Brendan Kirschner is another guy that has done that too, and Luke Bateman has been chipping in offensively, he’s a big presence on our back end, as well. Once we get everyone back healthy, once we get rolling, I think this is a team that can do something special.”

And thanks to that improved play, the Blazers have been invited to the Mac’s Midget Tournament. The prestigious event features 25 of the top Midget hockey teams from across Canada and beyond.

“It’s one of the best Midget tournaments in Canada, if not North America,” Cochrane explains. “It’s the first step for a lot of [these players] in taking that next step, and hopefully move on next year.”

by Adam Donnelly

Thompson Blazers off to Mac’s Midget Tourney after best start in over a decade

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