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No one can accuse Cam Coutre of not knowing exactly what he wants, especially when it comes to hockey.
鈥淚鈥檇 been offered a couple of spots by a couple of Junior A teams, but I鈥檝e decided I don鈥檛 need to be making hockey a job for me,鈥� the talented 19-year-old forward with the Westshore Wolves said. 鈥淚 just want it to be fun, and if playing Junior B at home is more fun, then I鈥檓 just going to stick with it.鈥�
No one can accuse him of not having fun either as he leads the Vancouver Island Junior B Hockey League in points, adding two more in Wednesday鈥檚 7-4 loss to the visiting Saanich Braves at The Q Centre.
Listed as five-foot-eight and 165 pounds, the diminutive forward 鈥� who now has 21 goals and 27 assists 鈥� more than holds his own. He combines speed and skill with a streak of nastiness, as his 34 points and 123 penalty minutes from last season鈥檚 31 games with the Wolves attest.
Coutre, an assistant captain, is one of the leaders of the 2017-18 pack, playing on a line with captain Brandon Tutte (20 goals and 20 assists) and Keegan Durrance (10 goals and 14 assists).
鈥淭hat line has been very hot. Those three have it all,鈥� said Wolves head coach Tyler Matheson, who was an assistant with the Victoria Grizzlies of the sa国际传媒 Hockey League last season. 鈥淐am has his speed, and Keegan and Brandon work the puck down low. It鈥檚 a great dynamic.鈥�
Coutre played a pair of games as an affiliated player with the Grizzlies last season after suiting up for 29 games with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL the year previous.
He also competed in eight games for the Silverbacks in 2014-15. That was his final year of major midget hockey with the South Island Royals, in which he collected 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 36 games.
鈥淐am is a player that wears his heart on his sleeve. He leads by example, does the little things right and plays with a lot of emotion,鈥� Matheson said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a leader for this team on and off the ice. He鈥檚 doing a great job for this team and there鈥檚 nothing more you can ask from him.鈥�
His abilities make you wonder how he would perform as a 20-year-old in his last season of junior next year.
But, as of right now, the 鈥淲est Shore born and raised boy鈥� 鈥� as he calls himself 鈥� isn鈥檛 planning on playing.
鈥淚 think this year is probably going to be my last. That being said, anything can happen and I might decide different next year. But I鈥檓 hoping our team makes a real run in the playoffs this year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think we have the team to do it, so if it ends on a good note, there鈥檚 no reason why I couldn鈥檛 hang them up and be happy with what I鈥檝e done with my career.鈥�
As for this season, it鈥檚 shaping up to be one of the more interesting ones in the VIJHL鈥檚 intriguing South Division, where five points separate top from bottom in the five-team conference.
The Victoria Cougars (16-12-1-1) and Wolves (16-14-1-1) lead the way with 34 points each, followed by the Braves at (15-13-1-2) for 33 points. The Kerry Park Islanders are next at 13-14-0-4 for 30 points, followed by the Peninsula Panthers at 14-17-0-1 for 29 points.
The Wolves let an important one get away on Wednesday and the Cougars entertain the Islanders tonight at 7 at the Archie Browning Sports Centre.
On Wednesday, Kyle Mace, Dayton Clarke and Trevor Owens all scored in the last six minutes of play for the Braves to break a 4-4 tie. Owens led the way with three goals and two assists, while Zach Guerra had two goals and two helpers for the winners.
Tutte had two goals and an assist, while Coutre had one of each. Nicholas Polomark had the other goal while defenceman Tomba Huddlestan had a pair of helpers for Westshore. Huddlestan is having an excellent year on the point with 34 points.
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