It seems like a hockey lifetime ago that Sean Donaldson was part of the Prince George Spruce Kings team that beat the Victoria Grizzlies, captained by current NHL Colorado Avalanche rookie Alex Newhook, in the 2019 BCHL semifinals.
Donaldson has since been with the Nanaimo Clippers, then to the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, and now back to the Clippers in pacing Nanaimo to its surprise run near the top of the BCHL Coastal Conference standings at 17-9-0-0 after dropping a 3-1 decision Friday night in Duncan against the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
The Clippers, who play the Grizzlies tonight at The Q Centre, have 15 new players this season. Whether Donaldson, who returned from Sioux Falls, can be considered among them is a matter of interpretation. Maybe call him a familiar old new player. Whatever he is, the 20-year-old forward has been lights out and was tied for second in BCHL scoring with 35 points and led the league in goals with 22 heading into Friday night’s action.
Donaldson is committed to the Cornell Big Red, with Clippers head coach and GM Darren Naylor predicting he “will be a force in the NCAA.”
“Donaldson coming back has been a key for us this season,” said Naylor.
The five-foot-11 winger is one of the few links to past seasons on an almost completely made-over Nanaimo roster.
“I didn’t know what to expect this season,” said Naylor.
“With a lot of new players, I thought it would take time to get the chemistry going. I didn’t expect it this quick.”
A big addition for the Clippers, literally, has been goaltender Cooper Black. The six-foot-eight and 217 pounder is from Alpena, Michigan, and played last season for the Odessa Jackalopes of the NAHL and is headed next season to the Ivy League in NCAA Div. 1 at Dartmouth.
“For the first time in a long time I had to recruit a goalie,” said said Naylor, who had son Jordan Naylor in the crease for recent seasons.
“Cooper Black has been big for us in many ways. He towers over the crease. But he can go back-to-back in games and doesn’t tire, which is sometimes an issue with larger goalies.”
Black has carried the load for the Clippers with 20 appearances and a 2.77 goals-against average.
Nanaimo will face a depleted Grizzlies (12-14) team tonight that has lost four consecutive games but Naylor is wary.
“Everybody knows this is a good team and that the Grizzlies have a loaded roster,” he said.
“Teams go through peaks and valley in every season. We know we are going to have to be at our best against them.”
The Grizzlies have been hit hard by the injury bug. Out of the lineup tonight are defencemen Isack Bandu and Justin Gibson, as well as forward Kalen Szeto.
And Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon swung a trade Friday to add a veteran forward. Going to the Cranbrook Bucks is blue-liner Declan Ride, and coming to Victoria is 19-year-old Noah Leibl. Leibl, who hails from Del Mar, California, but attended Shawnigan Lake School, had a goal and two assists and 10 penalty minutes in 13 games for the Bucks this season.
Ride, 18, was in his first season with the Grizzlies after coming over from the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. He had a goal and three assists in 21 games this season.
