Swing a puck bag in The Q 颅Centre during Victoria Grizzlies practice and you鈥檙e likely to hit an interesting player. It could be forward Jack Gorton, son of former New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton, forward Jackson Morehouse, son of Pittsburgh Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse, or 17-year-old defenceman Justin Gibson from Pittsburgh, brother of Anaheim Ducks No. 1 goaltender John Gibson. Or maybe scoring star Ellis Rickwood or 16-year-old highly-touted Nanaimo-product Matthew Wood, already being projected for the 2023 NHL draft.
Third-year winger Michael Hoekstra skates quietly through all the intriguing storylines in understated fashion as the 颅Grizzlies prepare to open the 2021-22 sa国际传媒 Hockey League season tonight at The Q Centre against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. As a defensive forward, Hoekstra is not the flashiest of players. But his value to the team is underscored by the fact he has been named a Grizzlies assistant captain, along with the Quebec duo of Isack Bandu and Andrew Amousse, with 颅Rickwood serving as captain.
Hoekstra, Bandu and Amousse broke into the team together in 2019-20 and share that bond in wearing the 鈥楢鈥�.
鈥淲e have been together on the team for three years now and are close and we sort of use each other as role models as assistant captains,鈥� said the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hoekstra.
But while Bandu is headed next year to the Northern Michigan University Wildcats, a team with a solid pedigree of 21 NHL alumni, and Amousse to American International College, which last season won its conference, Hoekstra is still in search of an NCAA Div. 1 scholarship. However, while Bandu and Amousse are 20-year-olds, Hoekstra is 19 with a year of junior eligibility remaining after this season.
鈥淎n NCAA scholarship is definitely what I am striving for,鈥� he said.
With Rickwood committed to NCAA鈥檚 Clarkson University, that leaves Hoekstra as the heir presumptive as Grizzlies captain for next season. But it鈥檚 about the here and now this season he is most concerned about.
鈥淚t was tough mentally last season through the pandemic, but we were appreciative to at least get the bubble season because so many athletes in other leagues or sports didn鈥檛 get to play at all,鈥� said Hoekstra, who had a goal and six points in 47 games as a rookie and four assists in 14 games in last season鈥檚 pandemic-reduced bubble season.
A thing that sets Hoekstra apart is that he is a hometown product, who played in the Saanich Minor Hockey Association, on a Grizzlies team mostly of imports. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been great to be able to live at home with my family during my junior career because they have been so supportive,鈥� said Hoekstra, 鈥淚 love showing my teammates from off-Island around the city.鈥�
It was another hometown Grizzlies product, former 颅captain Marty Westhaver in Hoekstra鈥檚 rookie season, who the latter says most 颅influenced him in the organization. 颅Westhaver, who took the captain鈥檚 mantle from current Colorado Avalanche NHLer Alex Newhook and is now playing NCAA hockey at Long Island University in New York, is the player who Hoekstra says he will pattern his leadership on.
Many pundits are picking the Grizzlies to lead the Island Division, which also includes the Bulldogs, Cowichan Valley Capitals, Nanaimo Clippers and Powell River Kings.
鈥淥ur team jelled well through training camp and we have high expectations,鈥� said Hoekstra.
The Clippers are in Powell River in tonight鈥檚 other Island Division opener.
