There will be plenty of South Delta flavour when the Greater Vancouver Canadians open the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League regular season this weekend in Kelowna.
Five local minor hockey products have cracked the final roster following an extensive month long tryout process. The group includes goaltender Nathan Alalouf and forwards Andrew Klukas, Spencer Schoen, Mitch Walter and Troy Sutherland.
Heading into camp, only Walter, a top pick by Edmonton in last spring's Western Hockey League Bantam Draft, was considered a safe bet to make the team.
Alalouf, a 15-year-old who played for the Bantam "AAA" Storm last season, figured to be in tough with the pending return of number one goaltender Tristan Jarry and other older prospects. However, Jarry has made the jump to the WHL and Alalouf held off four other candidates, including his older brother Josh, to join Chris Tai between the pipes.
"It was a bold decision on our part," said head coach Leland Mack of going with such a young stopper. "But Nathan proved throughout our exhibition games that he deserved the job."
The other three South Delta forwards played Midget AAA last season. Sutherland was signed after the team's second tryout camp.
"He was away last summer and didn't get the chance to tryout for us but we were impressed of what we saw from him," continued Mack. "We used Andrew as (a call-up) last season and Spencer is typical of what we see from 17-year-olds where they come back bigger and stronger."
The Canadians roster also features five returning players -- defencemen Arvin Atwal, Matt Ho, and Trevor Lima, along with forwards Taylor Foote and Malcolm Glaholt.
The team didn't expect to see Atwal who was a late cut of the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders.
The 16-year-old's return cost another South Delta player a roster spot after Lethbridge Hurricanes draft pick Phoenix Worth had initially won a job at the team's deepest position.
"It's unfortunate for (Phoenix) but he will be getting a lot of ice time which will benefit him greatly for next season," said Mack.
The Canadians should have a tough test right out of the gate with two games against the Okanagan Rockets, starting on Saturday. Greater Vancouver was eliminated from the provincial playoffs for the third straight season in heartbreaking fashion by eventual champion Vancouver Northwest Giants.
"This group doesn't have the same high end talent but there is definitely a lot of depth," added Mack. "From one to 12 (among our forwards) they can play with anyone at anytime."
The Canadians will also face the North Island Silvertips, Oct. 1-2, as part of the league's kickoff event at UBC.
The majority of their home games will be played at the Ladner Leisure Centre.
