Former Capital eyed by NHL clubs
Former Cowichan Valley Capital Luke Haymes, 21, is drawing interest from the NHL. One of the top free agent NCAA players, Haymes is expected to be looked at by at least one pro team following his junior season at Dartmouth College.
Haymes played the 2021-22 season with the Caps, scoring 22 goals and 27 assists for 49 points in 52 regular season games. The Cowichan Capitals Rookie of the Year added another goal and three assists in four playoff games that season, too.
His freshman year at Darmouth was average with the six-foot-one forward potting 11 goals and five helpers for 16 points in 30 games but he had a break-out sophomore season with 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points in 31 games, and ECAC’s First All-Star Team, All-Ivy League First Team honours.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked to Haymes as a potential suitor as he attended a Maple Leafs development camp in July of 2023. Despite missing games due to injury, Haymes has seven goals and three helpers in 12 games with Dartmouth this season.
Luke Haymes called bank to open the scoring!
Gameday Central: https://t.co/kjxBfporR7#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods🌲 pic.twitter.com/4HzgXWJ0yO
— Dartmouth Men’s Hockey (@Dartmouth_MIH) January 12, 2025
Caps alum earns Player of the Week honours
Bowling Green captain Ethan Scardina, a forward with the Cowichan Valley Capitals for the 2017-18 season, has earned CCHA Forward of the Week (Jan. 31-Feb.1) for his multi-point series against the Northern Michigan Wildcats earlier this month. The graduate student had two goals and two assists for four points, a +5 rating and six shots on goal in two games to earn his first career CCHA weekly honour.
Previously Scardina was a 2021-22 CCHA Scholar-Athlete and 2021-2024 CCHA All-Academic.
KidSport experiencing unprecedented demand
Increased demand on the KidSport program in B.C. is putting significant strain on funding resources say program officials.
The program, aimed at helping youth in need to pay for sports, had another record-setting year for their granting program in 2024. The organization funded a season of sport for 10,695 kids totalling more than $3.6 million in registration fees last year — a $1 million increase over the 2023 total, which was also a record for the organization.
“Our grant totals have effectively doubled since 2022 both in the number of kids supported and the dollars distributed,” says Angela Crowther, KidSport BC’s director. “We are incredibly proud of the impact the KidSport program is having for kids and families across B.C., but this accelerated increase in demand has significantly depleted the financial reserves in many communities, and the fundraising requirement has grown beyond what most of our current volunteer base can keep up with. We are doing what we can to continue meeting the demand but may need to adjust our eligibility criteria and adapt our operations to ensure we can continue to help as many families as possible.”
To donate to KidSport in Cowichan visit: https://kidsportcanada.ca/british-columbia/cowichan/donate/