KIJHL Notebook

On Remembrance Day, Kimberley Dynamiters captain Ryan Bennett made the difficult decision to retire from junior hockey because of an injury. The Dynamiters selected Jayden Kostiuk to fill his leadership role.

In a recent Dynamiters Deep Dive blog, published on Nov. 27, Jesse Heinrichs wrote about the new captain, which is being used in this week’s KIJHL Notebook.

Cam Reid spoke about Bennett’s departure after the game and said, “we lost our captain unfortunately, which is obviously tough on the team, but we’re playing for him right now.”

Nobody wants to take over the captaincy mid-season, and surely, Kostuik is no different. That doesn’t mean he won’t step up to the plate, however.

“It sucks, Bennett is a tremendous guy,” said the newly appointed captain. “It hurts us that he had to hang them up, but we have to move forward and take that next step and turn this team into an elite team.”

Kostiuk wore the ‘C’ with poise on Friday night, as the Nitros took down the 100 Mile House Wranglers 2-1. He looked confident and hungry — fast and focused. He showed exactly why he’ll be a great fit as captain. Head coach Derek Stuart thinks so.

“He’s been a captain on all of his minor hockey teams and he does everything right,” said Stuart. “He’s not a flashy player, but if you pay attention to him, you can see all the little things he does right.”

Kostiuk’s attention to the team systems and his voracious appetite for winning are a few of the reasons the team nominated him as captain. He also has a high level of maturity and dedication, which his coach said, made him an easy fit.

Kostiuk also caught the praise of teammate Duncan Paradis on Friday night.

His work ethic and ability to grind in the hard areas of the game are qualities that stand out the most for Paradis.

His presence extends far past the locker room, Paradis said. He explained how Kostiuk keeps in contact with other players, making sure they are staying fit, eating and focusing.

“I just want to make sure everyone knows their goal and are doing their role and what not,” said Kostiuk

The Coaldale, AB native said he feels a bit of a difference jumping from the ‘A’ to the ‘C’.

“It’ll just be about working hard every night and contributing as much as I can. I know I can get to that next level,” said Kostiuk.

Kimberley is taking on the Castlegar Rebels tonight at the Castlegar & District Recreation Centre and Nelson Leafs Saturday night at the Nelson Community Complex.

Jesse Heinrichs photo

KIJHL

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