Junior B hockey will soon be back at Bear Mountain arena as the West Shore Wolves gear up for its first season this September.

Team owners Ken Carson, Dave Horner, Kory Gronnestad and Derrick Hamilton are excited to bring junior B back to the West Shore after the downtrodden Westshore Stingers disbanded in late 2010.

Six players have been signed to the Wolves, five of whom reside on the West Shore. The owners agree that the point of starting this team is to get West Shore teenagers playing competative hockey at home.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 what we did,B次元官网网址� Hamilton remarked. B次元官网网址淎ll of us played for the Juan de Fuca Gulls.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚t was a gong show B次元官网网址� back then it was called jungle B,B次元官网网址� Horner joked.

The four owners grew up playing Juan de Fuca minor hockey and both Horner and Hamilton played junior B for Juan de Fuca. Hamilton remembers home games bringing the community together with the arena full of friends and family, something he could like to see for the Wolves.

The Wolves have secured ice times at Bear Mountain arena at West Shore parks and rec. The teamB次元官网网址檚 home games will be Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. The group had inititally looked at the new Westhills arena as home base. B次元官网网址淲e looked at all our options and Bear Mountain arena seemed to be the best fit,B次元官网网址� Carson said.

The Wolves are hosting a development camp for all interested players ages 16 to 20, July 6 to Aug. 9 at the Juan de Fuca arena.

The Wolves have secured Victor Gervais to lead the pack as its head coach, the former coach and general manager of the junior A Victoria Grizzlies.

B次元官网网址淭here will be a variety of different players. There will be players in their last couple years of junior B and there will young players who will get better and look to jump up to the next level,B次元官网网址� Gervais said. B次元官网网址淲e want more local kids playing ad we want to make it a community hockey club.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址�(Gervais) has a great connection with the kids at a junior A level,B次元官网网址� Gronnestad said. B次元官网网址淲e want to give these kids a place to play, we donB次元官网网址檛 want to hold them back. We are here as a stepping stone for them.B次元官网网址�

When deciding on a team name, the group of West Shore businessmen were hoping to find something that started with a B次元官网网址淲B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淲olvesB次元官网网址� seemed a good fit. B次元官网网址淚t kind of blends with the Canucks because the Chicago Wolves are the CanucksB次元官网网址� farm team,B次元官网网址� Gronnestad noted.

Initially the men thought of naming the team the Bruins to pair with the Grizzlies theme, but figured it might not sit well with Canucks fans, stemming from last yearB次元官网网址檚 notorious Stanley Cup finals against Boston.

B次元官网网址淲e didnB次元官网网址檛 want Canucks fans hating us,B次元官网网址� Gronnestad said.

Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, the junior B league, might have a draft this year to populate the lineup for the Wolves, but nothing is solidified yet. A junior B franchise is also in the works for Nanaimo next season.

B次元官网网址淗aving a draft is something weB次元官网网址檒l have to work through with the (teamsB次元官网网址�) owners. ItB次元官网网址檚 something I would like to see,B次元官网网址� said Greg Batters, VIJHL president. B次元官网网址�(The West Shore) is lucky to get these guys to come in and save this franchise.B次元官网网址�

For information on the West Shore Wolves or to sign up for the development camp go to .

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