Twenty-year-old, 4-year vet, Ben Dalke has been named the Oil Capitals Captain for the 2018/2019 season. “Ben is a great role model for our players and is respected right through our organization. He comes to the rink everyday with the right mindset to be prepared to work and play the right way. He is highly respected in our dressing room,” stated Coach/GM Troy Leslie.
Local product, Twenty-year-old, 3-year vet, Tristan Cross will wear an “A” this season for the Oil Caps. “Tristan works hard both on and off the ice. He leads by example, and guys follow his tenacity and compete level on a nightly basis. Tristan is coming off a great season and has followed that up coming into this year in great shape and ready to take another step,” stated Coach/GM Troy Leslie.
Nineteen-year-old, 3-year vet, Kolten Kanaski will wear an “A” this season for the Oil Caps. “Kolten possesses great leadership qualities both in the room and in the community. He is a great ambassador for our team at the rink and in amongst our fan base. This leadership role is a natural fit for him. He plays a hard-nosed brand of hockey and is respected throughout the league,” stated Coach/GM Troy Leslie.
Alternate “A’s” will be wore between Jayden Wojciekowski and Brock Shwaluk.
“Ninteen-year-old, 2-year vet, Jayden Wojciekowski has been a quiet leader for us in our room since he got here last year. He is a real quality individual who is going to be a real high end defenseman in this league this year. His teammates have a lot of respect for him both in the rink and in the community,” stated Coach/GM Troy Leslie.
“Twenty-year-old, 1st year on the team, Brock Shwaluk has earned the respect of his peers quickly since he came here in a trade from Kindersely this summer. Brock’s leadership skills were evident from the day we got him. Brock is a guy that we will be dependent on to be a calming influence on our back end. No different than the influence he will have on our dressing room,” stated Coach/GM Troy Leslie.
Assistant coach, Tyson Ramsey, discussed the leadership group: “We are extremely excited and proud of our leadership group. They have all been and will continue to be great players in junior A hockey and more importantly they are great people. Our younger players have an excellent group to learn from while they make their way in the league. I can see this group already starting to come together on and off the ice and that is in large part because of the work this leadership group has put in during the preseason. I am really looking forward to getting the regular season started and working with these guys to help our club move forward and take another step towards a championship.”
Jamie Hodson, Director of Business & Hockey Operations went on to say: “As an organization, we are thrilled to have Ben wear a “C”. I know this is something he has desired for some time now, and this is a natural fit for him and our group. Tristan, Kolten, Jayden, and Brock will all wear “A’s” with integrity and pride. They have earned the right of their peers and our club to also have the distinction of wearing a “letter” on their jerseys. Our team is comprised of leaders both young and veterans alike. We will be dependent of a solid group of individuals right through our whole lineup. Our coaching staff is happy with the leadership qualities our whole dressing room possesses. Our second-year guys and even first year guys such as Paddock and Andrew have shown they have the makeup to be a leader on our team now and into the future. We have a lot of quality individuals in that room, that make it easier on our leadership group and helps bridge the gap for our coaching staff as well.”