Blazers off to hot start, sitting atop WHL’s B.C. Division

Six games in and the Kamloops Blazers are on a roll — winning all but one and sitting atop the Western Hockey League’s B.C. Division.

Shaun Clouston, Blazers head coach and general manager, said the team is in a good position.

“The guys came into camp in good shape, ready to play,” Clouston said.

“We’re getting real good leadership from our older players, and we've got good depth.”

The Blazers first loss of the season came last Friday in Kelowna.

The Tournament Capital team recently cracked the national top ten list for the first time this season, ranking sixth on this week's Kia CHL Top 10. It’s been a good start — but Clouston said it’s too early to get comfortable.

Blazers forward and recently named co-captain Logan Stankoven agreed with his coach and said the team has to keep focusing on each game — but the national recognition is nice.

“I think we are pretty happy about that, obviously a lot of us have put so much work into [it] and being recognized like that,” Stankoven said.

“I think you just have to take it with a grain of salt. You know those rankings can change any day, so [we] just make sure that we are focusing on the next game at hand.”

The Blazers are coming off back-to-back B.C. Division titles, but they both came in pandemic seasons with no playoffs and no Memorial Cup.

Clouston said the first COVID-19 season was the hardest because the team only had five games remaining and was blindsided.

“I think both years we had potential to win in the playoffs, we didn't get that opportunity,” he told Castanet Kamloops.

“I’m hoping that this year we do have an opportunity to compete to the postseason.”

The next Blazers game is on home ice at Sandman Centre on Friday at 7 p.m. against the Vancouver Giants.