FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 26th, 2017
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club is pleased to announce that defenseman Jonas Gordon (’96) has committed to the University of Las Vegas Skatin’ Rebels (UNLV) of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) for the 2017/18 season.
Gordon, 20, is a veteran of 99 career regular season Junior ‘A’ games, finishing his career in West Kelowna with the Warriors. During his time in West-K, Gordon played in 13 games while added one assist and 22 penalty minutes, including an elevated role in playing time in the later part of the season and throughout the playoffs.
The Canmore, Alberta native spent the bulk of his Junior ‘A’ tenure with the Canmore Eagles of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), playing in 69 games where he amassed 4 goals and 14 points to go along with 134 penalty minutes. The 6’1”, 174-pound rearguard also saw some time with the Trail Smoke Eaters at the beginning of the 2016/17 season, playing in 17 games with 2 assists and 32 penalty minutes.
Warriors head coach and general manager Rylan Ferster showed his appreciation for the versatile Gordon, “Jonas is an all-in team kind of guy that was great for us playing both forward and defense. His work ethic and commitment to our program was outstanding.”
Gordon is seeking a major in business at UNLV with a focus on either finance or accounting and is excited about the opportunity to head south, “The program is growing and it will be a great place to develop not only as a player, but also get a great education. I’m very excited to get to know all the players and coaching staff.”
While only spending a short time in West Kelowna, Gordon was very appreciative of his opportunity, “I was fortunate enough to finish my Junior ‘A’ career with the West Kelowna Warriors and during my time in West K, I was treated with nothing but class. The dedication, preparation, and goal-oriented mindset is what separates the Warriors from other organizations,” commented Gordon, “West Kelowna gave me a great opportunity to achieve my goals, and develop as a player. I was extremely grateful to have been surrounded by such amazing people, from my amazing billet family, to my teammates, and to all of the staff involved. The coaching staff is truly dedicated to moving their players on. In a short period of time, I made lifelong friends and now move on as not only a better hockey player, but more importantly as a better person.”
UNLV is a program on the rise in the NCAA ranks, currently playing club hockey in the ACHA but seeking to play Division I hockey in the not-so-distant future. Head coach Anthony Vignieri Greener is entering his first season behind the bench of the Skatin’ Rebels.
The Warriors would like to wish Jonas the best with his future endeavors and would like to thank him for his time and contributions to the City of West Kelowna.
2017/18 Warriors season are now available, along with news of the brand-new Booster Club! For more information, head down to the Warriors office or contact Kim or Alex at (250) 769-7051.
The Warriors are in need of billet families for the 2017/18 season. For more information on how to become a billet family, contact Nicole Ellis at (250) 878-9110 or email her at nicole@westkelownawarriors.ca.
