Three former St. Albert hockey players have been nominated for Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) awards this year.
Brett Bamber, captain with the Drayton Valley Thunder, has been nominated for the W.G. (Bill) Scott Memorial Trophy as an outstanding defenceman.
The former St. Albert Catholic High School student said growing as a player in the Raiders organization helped to build up his skill and knowledge of the game. Bamber, 20, joined the DV Thunder at the start of the 2017-18 season when he was 16.
“It really made me better as a player and person through the years up until my transition to the AJHL,” Bamber said.
Bamber originally found out about his award nomination while he was out trying on clothes during an outing with his mom, and received a text from a friend.
“I was very surprised, and very honoured,” Bamber said.
With the season almost at a close before teams are launched into the playoffs March 4, Bamber said the sense of camaraderie amongst his team is strong.
“We have a really good group of guys,” Bamber said. “We’re very well connected in the dressing room and on the ice, which makes it a lot easier to … make it to the next level winning games.”
Bamber said leadership from head coach Eric Thurston, who has also been nominated as AJHL Coach of the Year, has been invaluable, as well as guidance from associate coach Dylan Beston.
Just before this past Christmas, Bamber announced he has committed to the University of Alaska Anchorage in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for the 2022-23 season, where he will continue his education as he reaches the next milestone in his hockey career.
Robert Kincaid, Camrose Kodiaks defencemen and former St. Albert Raider, has also been nominated for the outstanding defenceman award.
With 53 games played as of Friday, Feb. 25, Kincaid has 31 assists, 12 goals, and 18 penalty minutes.
Former 2018-19 and 2019-20 Raider Andreai Proctor-Ramirez has also been nominated for the Friends of Albert Junior Hockey League Trophy as top goaltender with the Canmore Eagles.
In one of the Eagles’s most recent games, Proctor-Ramirez garnered a shutout for his team when they defeated the Olds Grizzlys 7-0.
Award nominees were selected by AJHL general managers and coaches through two phases of voting. Winners will be selected through a third stage of voting, and announced at the end of the AJHL regular season.
