Sam Mellor will join the leadership group of captain Troy Stecher and Wade Murphy.
Mellor, a Cranbrook minor hockey product, joins Murphy, who he skated with during training camp and exhibition, as an assistant captain. Mellor will help Stecher and Murphy lead a group that will consist of 13 rookies. Mellor joined the Vees during the summer as part of a three-way trade that sent former Vees forward Grant Nicholson to the Cowichan Valley Capitals. Mellor has returned to the BCHL, where he scored 61 goals and 130 points in 104 games, after playing in 33 National Collegiate Athletic Association games with the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves last season. He tallied four goals and nine points. Mellor decided to leave school as he didn’t feel it was a good fit for him.
Mellor said it's humbling being picked as a leader.
“It’s a big honour, as there have been some amazing players here in the past that have worn a letter,” said Mellor in a team release. “I’m an older guy and I should have that responsibility. I look forward to helping out the younger guys on our team.”
“Everybody on our roster for the most part wants to get to college,” said Vees coach-GM Fred Harbinson. “He has already played there. He understands what it takes to play at the next level. He’s had success in our league in the past. He’s a player that I think will lead by example.