Two Rupertites look to make their mark in the province's Junior Hockey leagues

Two former members of the Prince Rupert Minor Hockey Association program are back on the ice for 2014, looking to make a difference with teams at the Junior level of hockey in British Columbia.

Devin Oakes, makes his return to the Merritt Centennials this year, Oakes joined the Cents late last season after spending some time with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL.

With a bit of experience under his belt and an opportunity to settle into the Centennial line up from the start of the season, the Merritt squad will be looking to him for leadership as they work their way through the BCJHL schedule and quest for a league title.

Further to the south another Rupertite is looking to move his game forward, as Braydon Horcoff moves to the Kootenay International Junior League, taking a roster spot with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks of the KIJHL.

Horcoff played last year with the Campbell River Storm, part of the Vancouver Island Junior League.

His new stop on the hockey trail takes him to one of the real hotbeds of hockey in BC, with the Kootenay area home to more than a few players that have gone on to higher levels of the sport.

The fans of the KIJHL are among some of the most passionate and aware of the game of those that follow hockey, making for a tough crowd in whatever town that the Nitehawks pull into town.

Both leagues have started the 2014-15 hockey season in the course of the last week. You can follow the scoring stats and background information on the two Rupertites from our archive page of Prince Rupert athletes currently playing at higher levels across the province.

It charts the path of those not not only in Junior hockey, but for those who art participating in sports at the University level.

As we learn of other players from Prince Rupert taking to the ice in other locales we'll add them to our archives.