Bloodoff named captain
r By Warren Henderson – Kelowna Capital News
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r The last time Lucas Bloodoff wore a C on his jersey, his bantam team in Castlegar won a provincial championship.
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r The 20-year-old forward undoubtedly hopes the same kinds of fortunes will follow him as the new inspirational leader of the Kelowna Rockets.
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r In a vote of Rockets players this week, Bloodoff was named the 18th captain in team history.
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r “Obviously, it’s a big honour, a big responsibility, and I’m going to take a lot of pride in it,” said the Bloodoff. “It’ll push me to be at my best, and to lead by example, on and off the ice.”
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r The Rockets unveiled Bloodoff as their new captain when it became clear Colin Long would be unlikely to return from San Antonio of the American Hockey League.
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r In Bloodoff, head coach Ryan Huska said the Rockets have chosen a natural born leader.
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r “Everybody here had Lucas on their list as captain,” Huska said. “What he’s shown consistently is that he works very hard, whether it’s in games, practices or the weight room upstairs. He handles himself very well off the ice, too, and that’s very important. He’s a character guy and a very good example for our younger players.”
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r As Bloodoff is well aware, the captaincy of the defending WHL champions carries with it a level of expectation and responsbility most teams simply don’t have.
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r And while the Rockets have undergone some major changes in personnel since last season, Bloodoff is confident the 2009-10 version of the club will once again make some noise in the Western Conference.
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r “I’m really excited about our team,” Bloodoff said. “We’re young, but we have a really good group of guys and some exciting players. This is a team that works hard every night, and when you have that going for you, you’re going to win some games. Once we look after some of the mental mistakes we’ve been making, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
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