From the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League
The already deep Creston Valley Thunder Cats blue line continues to evolve with the addition of 2002-born defenceman Colby Bechthold.
Bechthold, originally from Boyle, Alta., spent this season and last with the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Prior to that, he played U18 AAA with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers of the Alberta Midget Hockey League. The six-foot-one, 190-pound defenceman brings a physical style of play to the line-up.
“I’ve had a past teammate play in Creston, so I knew it was a good community to play in,” said Bechthold, when asked about his decision to join the Thunder Cats.
“The conversations with (head coach) Bill were great. He was very interested in me, and I thought it would be a great fit.”
A barrage of signings and trades to accommodate for an equally active, injured reserve has left the Thunder Cats with some decisions to make on the back end.
“We are fortunate to have Colby, and our defensive corps in general,” said head coach Bill Rotheisler.
“We want to have the identity of having a strong group on the blue line in all scenarios and Colby is a big part in achieving that.”
Associate Coach Brandon Switzer agreed with the decision to bring Bechthold on to the team.
“(He’s) a solid 2-way defenceman who brings leadership and Junior A experience to the group,” said Switzer.
“He will play a key role in shutting down other teams’ top lines and has already shown his ability in a couple of team ice times to control the play. He will be a big part of our goals and process moving forward.”
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