A pair of Burnaby Winter Club products have made the grade when it comes to be chosen for Team West of the 2020 Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game.
Ryan Helliwell and Kyler Kovich were among eight players picked from the B.C. Hockey League for the 15th annual prospect showcase, which will see East vs. West square off on Jan. 14 in Hamilton, Ont.
The game is to highlight some of the top draft-eligible prospects in the CJHL.
Burnaby-born Helliwell is in his second season with the Langley Rivermen. The six-foot-one defenceman has three goals and 11 assists over 26 games this year, after producting 14 assists over 46 games as a rookie.
He and Kovich were teammates at BWC from 2015 to 2017. Helliwell made the jump from the BWC’s prep program to junior A in 2018.
Kovich, of Coquitlam, is also enjoying a solid sophomore season with his Nanaimo Clippers. The forward has tallied 11 goals and 13 assists so far this year over 32 games, after debuting on the junior A circuit with seven goals and seven assists over 48 games.
After two years with the BWC’s bantam elite team, Kovich played one season with the B.C. Major Midget League’s Vancouver Northeast Chiefs, based in Burnaby. He produced 15 goals and 26 assists for the Chiefs over 37 games.
The 18-year-old was named the BCHL’s High School player of the month for October, after accumulating seven goals and four assists over 12 games, while maintaining an A grade in nine of 12 courses.
Both players were listed on the NHL’s Central Scouting’s players to watch list.
