The Clippers have ten current players committed to NCAA hockey programs. That number is likely to grow before the end of this BCHL season. (Gary Dorland)

By Dan Marshall

Next Level

VIDEO: Clippers success leading to collegiate hockey opportunities

Dec 6, 2021 | 6:58 PM

NANAIMO — It’s been a successful year in the standings for the Clippers and also a successful season helping players achieve their NCAA hockey goals.

On the ice, December started with losses to Cowichan Valley and Surrey while off the ice the team was able to announce leading scorer Sean Donaldson as the club’s 10th college bound player.

Associate coach Colin Birkas said the job is for the Clippers staff to facilitate and make sure schools are aware of the talent in Nanaimo.

“Now that we’ve been here long enough you can start to compare players to other players you’ve had or coached against and that carries a bit of weight with schools.”

Donaldson will play for Cornell University next season, becoming the third Clipper, along with Jack O’Brien and Shawn Mahoney, to do so.

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Head coach Darren Naylor stated it’s his goal to move on every player possible to US or Canadian university hockey.

“It has a huge impact for us. Players see we move athletes on and we do the right things and they want to come here. A lot of our guys don’t have a commitment when they come here and we help them to get that.”

Donaldson, Tristan Fraser and Cooper Black are three players who will be graduating from junior hockey after this season.

The other seven NCAA bound Clippers may move onto college as soon as next year or come back to Nanaimo again.

“That’s up to the schools to tell us,” Naylor said. “For the most part we should get a majority of them back. It does benefit the schools to have them play here an extra year and get some extra development time.”

With the latest NCAA commitment for Donaldson the Clippers now rank sixth in the BCHL in terms of future US college level players.

CLIP NOTES:

The Clippers have a three game week with two schedule changes. Nanaimo will host Coquitlam Dec 10 at 7 p.m. A road game has been added versus the Powell River Kings at 5 p.m. on Dec. 11 and the Dec. 12 home contest against Alberni Valley has a new start time of 7 p.m.

The Clippers ‘Stuff the Bus’ night is Dec. 10 against the Express. A bus will be parked out in front of the pool at Beban Park, and Great Nanaimo Toy Drive volunteers will be on hand to help take donations of new toys starting at 5:45 p.m.

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