This past weekend the Vancouver Island University Mariners confirmed that first-year defenceman of the Red Lake Miners will be joining the Vancouver Island University Mariners hockey program for the upcoming hockey season.

Following one successful season in the Superior International Junior Hockey League, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound defenceman out of Brandon earned his way into a commitment with one of the better teams in the BCIHL. Despite playing largely in a shutdown role, Stephens’ offence did come into the picture at times in 2018-19, as the defender collected two goals and 12 points in 38 games for Red Lake last season.

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After helping his SIJHL team to a 38-15-3, second-place finish in 2018-19, the former Brandon Wheat King Bantam AAA player will look to assist the Mariners in their task of repeating their record-breaking performance to appear in the league championship for the second-straight season. VIU went 12-10-2, finishing in third place last season. The Miners were the most penalized team in the SIJHL in 2018-19, so Stephens’ added toughness should go a long way for a Vancouver team that gave up nearly four goals-per-game last year. 

Carter Brooks

Carter Brooks - Associate Editor of Game On Magazine - is a news writer and sports columnist situated in Winnipeg, MB. On top of reading and writing, his favourite pastimes include camping, car-modification projects and coaching hockey. Carter can be reached at carterbrooks1994@gmail.com.