Being named the KIJHL playoffs Most Valuable Player is special for Kimberley Dynamiter Cam Reid.
His Head Coach Derek Stuart said the 6-0, 165-pound blueliner has been great ever since joining his hometown team, but added Reid was a big reason why they won the Teck Cup.
“He elevated his game to a level that nobody else in this league can probably get to in my opinion,” said Stuart. “He was a different player than he was in the first few rounds and he took control and was in on quite a few of our goals. He was also great defensively.”
Reid had two goals and nine assists and was plus-9 against the Princeton Posse.
“He’s far and away the best player in this league,” said Stuart.
Reid was such a factor in the Dynamiters push to a Teck Cup win that he was used as a forward at times during the playoffs. That began in Game 4 against Fernie and was done because they weren’t generating enough scoring chances in the first three games. Stuart didn’t feel they had enough puck possession in the offensive zone.
“We were flat out desperate so we moved our best player up to forward. I don’t think it was a coincidence we scored eight goals in Game 4 and got a lot of scoring chances against Fernie that night,” he said.
Reid plays in all situations and Stuart knows he can lean on the defenceman because “he is in such phenomenal cardiovascular shape.”
Per Instat, the exclusive video and analytics partner of the KIJHL, Reid averages 24:39 of ice time per game, including 4:32 on the power-play and 2:27 on the penalty-kill.
“I thought the finals were definitely my best series of the playoffs,” said Reid, who will play for the Castleton University Spartans in NCAA Division III next fall. “I just wanted to win super badly so it was just a little extra motivation. It’s a team effort out there, I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”
As happy as he is about being the playoff MVP, his focus is on winning the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the B.C. Junior B Hockey Championship.
