Prior to the game in Victoria on Saturday it was revealed that 20 year old forward Joel Purdom has been named new team captain.
The Winnipeg native is in his first year with the Kings after spending the previous two seasons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and according to General Manager Stephan Seeger Jr. Joel was the unanimous choice to dawn the “C” “We sat down as a staff and said hey let’s find a leader for that room and make sure they have someone to look up to. We waited so long to name a captain to make sure that we have the right guy and Joel is that guy for us.”
Not originally named one of the assistant captains at the start of the season, Joel said getting the “C” was a bit of a surprise. “I was a little shocked to be honest. Not that I wasn’t expecting something but more of the sense that it came out of nowhere. I am honoured, didn’t really see it coming at first but now that I am captain, I’m pretty pumped and looking forward to what’s to come.”
When asked about why Joel was the one to lead the team, Seeger Jr. had many reasons. “He’s the guy that comes every single day with his lunchbox and his hardhat and works his absolute bag off. Every single day there is a smile on his face, he’s cheering up the boys, he’s learning to get his voice within the team being a new player in this league, he’s a registered firefighter so he is a guy who has absolutely no fear in the world, he’s going to go hard for us every single day and he’s an absolute team player. We couldn’t figure out a better role model to have on our team other than him and we are extremely proud to name him captain.”
Excited to take on an elevated role, Joel knows what kind of leader he wants to be. “Just someone who sets a good example, goes to work every night and lifts boys up when they are down, that’s the main motto I want to go by.”
