The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League has named Grand Forks Border Bruins forward Levi Astill as the fifth recipient of the Jaxon Joseph Memorial Scholarship.
Joseph was one of 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos killed in a tragic bus crash on April 6, 2018. He started his junior hockey career in the KIJHL with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks in 2015 before moving on to play Junior A in the B.C. Hockey League and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
Joseph’s goal was to play college hockey, and the $2500 scholarship named in his honour is intended for an individual who shares his athletic and academic aspirations while having displayed a commitment to community involvement.
Astill said it means a lot to receive the scholarship.
“I’m super humbled and grateful for this,” he said. “I know how important this scholarship is, and I’m super happy that I was able to receive it.”
Astill graduated from Edmonton’s St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School in 2023 and took a business administration class from Athabasca University. He will attend Concordia University of Edmonton to study Business Management, while playing for the Thunder, and also has interest in law. He’s also a KIJHL Bursary recipient.
With the Border Bruins, Astill volunteered for several community initiatives: Border Bruins Cubs program (2023-2025), Border Bruins Reading program (Dr. D. A. Perley Kindergarten students), security- Halloween Night, Border Bruins Skating program (skate with Kindergarten students), Terry Fox run, Rock Creek Fall Fair security and Tim Horton Smile Cookie Foundation.
“His academic and athletic aspirations made him a clear candidate for the scholarship and as coaches and an organization, we are very excited for Levi to receive this scholarship that has so much meaning to the league and is a very special honour,”
said Border Bruins assistant coach Tayden Woods. “His passion, commitment and hunger to get better over the past three years led to an amazing final season for Levi. He came into camp with a clear goal of repeating as a KIJHL champion and to earn the opportunity to play college hockey at a high level.”
Woods added that Astill worked hard on all aspects of his game and remained hungry to improve, even though he was the reigning KIJHL scoring champion. He repeated this achievement by fully committing himself in the gym and to recovery, never missing a skill skate session and doing weekly video to break down his play and look for areas to improve.
Education has always been important in Astill’s family as his father Dale Astill and mother Jodie Vandekerkhove are teachers.
“Hockey is a big part of my life, but it isn’t my life. Education is more important,” he said. “I’ve had that attitude since I was little. You always need to have a backup plan because hockey might not work out, and that’s kind of what education is for me.
“I’ve always enjoyed learning, expanding my knowledge, and learning from others as well,” he continued. “I’ve brought that learning mindset from school into hockey, and I think it’s translated both ways. The work ethic I’ve learned from hockey has helped me in school, and the learning mindset I’ve learned from getting an education has helped me in hockey as well.”
