The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is proud to announce the creation of the Jaxon Joseph Memorial Scholarship.
One scholarship will be awarded annually in the amount of $2,500.
Joseph started his junior hockey career in the KIJHL with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks in 2015-16 before moving on to the B.C. Hockey League with the Surrey Eagles and later the Melfort Mustangs and Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Joseph was one of 16 members of the Broncos killed in a tragic bus crash on April 6, 2018.
Joseph’s goal was to play college hockey, and the recipient of the Jaxon Joseph Memorial Scholarship will be an individual who shares his athletic and academic aspirations while having displayed a commitment to community involvement.
“I think it’s wonderful that we’re celebrating the great qualities that Jaxon had as a human being and as a great teammate,” said Joseph’s former Nitehawks Head Coach, Terry Jones. “He was a very popular player when he played for our team. He was just a real gentleman at all times.”
Jones added that the league being able to honour his life and all the great things he was about is great for Joseph and his family.
“His teammates thought very strongly and highly of him. His billet family loved him,” said Jones, who added that the Nitehawks organization named their most popular player award the Jaxon Joseph Memorial Trophy because Jaxon emulated those great qualities as a popular teammate. “He worked hard every day. When things got tough, he dug in and did what he could to help the team win.”
Like Jones, Surrey Eagles assistant coach Brad Tobin remembers Joseph first and foremost as a great person.
“He was always smiling around the rink. He was a very hard working kid, who was just happy to play hockey and enjoy life,” said Tobin. “A lot of players gravitated towards him. We didn’t have a strong team that year and he was one of the few guys still working hard in a non-playoff year. He did what he could to keep the group going.”
KIJHL players who would like to apply for the Jaxon Joseph Memorial Scholarship can do so by completing a Bursary Application Package. The deadline for applications is March 15, 2022.
