Dominic Turner celebrates a goal for the Golden Rockets. He will take his offensive abilities to the BC Intercollegiate Hockey League with the University of Victoria Vikes.
Bill Pringle photos
Golden Rocket Dominic Turner had interest from other college teams, but in the end, joining the UVic Vikes in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League made the most sense.
It’s a great accomplishment for the Calgary, Alta., native who says “things happen you don’t think are going to end up happening.”
He feels fortunate to join the Vikes. Among the reasons he felt going to Vancouver Island was best for him is that he knows more people, has traveled to Victoria and likes the city and feels that settling in there will be good for his personal being. Plus, he remains close to home. While playing for the Vikes, he will study humanities, then narrow his focus.
Turner’s final season in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) began with him battling illness and injury instead of playing. The second half of the season, especially coming out of the Christmas break, Turner felt like he was playing similar to last season. There was more consistency to his game.
“I like to play like a power forward, getting in front of the net, putting in the greasy goals. I also like looking for teammates,” says Turner. “Give them better looks, than I possibly have. I like battling in the corners as well. I like the physical play along with the skill play.”
It’s those skill sets that attracted Turner to Vikes head coach-general manager Harry Schamhart, who also likes Turner’s leadership and proven goal scoring ability. In 74 career regular season games, Turner scored 54 times.
“It’s something we have been lacking,” says Schamhart, who feels Turner can set an example. “That was one of the things we wanted him to come to UVic.
“It’s hard to teach goal scoring at levels,” he continues. “They will continue to score.”
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Turner says playing in the KIJHL prepared him to make the jump to the BCIHL because he faced older players, who were bigger and stronger. That helped him get stronger, and improve his hockey IQ compared to his minor hockey days.
Listed at six-foot-one, 165 pounds, Turner says he has pretty good speed for his size. He can also take hits and has some finesse in his toolbox.
“My hands decide to do something fancy and it pays off,” he says.
However, he will still keep things simple to make it easier for his teammates.
What excites Turner about this opportunity is that he can keep playing the game and get his education at the same time.
