Sawyer Hunt will once again be captain as the Nelson Leafs open the regular season with plenty of new faces.
Hunt was captain last season when he led the team with 46 points. Forward Logan Wullum and defencemen Zach Morey and Michael LeNoury have been named assistant captains.
The Leafs also finalized their roster this week, with 10 returning players and 11 new additions.
On offence, Hunt and Wullum are rejoined by Jack Karran, Ryan Piva, Nicholas Wihak and Brent Headon. New additions to the front line include Justin Podgorenko, Ryan Keitly, Ethan Beattie, Ryan Cooper, Jackson Zimmerman and David Sanchez.
Morey and LeNoury will lead the defensive corps that also includes Brendan Makay and Dash Thompson, who returned to the team from a Junior A tryout. Michael Bladon, Ethan Land and Troy Gilonna will also suit up for their first seasons with the Leafs.
In goal, Josh Williams and Quinn Yeager will strap on the pads. Williams previously played six games for the Leafs during the 2015-16 season before moving onto a Junior A team in Alberta, while Yeager is a new addition.
The Leafs also traded newly acquired defencemen Jake Hryhoriw and Jordan Popoff to the Fernie Ghostriders in exchange for a player to be named later and a player development fee, respectively.
Nelson’s regular season begins 7 p.m. tonight at home to the Beaver Valley Nitehawks before hosting the Kimberley Dynamiters tomorrow at the same time.