The Merritt Centennials have added a trio of Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) student-athletes for the 2022/23 British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) season.
A defenseman from Burnaby, BC, Aleksey Chichkin spent the past four seasons in the CSSHL. He joined the league in 2018/19 with the West Van Academy U15 team, tallying 27 points in 29 games helping West Van capture a U15 CSSHL Western Championship. He would spend the next three years with BWC Academy, playing one season each for their U15 Prep, U16 Prep and U18 Prep teams. In 70 CSSHL games with BWC Academy, Chichkin would record 32 points while capturing a U18 Prep Western Championship during the 2021/22 season.
Another BWC Academy product who has spent four years in the CSSHL, Ryder McIntosh originally joined the CSSHL with Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) at the U15 division. In 29 games during that 2018/19 season, McIntosh would finish with 32 points, second on his team. His 30 points in 30 U15 Prep games the following season would lead all OHA skaters. The Langley, BC forward would join the BWC Academy U16 Prep team during the 2020/21 COVID-19 shortened season, finishing with five points in three games. During the 2021/22 season, McIntosh would finish with 46 points in 34 games as he helped BWC Academy capture a U18 Prep Western Championship.
A sixth-round pick, 120th overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2021 Western Hockey League (WHL) Draft, Diego Johnson has played the last three seasons in the CSSHL, all with OHA. His 48 points in 26 U15 games were second on his team during the 2019/20 season. The Fort St. James, BC forward would score 10 goals and add 4 assists in just 10 U15 Prep games during the 2020/21 COVID-19 shortened season. In 32 U17 Prep games this season with OHA Black, Johnson would score 18 goals and add 24 assists.