PHOTO: Garrett James/BCHL
PENTICTON, B.C. – The Penticton Vees Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club is pleased to announce the acquisition of defenceman Nico Somerville (’99) from the Victoria Grizzlies in exchange for forward Alex DiPaolo (’00) and defenceman Colton Kitchen (‘01).
Somerville, 20, comes to Penticton with 181 games of junior hockey under his belt, all being played with the Grizzlies over a span of five seasons. The 5’10, 185-pound rearguard has tallied 14 goals and added 57 assists for 71 points in that span while also accumulating 124 penalty minutes.
The 2019/20 season has been one of the best for the Port Alberni, BC product as he has scored 4 goals while registering 18 assists for 22 points in 30 games played with Victoria, as well as 30 penalty minutes. In addition to the strong play on the back end, Somerville adds plenty of leadership as he was named an alternate captain with the Grizzlies at the beginning of the season. The strong start to the year has also resulted in a commitment to play collegiate hockey as Somerville is slated to attend American International College (AIC) next season.
“We are looking forward to having Nico be a part of our group this season with his experience and ability on the back end,” mentioned Vees President, General Manager and Head Coach Fred Harbinson, “We would like to wish the best to Alex and Colton in Victoria.”
DiPaolo, 19, was in his first season with the Vees, tallying 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points in 29 games played while Kitchen, 18, suited up in 15 games with Penticton where he tallied an assist.
The Vees would like to welcome Nico and his family to the organization and the South Okanagan while thanking Alex and Colton for their time and contributions to the team and the City of Penticton.
The Vees open up a home-and-home set this weekend against the Merritt Centennials, beginning on Friday night at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with the game being broadcasted on EZ Rock AM 800 as well as HockeyTV.com starting with the pre-game show at 6:40 PM with the Voice of the Vees, Trevor Miller.
