Luka Svircic returned to the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League this month with more than just international experience — he brought back a medal.
The San Jose, Calif., native represented Croatia, the country of his parents’ heritage, at the IIHF U20 World Junior Championship Division II Group A tournament in Bucharest, Romania. Svircic helped Croatia earn a bronze medal after finishing the tournament with a 3-2 record in five games, capped by a 4-2 win over Spain on Jan. 10. He recorded one assist. Tournament placement was based on points from the group stage.
Now a member of the Quesnel River Rush after a trade from the Spokane Braves, Svircic spoke with the KIJHL about what the experience meant to him.
KIJHL: Congrats on helping your country win a bronze medal. What was that feeling like?
LS: It was probably one of the proudest and most special moments of my life. To be able to win a medal for Croatia is something no one will ever be able to take away. It’s something I’ll always remember.
KIJHL: What was the overall experience like for you?
LS: It was really special to get to play with guys I’ve known since childhood. Being able to go to camp together, travel to Romania, and experience it all as a group was awesome. Everything was so well organized and professional — it was cool to be in that environment.
KIJHL: How would you describe your playing style?
LS: Hardworking and tenacious. I’m a locker-room guy — I’ll do whatever the team needs me to do. Penalty-killing is one of my favourite parts of the game.
KIJHL: What did you take from that tournament that will help you the rest of the season in Quesnel?
LS: Go into every game fresh, keep things simple and play my game. We had five games over there to make something happen, and now in Quesnel we’ve got a short stretch before playoffs. It’s a similar situation — you’ve got to make the most of every game.
Campbell First to 30 Goals
Sicamous Eagles rookie Chase Campbell became the first player in the KIJHL to reach 30 goals this season, accomplishing the milestone in 31 games.
Campbell joined the Eagles after playing with the Sherwood Park Kings U18 AAA program last season and set personal goals after early conversations with head coach and general manager Derek Sweet-Coulter. One of them: reaching the 70–75 point range.
“It’s an incredible achievement, we are extremely proud of his development here this season,” said Sweet-Coulter. “He continues to play at a high level every night. He expects a lot from himself.”
“Hitting 30 goals definitely helps with that,” Campbell said.
Producing at 1.65 points per game, the rookie forward is on pace to challenge that target with nine games remaining.
KIJHL: Congrats on hitting 30 goals. Does that milestone mean anything to you?
CC: Yeah, it’s a nice milestone to hit in this league. It feels good and is definitely an accomplishment. My teammates helped me out a lot though — and some luck along the way too.
KIJHL: What do you credit for being able to score at that rate?
CC: My shot, for sure. I’ve been working on it and getting pucks on the net. You never know what can happen — sometimes you’ve got to get lucky, and you’ve got to be good to be lucky. We added Clayton Gillmore to my line at the trade deadline, and I’ve played with Emmytt Yurkowski all season. I couldn’t do it without them.
KIJHL: How has the chemistry been with Gillmore?
CC: It’s been good. He’s a bigger body, who makes room out there, and he’s got a good shot too. We like playing with him.
KIJHL: What has the coaching staff done to help you keep developing, especially as a finisher?
CC: We work on scoring a lot in practice — burying pucks after every drill. Mondays are skills days, and that really helps with shooting, creating time and space, and getting pucks on net.
KIJHL: Do you feel like improving defensively has helped your offence?
CC: Yeah, I think defence comes first and offence comes second. If we play good defence, the offence comes with it. Supporting on the wall, getting low with the defencemen — that helps us break out easier and get on offence quicker.
