Surrey, B.C. – The Surrey Eagles are proud to announce the team has committed to 16-year-old Langley native Joel Plante (05) for the 2021-22 Season. This is the second 16-year-old committed to by the team this season, following Grayden Slipec joining the team earlier this summer. This will be the second season in a row that the Eagles have two 16-year-olds on the roster, following the 2021 Pod Season campaign that featured the emergence of Tait Ross and Tate Taylor.
Joel Plante joins the team after spending the last few years with the Yale Hockey Academy in the CSSHL. Plante played in 5 games before his season was shut down during the fall of 2020, scoring 2 goals and adding 5 assists with the U17 team. In his last full season with the U15 Varsity team during 2019-20, Plante played in 30 games. He scored 5 goals and had 16 points on the season.
For Plante, joining Surrey was a pretty easy decision this summer. “I thought Surrey was the right place for me to play. I had a pretty warm welcome meeting with Cam this summer. The team is going to be good, the Eagles are a storied organization and had lots of good things going on with the team.”
Plante is looking forward to making a large jump this year, and he’s ready for the challenges he’ll face as a 16 year old in the BCHL. “I want to do anything I can to help the team day in and day out while also improving every facet of my game.”
For Eagles fans who haven’t seen Joel play, he’s looking to use his speed to his advantage in all situations. “I’m looking to be a fast, puck-moving forward who can play in all situations. I also love going into the corners and battling to help the team win.”
Eagles head coach Cam Keith was blown away by how Plante played out of Spring ID Camp in July. “I don’t really have expectations for Joel. He’s a kid who made it out of spring camp and brought me out of my seat with his hockey sense and his playmaking ability. He plays a 200-foot game and has already made a splash with some of our guys in our early skates before the season. I don’t really know what he’ll do this year, that’s up to him with how he transitions, but he’s a player that fans will really want to watch in the coming years. He’ll be a huge impact player for the Surrey Eagles. We’re really excited he’s a part of our group.”
Welcome to the flock, Joel!
