BC Hockey announced that Coleton Bilodeau of the Okanagan Rockets has been named the Major Midget League (MML) Player of the Month for December 2016. The 6’2” forward from Coldstream, BC tallied 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in six (6) games last month.

Bilodeau assumed the captaincy of the Rockets following Eli Zummack’s (Kelowna, BC) departure for the Western Hockey League (WHL). Said Okanagan General Manager Braden Pistawka, “Recently our team went through a heartbreaking loss losing our captain and leader Eli to the Spokane Chiefs. This left a big void on the ice but more importantly in the dressing room. During the month of December Coleton stepped up to fill that void. He embraced the position our team was in, and is the catalyst to our team building a new identity. He held our team together both on and off the ice and became the new leader of the Okanagan Rockets.”

A Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) and Vernon Vipers (BCHL) prospect, Bilodeau currently leads the MML in scoring with 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) through 24 games – a 1.75 point-per-game average. The Rockets currently sat second in the league standings before the holiday break, with a 17-5-0-2 record.

Bilodeau was chosen from a high-calibre list of other nominees, including: Daine Dubois (Cariboo Cougars), Brodi Stuart (Fraser Valley Thunderbirds), Scott Atkinson (Greater Vancouver Canadians), Joshua Zary (North Island Silvertips), Brayden Davis (Thompson Blazers), Tyler Ho (Valley West Hawks), Jessie Young (Vancouver North East Chiefs), and Hudson Schandor (Vancouver North West Giants).

The MML was established in 2004 to provide elite level 15, 16 and 17 year olds an opportunity to play within their own age group at a high level and be developed for the next level of hockey. These teams have an opportunity each year to compete for the TELUS Cup, Canada’s National Midget Championship.

For more information about the MML, please visit the league’s website at www.bcmml.net, follow along on social media at twitter.com/bchockey_mml, or email us at midgethockey@bchockey.net.

For more information about BC Hockey please visit the BC Hockey website at www.bchockey.net or email info@bchockey.net or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/BCHockeySource, www.twitter.com/BCHockey_Source, www.youtube.com/BCHockeySource or www.instagram.com/BCHockeySource.