BCEHL 2025-26 COMMISSIONER'S AWARD PRESENTED TO NORTHERN CAPITALS' NICOLE BATEMAN

For Immediate Release
April 30, 2026

Saanichton, B.C. – The 2025-26 recipient of the British Columbia Elite Hockey League’s (BCEHL) Commissioner’s Award is Nicole Bateman of the U18 Female AAA Northern Capitals.

The Commissioner’s Award celebrates the BCEHL athlete who profoundly impacts their community and shows exemplary leadership on and off the ice.

This season, the Smithers Minor Hockey Association product, led her Capitals squad not only on the ice as the team’s captain, but also off the ice through several volunteer and community endeavours.

“Nicole has demonstrated exceptional commitment to both the community and her team this season,” BCEHL Commissioner Fred Zweep said. “Through her leadership and dedication to volunteerism, she has made a meaningful impact that extends well beyond her performance on the ice.”

Bateman’s involvement in the community includes having assisted Smithers and Prince George Minor Hockey Associations with their Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign, and the annual Prince George Christmas Wish Basket. She also served as one of the primary spokespeople during community visits to Fort St. James Elementary School as part of the annual BC Hockey Winter Classic.

“One of my favorite things to do [in the community] is the Christmas Wish Basket,” Bateman said. “We pick out all the toys and then pool our money so we can get as many as possible.”

The 17-year-old lists working with kids as one of the things she enjoys most. Her passion for this is evident during the summer and her work as a camp counsellor with Northern Hockey School, a Smithers-based hockey camp that “strives to facilitate positive hockey experiences for young players by challenging them to learn skills in a fun and inclusive manner.”

“I just love kids, I think they're so awesome,” Bateman added. “Especially when they like hockey, that makes them even cooler.”

The native of Smithers, B.C. posted a personal best point total during the 2025-26 regular season, her third year with the Capitals. In 32 games, she registered 20 points (4g-16a), good for third overall in team scoring and tied for the team-high in assists.

Assisting others carried into the dressing room, where she stepped up efforts to engage with teammates, affiliate players, and develop an atmosphere where her peers felt comfortable and could ideally thrive.

This included opening the door to room with affiliate players when needed, reaching out to players on the team bus, and recognizing that certain players may have felt alienated when it came to certain outcomes or situations, such as a tough end-of-year loss to the Greater Vancouver Comets.

“Right at the end of the year, when we were playing the Comets in Vancouver, everybody had gone to one room to hang out after we had lost,” Bateman recalled. “I knew that our affiliate player and one of our younger players would be alone. I decided, ‘well I'll just go [spend time] with the affiliate player and the younger player.”

Whether it’s been on the ice, in the locker room, or in her daily life, Bateman’s leadership and positive impact on others has been on daily display throughout the past season. Similar to her natural ability to perform in her chosen sport of hockey, her passion for helping others seems to come just as naturally.

“When my friends need help with their schoolwork, I'm the first one to jump in,” Bateman concluded. “Around the community, if we need someone to volunteer and do the kettle bells, I go and I do the kettle bells. Because I can and people are benefiting from that.”