The Clippers, at the trade deadline, acquired Blake Power from the Port Alberni Bombers of the VIJHL. Power is one of two underage 2004 born players on the Clippers with the other one being Brent Merner. Both players were first introduced to the Nanaimo Clippers spring program in the 2019 season, where they played alongside other notable BCHL players, Matthew Wood and Luke Lavery.
Power is a 5-ft. 10-inch, 161-lbs forward from Port Alberni. He played on the Yale Hockey Academy Elite 15s program in 2019-2020 where he accumulated 12 goals and 12 assists in 36 games for 24 points. Like many players last year, Blake had very limited opportunities to show his skills on ice due to COVID lockdowns, but it did not impact his development. Indeed, in the 2021-2022 season, he had a breakout year as a rookie in the VIJHL (Junior B) scoring 14 goals and adding 21 assists for 35 points in 35 games.
Darren Naylor, Head Coach and GM, noted; “Blake is a good character kid from the Island. He skates well. He has a good hockey brain and is very coachable. He will be a good player for the program for years to come as he climbs the depth chart”.
Wes Mussio, owner of the Clippers, “Our spring programs before COVID has started to show some real fruit. Through the spring programs, we’ve been able to find some strong younger talent and have helped these players gain a foothold in the BCHL. Blake is just one of four high-end players on the spring team in 2019 that have made it to the BCHL as underagers, which shows the success of our spring program. The fact that Blake is also a local island player is a bonus because we are trying to have as many locals on the team as possible.”
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