Game On Magazine - April 2017 GameOn-Apr2017-P001-144-ONLINE | Page 8

IBAM MJHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Barley Named MJHL
IBAM Rookie of the
Month for February
By Scott Taylor
Photo by James Carey Lauder
F
or Selkirk Steelers head coach Dustin Hughes, the recent
play of Steelers forward Carter Barley is not surprising.
In fact, Hughes came to the realization a few months ago
that the 17-year-old Grade 12 student at West Kildonan Collegiate
was going to be an outstanding player at the Manitoba Junior Hock-
ey League level.
“Carter is a very talented young hockey player,” said Hughes, just
before the Steelers were about to play Game 3 of the MJHL
quarterfinal against the defending champion Portage Ter-
riers. “Like most young players, it took him awhile to get
his bearings at the junior level. I mean, for any player it’s
tough to get accustomed to the pace and all the other
things that go with playing in your first year of junior,
but now that Carter is comfortable, he’s been an out-
standing player for us.”
Indeed, he has.
With 11 points in 10 games during the month of Febru-
ary, Barley was named the IBAM Rookie of the Month.
A key member of the Steelers, Barley helped his team-
mates finish in third-place overall in the MJHL this season.
A St. Andrews product who played Bantam and City Midget
with the Hawks and then had 23 goals and 50 points in 37
games with the Triple A Provincial Midget Winnipeg Thrashers last
season, Carter has had a superb freshman year in Selkirk. He has 12
goals and 28 points in 54 games and got better as the season
went on.
“He was a very good midget player,” said Hughes. “At
first we thought it might be tough for him to adjust
because we have an older team, but he’s fit right
in and been a great player to coach.
“He gets a lot of ice time for us now and we use
him in difficult situations and on the power play.
He has really adapted to play with our team and
I hope we have him back next year.”
At 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, he’s going to be big
player. He was a 10th round selection of the Red
Deer Rebels (215th overall) in the 2016 West-
ern Hockey League Bantam draft, but it’s very
likely he’s going to try to go the NCAA Division
1 route.
“We’re really pleased with the way Carter
has played for a rookie in a tough league,”
said Hughes. “He’s also a very good high
8 GAME ON
2017 PLAYOFF EDITION
school student and I think his sights are set on playing hockey at
school (NCAA Division 1).”
The runners up for IBAM’s February award were 18-year-old for-
ward Will Koop of the Steinbach Pistons and 18-year-old goaltender
Riley McVeigh of the Virden Oil Capitals. n
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