A Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs player has been recognized for his work on the ice.
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) announced that Pontiac Jeremy Gervais was the defensive player of the week for Oct. 14 to 20.
The accolade came during a five-game road trip for the team, when he recorded nine points with one goal and eight assists.
Head coach Rick Swan described the news as a "well-deserved honour."
"He has elite vision, and he was a guy that was able to create a tremendous amount of, not only offence with that vision, but defensively he was exceptional, as well," Swan noted.
Gervais said he had his team to thank for being recognized.
"I obviously wouldn't have done it without the boys, because they help me get a lot of the statistics, which leads to winning that award," he said.
Having confidence in his teammates has attributed to how well Gervais has been playing. He believes fellow defenceman Luke Albert is among the top reasons he was so successful.
"He's a really good partner that compliments my game really well, he's always there for me... Plus, we have a really good team and coaching staff that has put in a really good structure that compliments me, as well," he detailed.
As a new member to the Pontiacs this year, Gervais has enjoyed getting to know his teammates and learning about the AJHL.
"The culture and everything in that aspect is probably better than what I'm used to. It's just a really good organization, and they treat it very professionally here and expect everything out of everybody every night. It's a really good place for me, and I think I fit well here," he expressed.
The Pontiacs acquired Gervais through a trade last season from the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), and Swan said the coaching staff actively pursed him during those talks.
"He was a guy we really liked coming out of midget... We knew he wouldn't only be a good player as a 18-year-old, but (he had) a good chance to be a great player as a 19 and 20-year-old," Swan expressed.
Gervais has high hopes for the rest of the season, and wants to see the team continue their success.
"(My) hopes for the rest of the season are that we continue the ways we've been doing, and even buy into the structure that's been implemented more that will result in us being a very tough team to beat. Hopefully, we can take the north division as regular season champs."
