Tyler Wishart gets honorable mention in BCHL Players of the Week

Nov 30, 2023 | 7:43 AM Vern Strecheniuk

MERRITT — Merritt Centennials forward Tyler Wishart got an Honorable Mention in the BCHL’s Stars of the Week with 4 assists in 2 games.

Wishart was added from the Nanaimo Clippers and still rocks the cage mask after being out with injury for an extended period of time.

2004 born veteran Tyler told us what he thinks he brings to the Centennials, “I hope to bring speed to the offense, have some scoring touch and just be a leader out there any way I can be. Either with the puck or without the puck, being positive on the bench, on the ice. I wanna be a leader out there. I think we have a really skilled team, scoring 5-6 goals a game sometimes. I think overall we have a pretty solid team.”

New York born Tyler Wishart was added to the Centennials forward line, he was with the team for weeks before he finally got some game time action. With a handful of players hailing from Northeast USA it was an easy transition for Tyler.

“I’ve known a lot of those players playing against eachother growing up, it’s nice to finally meet them and be on a team together.”

It’s another cheeky addition by Cents Head Coach Brian Passmore who has now added three point-per-game players to his talented offensive arsenal. Dylan Lariviere was added from the Brooks Bandits (AJHL) and is now one of the top rookies in the BCHL. Dylan Wegner was taken from Prince George, he too has been a point per game forward since. Tyler Wishart has had the same success so far.

Wishart has been happy with his new coach so far, “I think he’s been doing a great job, putting Merritt back on the map.”

Tyler also shared his thoughts on what he thinks about the City of Merritt so far “It’s a small town, it’s beautiful and I love the mountains. It’s very scenic here and it’s a tight community. Everyone knows everyone, it’s a good thing. I love the community so far.”

Wishart has one goal, a late game tying goal, and 6 assists for 7 points in 8 games since joining the Cents. Tyler is known for performing well in the clutch, His last assist was a big one, assisting on defenseman Sam Grabner’s first BCHL goal, an overtime winner over Trail.

When the Centennials were down 3-2 in West Kelowna in the last ten minutes Wishart was able to tie the game at 3-3 leading to Michael Stenberg’s game winning goal in a 4-3 road win.

Wishart and the Cents host the West Kelowna Warriors tomorrow at 7 p.m at the NVMA for the Teddy Bear Toss.

They then have a tough home-and-home against the Penticton Vees before heading off on their only Coastal trip of the season. On the coast Merritt will play in Cowichan Valley, Brian Passmore will likely be seeking revenge against his former team. The Cents finish off three road games in four nights with a game in Alberni Valley where former Centennials Coach Joe Martin manages Bulldogs.