Miniota’s Ben Couvier cannot wait to get onto the ice with his new junior hockey team.
Earlier this summer the son of Mark Couvier and Melody Lane was acquired by the Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. Last winter Couvier was with the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s Kam River Fighting Walleye. He saw exhibition action with the team but, due to a cold, did not play in the team’s four regular season tilts before the season was paused and eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully having a more normal season after last year with COVID,” the 20-year-old said. “Everything was so different. No hitting, no bus rides, less than 10 games, etc. So, fingers crossed we can get back to normal hockey and all the other fun stuff that comes with it.”
The Express are pleased to add the 6-foot-3, 185-poound Couvier. The Hockey News North website described him as “hulking” while Express head coach big, physical power forwardtold that site that Couvier was a “big, physical power forward.”
Couvier was swapped to the Express along with two other players Kam River had the rights too.
“It’s always nice to show up to camp and have familiar faces in the room, so I’m glad I’ll have Caleb Resch joining me after playing together last season, and it sounds like we’ll be billeting together too,” he said.
After helping the Hamiota Huskies win the 2019 Westman High School Hockey League championship, Couvier played at the Junior B level for the Carrot River (Sask.) Outback Thunder. With a desire to play at the Junior A level, Couvier headed east last fall. The Walleyes are based in the Municipality of Oliver Paipoonge, Ont. just west of Thunder Bay.
“What drew me to Thunder Bay was being in a new city and a new province, with an opportunity to play in the (Canadian Junior Hockey League) so I hopped on board right away,” he said.
Couvier enjoyed where he was living and playing in Ontario.
“I billeted at an awesome house outside of a town called Murillo in the Oliver Paipoonge municipality, just outside of Thunder Bay,” he said. “The Thunder Bay area has beautiful scenery like mountains and Lake Superior on each side of the city.”
The Kam River Fighting Walleyes were a new SIJHL expansion team.
“It was a little bit different than playing on a team that's been around for a long time obviously, and with COVID, it makes everything way more tricky, but I think the whole organization did a great job of getting the most out of their first season in the league, especially while dealing with COVID,” Couvier said.
In his short time with Kam River, Couvier was a presence on the ice and in the dressing room. Fighting Walleyes head coach Matt Valley praised Couvier for his size, being smart positionally and being “willing to put his body on the line for his teammates – whether it is to take a hit, make a hit, or block a shot.”
“He is going to stand up for his teammates and himself. He isn’t afraid to mix it up and make his presence felt. I think that’s something every team needs – someone who is holding the other team accountable and also making his players on his own team safe and comfortable to do their own thing.”
Couvier was also appreciated off the ice.
“He’s always a very stand-up guy,” Valley said. “A big part of our dressing room. The guys definitely love him. He fits in anywhere. He just enjoys the process of playing junior hockey and getting to the next level.”
