Provided Photo Alberni Valley’s Tyler Vanueden sends a puck to the back of the net against West Kelowna during a game at Weyerhaeuser Arena last season.

VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA — As Tyler Vanuden sat down to formalize his decision to attend Finlandia University on last week, coaches could be heard celebrating three time zones away. Early last winter, Finlandia staff targeted the Fort Frances, Ontario, native to lead a bumper crop of recruits who will help the Lions hockey program take the next step.

“Tyler has the ability to play at a high skill level and execute at high speed, which has been very difficult for (defensemen) to defend,” said Victoria Cougars coach Suneil Karrod. “His skating, with his quick release, has been his staple. He is also a great leader off ice, always contributing to our game plan and helping out the younger guys.”

“He is the total package,” said Finlandia assistant coach Micah Stipech. “He is everything a coach could want in a hockey player,”

Stipech went on to say that his offensive skills are obvious but his defensive awareness, intelligence and drive are what make him so impressive.

Vanuden also possesses a character trait that coaches have prioritized in recruits.

“He has overcome adversity, he has demonstrated resilience,” said Stipech. “Let’s face it, failure is inherent in hockey. The attitude that athletes choose towards adversity is the difference between a champion and the player who could have been great.”

After a season-ending injury in 2016-17, Vanuden started with this year’s Junior A national champions, the Brooks Bandits, only to be traded a month in. He landed on his feet, rejoined his former team, the Cougars, and soon earned a chance with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs.

Over the next 41 games with the Bulldogs, he put up 26 points and impressed the coaching staff enough to be named the team captain coming into this season. Again however, adversity struck and Vanuden found himself looking for a new home.

At a crossroads where many athletes lay blame and give up, Vanueden did neither. He humbly rejoined the Cougars and proceeded to lead them to a league championship.

Alberni Valley Bulldogs coach Jeff Dubois described Vanueden in much the same way other coaches have.

“Tyler is a fast, highly-skilled forward and tremendous young man,” Dubois said. “He’s a natural leader who is liked and respected by his teammates, and he has all the qualities to be a very successful college hockey player.”

Finlandia head coach Joe Burcar also had great things to say about Vanuden.

“This is big,” he said. “A player like this is someone you can build a program around.”

Vanuden describes himself as, “a fast and skilled 200-foot player who likes to have the puck on my stick and make plays.” He prides himself in responsible play on both ends of the rink. He is looking most forward to the high compete level of college hockey.

“In college hockey, there are fewer games than in junior hockey, so every night there’s so much more on the line,” he said.

Vanuden said he was attracted to Finlandia by “the strong and genuine interest from the entire coaching staff, as well as the way Coach Burcar is developing and building the program up.”

Vanuden will be studying psychology with specific interest in sports psychology.

“Tyler comes in with a 4.0 high school GPA. He is a true scholar athlete. We expect him to add just as much to our campus as he does to the ice rink,” said Burcar.

“Tyler will bring flash and passion to Finlandia,” said Karrod. “Fans will be excited to watch him play and his passion is very infectious, which will definitely bring his teammates’ level of play up.”