The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is proud to announce the 11 student-athletes and an official selected to receive league bursaries for the 2024-25 season. Each bursary is valued at $1,000 and will be applied towards post-secondary studies.
Next are the recipients from the Kootenay Conference.
Logan Marsh – Game Official – Marsh will graduate from Selkirk Secondary School in Kimberley in June 2025. He plans to attend the College of the Rockies and enter the Criminal and Social Justice Program to work in law enforcement as he has interest in the Canadian legal system.
He has officiated in the KIJHL from 2023-25, working more than 60 games. In June of 2024, he received the BC Hockey/Hockey Canada Most Deserving Official award. Marsh is motivated to reach the highest level in officiating. Marsh, who is the Referee in Chief (RIC) for Kimberley Minor Hockey Association (KMHA), worked more than 200 games between KMHA and the KIJHL over the last two years.
Along with being an RIC at 17, Marsh was a co-instructor for a BC Hockey Officiating course and an on-ice instructor for the First Shift Program.
Reid Gerrand – Castlegar Rebels – Gerrand graduated from Stanley Humphries Secondary School in 2022 – an A student in his senior years. Since then, Gerrand has also taken business and finance classes at Selkirk College in Castlegar, where earned high marks. He plans to complete his studies at Okanagan College and pursue a career in private accounting after becoming a Certified Public Accountant.
Over the last three years Gerrand has earned a sports and education award and has been involved with the Rebels on volunteer initiatives in the community such as helping with minor hockey, breakfast with Santa, the Castlegar Craft Fair, Kindergarten skates, the Castlegar Senior’s Centre, Downtown Castlegar Ladies Night and the Legion Meat Draw. On his own time, he has coached youth baseball, went on a humanitarian trip to Brazil and was involved with Castlegar Interact.
Taylor Schmideder – Creston Valley Thunder Cats – Schmideder graduated from Selkirk Secondary School in 2022 and is looking to pursue a career in trades, looking to attain a Red Seal Certificate as a heavy equipment technician. After gaining experience, he would like to become a supervisor or manager.
During his time in the KIJHL, Schmideder earned a community award from a high school hockey program, and was nominated in 2016 for the Kimberley Minor Hockey Association Gary Pearson Memorial Award. This season he was named the Thunder Cats’ Most Inspirational Player.
Through his time in the KIJHL, Schmideder has done many volunteer activities such as the Fernie and Creston Valley Terry Fox Run, visited the Creston Valley Elementary School, helped with Creston Valley minor hockey, the food bank, a fishing derby and the Halloween “Boo Bash.” On his own time, he has helped with a female hockey team, assisted seniors move into homes and was a ranch helper.
Brendan Smith – Creston Valley Thunder Cats – Smith graduated from Sa-Hali Secondary in Kamloops in 2022 as an A student throughout high school. He has taken Business Administration classes from the University of Fredericton. Now a two-time winner of a KIJHL bursary, Smith is interested in running his own business and has started gaining experience from the car detailing business he has operated the last two summers.
Smith has interest in continuing to play hockey at the collegiate level in Canada or the U.S.
When he played for the Kelowna Chiefs, he volunteered as a goalie coach, taught kids how to skate, assisted with the Rutland Scarecrow Festival, reading to kids and more. During his own time, he tutored students, helped at the Kamloops Food Bank and with sandbagging in the spring. While in Creston, he was a goalie coach, taught kids how to skate, made school visits, and was part of the Remembrance Day ceremony.
Taylor Haggerty – Fernie Ghostriders – Haggerty graduated from Vimy Ridge Academy in 2022 in Sherwood Park and will attend Drury University in the fall, where he will play for the Panthers men’s hockey team. Haggerty has a passion for helping people and is looking to pursue a career in law or clinical psychology. Haggerty also has aspirations of playing hockey professionally.
Haggerty captained the Ghostriders for two of his three seasons and was named the Community Player of the Year in 2024.
Haggerty enjoys volunteering with the Ghostriders and outside of hockey. Among the groups or initiatives he helped with was reading with students at Isabella Dicken Elementary School, Salvation Army Christmas Kettles, One on One Austism Skate and Shoot, and Special Needs Skating lessons.
Gaege Johnson – Fernie Ghostriders – Johnson graduated from Bellerose Composite High School in 2022. Johnson has also taken Business Commerce courses through Grant MacEwan University to earn a degree and major in finance with a minor in accounting. He would like to work as a fund manager at a bank or privately.
He has interest in playing college hockey in Canada or the U.S.
Johnson has volunteered with the Ghostriders and outside hockey. He’s helped an autism skate with kids, as well as events at the senior’s centre and with the Salvation Army.
Russell Kosec – Grand Forks Border Bruins – Kosec graduated from Kelowna Secondary School in 2022. Kosec studied business at Okanagan College to earn a business degree as he plans to become an accountant. Kosec is likely to play college or university hockey with interest in playing professionally in North America or Europe.
