VERNON, BC – Iroquois-born hockey player Roarke Gilmour has signed with the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League. The team announced the signing on August 15.
Gilmour, who is committed to join the University of Maine Black Bears in 2025, said he was excited to join the team.
“I’m very excited to play for Vernon this year and grateful for the opportunity to play for such a great organization,” said Gilmour. “It’s such a beautiful city and I can’t wait to get started!”
Gilmour played the last two seasons at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, north of Toronto. He tallied five goals and 30 assists across 53 games. The five foot 11 inch defenceman had originally planned to play for the Brooks Bandits in Alberta, but moved to the Vipers organization in August.
“Roarke is a competitive, mobile, two-way defenceman with excellent skating ability,” said Vipers head coach Lukas Lomicky. “He is an exciting young prospect who we believe will adapt quickly to our league and be an impact player for our team.”
Gilmour was previously drafted by the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL and previously played for the Upper Canada Cyclones, Rideau St. Lawrence Kings, and started in the South Dundas Lions hockey program.
The Vipers play in the BCHL, an independent Junior-A hockey league that broke away from Hockey Canada sanctioning in 2023. The team finished fourth in the Inland Division with a record of 33 wins, 19 losses and two ties in 2023-24. The team exited the playoffs in their division semi-finals.