Nathan Craft is trading in the meow of a cat for the bite of a dog after signing with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the British Columbia Hockey League.
The 17 year old was the Cariboo Cougars leading goal scorer in the B.C. Major Midget League last season with 27 also adding 21 assists and 103 penalty minutes in 35 games for the Cats.
The Kitimat native spent two seasons playing for Trevor Spague's Cougars in which the team made it to the league championship before losing out to the Vancouver NW Giants both years.
Craft is the fourth Cougar to take his talents to a BCHl club in the fall. Cats' captain Tanner Fjellstrom has committed to his hometown Prince George Spruce Kings after finishing the 2011-2012 season as the only player to play in every regular season Cougars' game, collecting 20 goals, 31 assists and 22 penalty minutes. Fjellstrom played in two games as an affiliate with the Kings last season.
Meanwhile, Hayden-James Berra and Eli Jarvis impressed Cowichan Valley Capitals head coach and general manager Jim Ingram at the BCHL club's spring camp in Duncan enough to receive offers with the Coastal Conference club.
In his only season with the Cougars, Berra notched 33 points in 34 games, while the 16-year-old Jarvis led the Cats in points in his second season with the club with 55.
Other Cats with their minds on their future hockey careers this week include forwards Tyler Povelofskie and Michael Bell and defencemen Ryan Gagnon and Kenny Nordstrom, all of whom are in Salmon Arm competing with 120 of British Columbia's top 1996-born players at the U17 BC Cup until May 13. The top players at the camp will be invited to a regional camp in July. The camps will held determine the roster for Team Pacific at the 2013 World under-17 Challenge.
Logan Styler was also invited to the camp but was unable to attend.
