Tyler Harper / Nelson Star

Quaid Anderson is the Cranbrook Bucks first true hometown player

 

On October 21, the Cranbrook Bucks announced the signing of 2001-born defenseman Quaid Anderson. The 19-year-old was born in Cranbrook, making him the first official hometown product to commit to the Bucks. He does, however, join three other players hailing from the Kootenays. Defensemen Cam Reid and Cole Assailly are from nearby Kimberley, while forward Noah Quinn is from Nelson.

Anderson joins the Bucks after two seasons with the Beaver Valley NiteHawks of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. He spent the two seasons prior to that with the Kootenay Ice of the BC U18 AAA League.

His aggressive style of play is what allowed him to stand out among defensemen who were trying to crack the Bucks’ roster during the extended training camp. In the pre-season games this fall, Anderson has been noticeable delivering hits or mixing it up with opposing players.

His physical play has caused turnovers and created space for his team to make plays on the ice. He is a veteran defenseman who refuses to back down from his opponents.

When the Bucks announced the signing, head coach and general manager Ryan Donald acknowledged Anderson’s competitiveness.

“We are excited to add Quaid to our roster for our inaugural season,” said Donald. “Quaid is a player that has impressed our staff over the course of our training camp with his competitiveness and his work ethic.  He is a local product that we believe will add a veteran presence to our lineup.”

Anderson spent the last four years developing in the West Kootenay region, with the previously mentioned Nitehawks along with the U18 AAA Kootenay Ice.

Cranbrook born, Kootenay raised

Back in 2016-17, Anderson played 39 games with the U18 AAA Ice. He scored one goal and added three assists in his first year in the BC U18 AAA League.

Anderson also made his junior hockey debut that year, as an affiliate player with the Kimberley Dynamiters of the KIJHL. He played one game for the Nitros that season, failing to find the scoresheet.

Anderson had a much bigger impact with the Ice during the 2017-18 season, his final in the BC U18 AAA League. The defenseman had 60 penalty-minutes, to go along with five goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 40 games.

He also played 10 games as an affiliate player with the NiteHawks, in which he recorded an assist for his first KIJHL point.

The following season, Anderson made the jump to being a full-time player with Beaver Valley. He played 41 regular season games, collecting two goals, 14 assists, and 38 penalty minutes. During the NiteHawks’ 2019 playoff run, Anderson chipped in one goal and two assists in 10 games.

Last season, Anderson scored six goals and added 18 assists for 24 points in 31 games with the NiteHawks. In six playoff games, he chipped in with an assist.

This past off season, it was announced that the NiteHawks were one of three KIJHL teams opting out of the 2020-21 season, due to COVID-19 concerns.

The KIJHL held a dispersal draft, where the active 17 teams selected players from the three idle teams. Anderson’s rights were selected with the ninth pick by the Creston Valley Thundercats in the dispersal draft.

Despite his rights changing teams, it is now set in stone that the Thundercats will not benefit from Anderson’s services. After 83 regular season and 16 postseason games at the junior B level, he is ready to make the jump to the BCHL.

As much as the Bucks are excited to add him to their roster, you can bet he is eager to suit up in a regular season game with his hometown team.