Rockets’ captain commits to Acadia
Kelowna Rockets graduating captain Rodney Southam has committed to Acadia University to play for the Axemen in the upcoming 2017-18 U Sports hockey season.
Following his lengthy junior career split between the Kelowna Rockets and Tri-City Americans, Southam is heading east to Wolfville, Nova Scotia, to cash in on his WHL scholarship.
“It was tough making the final decision to go to Acadia, but they showed a lot of interest in me,” said Southam, who hails from Saskatoon, Sask. “I think going out east will be good for my hockey career.”
The hard-nosed forward says his time in Kelowna prepared him for this next step.
“The Rockets helped me with a lot — not only in my hockey career, but in maturing me into a man,” said Southam, who served as team captain during his final two seasons with Kelowna. “I believe they did an amazing job for me and I couldn’t ask for much more.”
When it comes to the school aspect, Southam hasn’t made a final decision on what he’ll be studying.
“As of right now, I’m not totally sure what I’ll be taking in school, but the university as well as my family are helping me find what’s best for me,” he said.
Southam finished his WHL career with 41 goals and 60 assists for 101 points in 247 regular-season games, accompanied by 329 penalty minutes. He played 184 of those games with Kelowna, helping the Rockets win the 2015 Ed Chynoweth Cup.
Southam also suited up for 57 career playoff games — 52 with Kelowna — and tallied nine goals and seven assists for 16 points.
At Acadia, Southam will be joining a former Rockets teammate in Chance Braid, who was also part of that run to the Memorial Cup final in 2015 after being acquired from Prince George at the trade deadline that year.