Oct. 04 / 07

By Guy Bertrand
Times Sports Editor

If you thought David Arduin's hockey season couldn't get any better, think again.

Although the talented Trail Smoke Eater forward is off to a sizzling start as one of the BCHL's top scorers, he got even bigger news last week when he accepted a scholarship to the Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

Arduin returned to Trail on Wednesday after a whirlwind visit to the campus located about 90 minutes north of New York City.

"It was a pretty easy decision," said Arduin.

Quinnipiac was one of the first U.S. colleges to scout the Half Moon Bay native when he was playing Junior B hockey in Campbell River.

"So the relationship was already there," he explained.

And Quinnipiac was also one of the first schools to contact him after his hockey career took a downturn following a shoulder injury while he was with the Vernon Vipers. His production dropped and his playing time limited. And in July 2006 he was traded to the Smokies.

All Arduin did after that was lead Trail in scoring with 29 goals and 66 points. He carried that over into this season with 15 points in 10 games.

"There's definitely been some ups and downs, just like there is in everyone's career," said Arduin. "But I can't say enough about what Trail has done for me."

Although Quinnipiac had an eye on Arduin for a few years, the scholarship offer came quickly, he explained.

Yale, another school vying for Arduin, had approached Quinnipiac about sharing the cost in bringing Arduin to the East Coast for a visit. Since the two schools are only miles away from one another, Yale saw it as a prime opportunity to get Arduin to visit its campus.

But Quinrnpiac, sensing a competition for the Smokie forward, called Trail head coach Jim Ingram and said they wanted him to sign right away and made a full-ride offer to Arduin.

The Smokies boss called Arduin into his office and gave him the news. Arduin contacted his family to contemplate the offer then accepted.

"When I committed, I had to go practice right after and I was skating on clouds," recalled Arduin.

He'll be skating with a pretty potent lineup when he heads to Quinnipiac next year.

Arduin will be Joining a cast of former BCHL stars on a team that is ranked 14th in the U.S. college pre-season poll.

The most notable is Brandon Wong. The former Merritt centennial, who had 55 goals and a league-leading 123 points in the 2005-06 season, was the runner-up for the U.S. college hockey's national Rookie of the Year award last year.

Another former Centennial, Bryan Leitch, was a 40-goal scorer during the 2005-06 BCHL season.

And Ben Nelson, a former Kootenay International Junior Hockey League star with Spokane, was a 43-goal scorer with the BCHL's Cowichan Valley Capitals.

Arduin's visit to the campus on Tuesday further cemented his eagerness to play there and study business. A new rink, new training centre, the latest in educational facilities all add up to a promising new chapter in his life.

But Arduin is quick to add he isn't finished writing his Trail chapter just yet.

"It's a relief (to get the scholarship). But I still have big plans for this year and this club. I want to try and get Trail somewhere they haven't been before.

"I owe this town, definitely."