After five seasons with the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Joey West set a franchise record by playing 326 games throughout his OHL career.
Once his time in the OHL wrapped up, West took his talents to Carleton. In four seasons with the Ravens, West’s durability continued to shine. He played in 109 regular season games, only missing one game along the way.
He scored 39 goals, as well as 51 assists in his Canadian Interuniversity Sport career, along with 22 points throughout four playoff runs.
In the 2013-14 season, West only registered six penalty minutes in the entire season and was named the OUA East Most Sportsmanlike Player.
The Charlatan sat down with West to talk about the Ravens’ run to Nationals, his leadership, and his legacy.
The Charlatan (TC): What did it mean to you to be able to wear the ‘C’ on your jersey for your last season as a Raven?
Joey West (JW): It was a huge honour. The guys that wore the ‘C’ before me were big influences on me, and to wear that ‘C’ and to be in the same class as those character guys—it means a lot.
(TC): What will you miss the most about the team after the season?
(JW): It’s probably like [the] purest type of sport, playing university hockey. Theres no trades—you really have to mesh with your team. What you have is what you have to go with the whole year, so I think just the purity of this kind of level and of course the guys are great. Just coming to the rink every day and that kind of thing.
(TC): Anything you won’t miss?
(JW): Definitely the school—juggling that at the same time. That’ll be a bit less stressful.
(TC): How did it feel to win the OUA Bronze on home ice here at the Ice House in your final home game?
(JW): It’s huge, it feels great. It’s not the way we planned to get to Halifax but we’re getting there anyways, so as long as the end result works itself out, I’m fine with it.
(TC): In Peterborough, you’re remembered as the franchise leader in games played. How do you want to be remembered as a Raven through your career here?
(JW): Obviously going to Halifax this year and maybe bringing back some hardware, that would be the cherry on top. But knock on wood. That would be the ultimate satisfaction I guess.
(TC): What are your plans for next year after Carleton?
(JW): It’s honestly up in the air right now, I’m not too sure. I think playing hockey might be working.
(TC): What kind of degree are you graduating with?
(JW): Commerce with a specialization in finance.
(TC): So you would be looking for some sort of accounting job?
(JW): Like that, or a financial analyst or broker. I’m not too sure, once the hockey season is over I’ll dive into that aspect a little bit more.
