It's time for Whitehorse Coach's Corner with Joe Martin, coach and general manager of the Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.

Half the season in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) and the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) have been put to rest, and it is safe to say Yukoners have been instrumental in helping their respective teams.

Alex McDougall and Andrew Pettitt of Whitehorse play for the Powell River Kings of the BCHL who are in first place by seven points in the Mainland Division.

Whitehorse's Kane Dawe, Robbie Stuckey, Joe Densmore, and Evan Campbell of Haines Junction play for the Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the KIJHL and that team is leading the Eddie Mountain Division, but by a slimmer margin. In points, they are tied for first, but have three games in hand.

Joe Martin, Creston coach and general manager, has this to report:

"I can honestly say that without these players our team would not be in this position, and the same goes for Powell River. I talk with their coaches on a weekly basis and they are so happy with the two they got," said Martin.

"Both of their guys (Pettitt and McDougall, both ex-Creston Thunder Cats) started off slow, in fact they didn't even committ to Alex until October.

"He was our player in Creston until then, but in camp he played reasonably well, they wanted to see more and the more they saw the more they liked. I would love to have Alex here in Creston, he has a skill set that is hard to find, but I know Alex wanted to stay in Powell River.

"Pettitt on the other hand started off slow because of a shoulder injury and playing on the third and fourth lines some nights," Martin added.

"But after Drew was given some time, he showcased his talent. In November he played really well and was rewarded with power plays helping his individual statistics."

According to Martin, Pettitt is in tough competition to receive top line ice time because his team has some of the best BCHLers in the league. This goes a long way to explaining why Powell River is in first and also why five forwards have received NCAA scholarships for the upcoming season.

Moving on to talk on Thunder Cat players, Martin had this to say.

"Without our guys, I would have huge holes to fill. I committed to Rob, Kane and Joe early in the summer because I know what they bring every night. You can't say that about every player in this league,"Martin said, adding that Stuckey's performance came as a bit of a surprise.

"I knew he would be killing penalties for us, I knew he would work hard but what I didn't know is that in his first year of junior hockey Rob would be a leader," said Martin.

After assistant captain Travis Ludwar went down with a leg injury, coaching staff decided to promote Stuckey as an interim replacement.

"He always puts the team first, and that is a big reason he is affiliated with the Quesnel Millionaires of the BCHL," Martin said.

Coach Martin on Kane Dawe:

"He's our leading rookie scorer with 25 points in 33 games. He is another player who kills penalties for us, he actually kills them with Rob. Kane fits in well with our other guys, he brings speed, intensity and excitement to the rink. Other teams hate him, and that's why we love him."

Coach Martin on Joe Densmore:

"Joe is a highly skilled player, who is adjusting to junior hockey and lately has been playing extremely well. At the end of a hockey year Joe will always get his points, but what we are teaching him here in Creston is more of the little things like blocking shots, winning face-offs, defensive zone coverage and being intense.

"Joe has been playing this way for over a month now and since then he has changed drastically. His hockey potential is limitless and even if he doesn't rip up the scoring in the KIJHL he is a player who should get recognized.

"In fact he already has, playing in the 2008/2009 KIJHL Top Prospects game in Chase, B.C. This game is solely for young players who get to showcase their talent to a group of scouts of NCAA, BCHL, AJHL, Canadian University and WHL."

Coach Martin on Evan Campbell:

"A trade with Nelson Leafs in September brought in the last Yukoner, Evan Campbell.

"I was very happy when Nelson called with a trade offer. Evan brings so much to the rink every night, he has so much passion for the game that it rubs off on others.

"Last season, he was great with the Nelson Leafs and when we played them he was so hard to contain. He has got great speed, good hands and he knows what it takes to win every night."