Trolley Talk Blog
Penticton’s Bailey Tamminga has signed a letter of commitment to join the Summerland Steam next season.
Tamminga, 16, spent the past two seasons in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League in the Okanagan Hockey Academy. Tamminga played 63 games in red and white over two season split between the Elite 15 program and the Midget Prep program. He tallied three goals and twenty-five points in those 63 games, while only accumulating 44 total penalty minutes.
Tamminga is a solid defender with a good, physical style of play, and will be a welcomed addition to the Steam blueline as a full-time player. In eight games during the 2016/17 season as an affiliate player, including two in the playoffs, Tamminga was put in all situations by head coach John Depourcq and his staff. These situations included key moments in close games, special teams situations, and head to head match-ups, and Tamminga excelled.
He showed a steady enough presence to play dependable defensive minutes no matter the situation he was put in. Depourcq didn’t hesitate to use Tamminga late in games, or against another team’s top offensive line. This included two games in the playoffs against the Kelowna Chiefs where he went head-to-head with the line of Brett Witala, Jason Village and Josh Kobelka, and did well to limit them on the scoresheet.
“Bailey was a huge asset to our team as an affiliate player last season, and we’re very excited to have him,” Depourcq told the Trolley Talk Blog. “The Okanagan Hockey Academy program has done wonders for Bailey in his development over the past two seasons.”
Tamminga will be a welcomed addition to a Summerland blueline that will lose a lot of grit with veteran defencemen Alex Williams and Calvin Hadley moving on from junior hockey.
“Bailey’s style of play certainly catches people’s attention,” said Depourcq. “He’s a guy that isn’t afraid to battle for the puck or use his body to create time and space for himself and his teammates, as well as take it away from his opponents. This year with Grizz (Williams) and Hads (Hadley) moving on, we’re going to need some grit back there, and we think Bailey provides that as well as a ton of other positive qualities. He skates well, he thinks the game at a high level and he’ll be a very welcomed addition.”
He’ll be part of a defense corps that could include familiar faces in Cole Williams, Scott Robinson and Brogan Lautard eligible to return for their 20-year old seasons, and Matt Alcorn set to take a big step forward in his second year in the KIJHL (should he return). The Steam look to be in very good shape on the back end.