NHL DRAFT HAD LOCAL INTRIGUE

Connor Levis and Emmitt Finnie of the Kamloops Blazers were drafted into the NHL last week, along with Kamloops product Sawyer Mynio, who toils for the Seattle Thunderbirds.

The Mynio family will not have to travel far to watch Sawyer play if he can crack the lineup with either the Vancouver Canucks or their American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

Vancouver selected Mynio — a 6-foot-1, 172 pound defenceman — 89th overall in Round 3 of the draft, which was held last week in Nashville.

“It feels great,” Mynio told a scrum of reporters at the draft. “All my family are super pumped for me, just a few hours away.

“I think my defensive game really showed this year. Last year, I didn’t play a whole lot.”

Mynio, who turned 18 in April, has played for the last two seasons for the Seattle Thunderbirds, who reached the WHL

Notice of Construction

but moved to Abbotsford about five years ago to play for Yale Hockey Academy — in Round 7 of the draft, 201st overall.

Levis, who tallied 13 goals in the last 16 games of the season to finish the campaign with 27 goals and 67 points in 68 games.

final in 2022 and won the league championship in 2023.

“He’s rounded out his game,” T-Birds’ head coach Matt O’Dette told KTW in April, prior to his club’s Western Conference championship series against the Blazers, which Seattle won in six games.

“Every aspect of his game has improved. His biggest strength is his skating. He’s such a good skater for a guy on the back end and for his size.”

Mynio grew up an Edmonton Oilers’ fan and Duncan Keith, a Chicago Blackhawks’ legend, was among his favourite players — factoids that may provoke friendly jabs from Canucks’ fans.

The Detroit Red Wings picked Finnie — who is from Lethbridge,

Finnie, who turned 18 on June 27, rode a 10-game point streak into the 2023 post-season, with 16 of his 35 points in 2022-2023 coming during the stretch.

He boosted the point streak to 13 games in the postseason, late production that helped his draft stock.

Levis, from Vancouver, was selected by his favourite team, the Winnipeg Jets, who nabbed the 6-foot-2, 193-pound forward in Round 7 (210th overall) at the draft.

“Looking at rankings and talking with teams, I thought I was going to go a little bit higher, but I was confident in myself,” Levis said. “I knew I had a really strong season with the Blazers. There were some nerves. When I saw Winnipeg, I was really happy. They’ve been my favourite team for a long time.”

The stretch run of the 2022-2023 WHL schedule proved fruitful for

Levis is familiar with the Jets’ facility, noting Blazers’ owner Tom Gaglardi pulled strings to get the B.C. Bears a tour a few years ago, when Levis and Bennett Gaglardi, Tom’s son, were toiling for the spring hockey club at a tournament in Winnipeg.

The Nashville Predators nabbed 5-foot-8, 181pound defenceman Tanner Molendyk of the Saskatoon Blades 24th overall in Round 1 on Wednesday. Molendyk, 18, is from McBride, but resides in the Tournament Capital and played in the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association ranks before moving to Yale Hockey Academy.

The Chicago Blackhawks selected Regina Pats’ phenom Connor Bedard first overall.

Six WHL players were picked in Round 1 and 80 Canadian Hockey League players — 35 from the

Ontario Hockey League, 33 from the WHL (including six T-Birds) and 12 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League — were selected at the draft.

Hicketts Signs

Joe Hicketts is on the move.

The Los Angeles Kings on Sunday signed Hicketts, a defenceman from Kamloops, to a one-year, two-way contract worth an average annual value of $775,000.

Hicketts, 27, played in all 72 American Hockey League games for the Iowa Wild last season, notching 48 points, including six goals, and establishing singleseason career highs in assists, points, penalty minutes (69), power-play goals (3) and shots on goal (166).

Halston Bridge Rehabilitation

The M inistr y of Transpor tation and I nfrastructure notifies the public that work to rehabilitate the Halston Bridge in K amloops will begin soon

The projec t will improve safet y and minimize the need for future sur face maintenance.

Wor k will include resur facing the br idge deck , replacing the deck joints and mak ing improvements to the east abutment Construc tion will star t within the next few weeks and finish in spring 2024

During construction, two of the four travel lanes on the bridge will be closed at all times, reducing the crossing to one lane in each direction All four lanes will be open during the winter months

M otor ists are advised to expec t congestion and delays and to plan accordingly. Updates will be available online at Dr iveBC ca and on Twitter at @DriveBC

For more information, please contac t Elnaz Ansari at Elnaz.Ansari@gov.bc.ca or Cor tez Construc tion Ltd. at cortez@cortezconstruction.ca

For traffic and construc tion updates, visit DriveBC.ca or @DriveBC on Twitter.

Notice To Taxpayers

Tkemlups te Secwépemc (TteS)

Lands, Leasing, & Tax Department

Telephone: 250 828 9784 | Email: taxation@ttes.ca

2023 Property Tax Notices have been mailed

Due Date: August 2nd, 2023

Payment of property taxes must be received at the Tkemlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) Accounts Receivable office before the close of business on August 3rd. Hours of operation, Monday – Friday from 8:00am – 4:00pm

The Finance Department will be open during lunch (12:00pm -1:00pm) during the tax season (July 2nd – August 2nd)

If you have not received your tax notice, contact the Lands, Leasing & Tax Department at 250-828-9784, and payment options for the Accounts Receivable Office at 250-828-9861

IMPORTANT: First Nation Home Owner Grant Taxpayers living on TteS reserve land must submit the Home Owner Grant to the TteS Finance Dept 2023 HOG ONLINE SUBMISSION ~ details on how to enter your HOG electronically enclosed with the tax notice

Please make cheques payable and submit to:

TKEMLÚPS TE SECWÉPEMC - Property Tax

Accounts Receivable - Admin Building

200-330 Chief Alex Thomas Way Kamloops, BC V2H 1H1

Accounts Receivable Office:

City of Kamloops

Ac T I V I T Y P Ro G R A M S

Programs are cancelled if the minimum numbers are not met

Bridal Shower Cupcakes 1/$35

Learn how to decorate celebration cup cakes that will impress your guest Join Shirley the Cake Lady as she teaches you to decorate a stunning cupcake for the bride to be! Some supplies required

Valleyview Hall

Thurs July 27 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Music at the Museum

Ages 5 and under $5

Join the KMA for a special summer edition of Music at the Museum! This program will introduce your little one to the Kamloops Museum through songs, stories, and music Weather dependent, this program may be offered outside, so please dress for the weather!

Kamloops Museum and Archives

Sat July 22 9:45 am to 10:30 am

XploreSportz Summer Camps

Ages 4-6, 6-10 and 7-12

Visit PacificSport Interior BC website pacificsportinteriorbc com/ to learn more about the camps that are being offer this summer

July 2023 – August 2023

$195/week

* Reduce rate for second child $175/week

Saturday on Seymour Free

Join the KMA on the third Saturday of the month for creative activities for the whole family to enjoy Explore a fun and new theme each month! This is a drop in program and does not require registration

Sat July 15 11:00 am to 1:00 pm