Cumming, Hopkins Going Pro In Sweden

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Marcie
Posts: 562
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:25 am
Location: Strathroy

Cumming, Hopkins Going Pro In Sweden

Post by Marcie »

Some happy news for a change -

Cumming, Hopkins Going Pro In Sweden
By Matt WeverinkJuly 5, 2017 8:21am@Matt_Weverink

A pair of former Blenheim Blades will be heading across the Atlantic Ocean to play pro hockey in Sweden in the fall.

Kier Cumming and Brayden Hopkins, who were both key members of the Jr. C hockey team last season, are going to play for the Arvika Hockey Club in a men’s professional hockey league.

Cumming led the Blades in scoring last season with 55 points in 37 games while Hopkins, who captained the team in his final season of Junior eligibility, put up 40 points in 33 games.

“For Kier this is a dream come true, and while it is hard to lose him, he has our blessing,” said Kier’s dad, Bill Cumming, who is also the head coach of the Blades. “[Hopkins] is also extremely excited about the opportunity to play in Sweden and we wish them both the best of luck.”

According to Bill Cumming, the opportunity developed out of a relationship the boys formed with Carl Stapleton, an ex-Chatham Maroon and grandson of retired NHLer Pat Stapleton.
Marcie
Posts: 562
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:25 am
Location: Strathroy

Re: Cumming, Hopkins Going Pro In Sweden

Post by Marcie »

Hopkins, Cumming going overseas to play pro hockey

By Mark Malone, Chatham Daily News

Carl Stapleton's dream of playing hockey in Canada came true three years ago when the Swedish forward joined the Chatham Maroons.

Now he's helping two local players achieve their dreams.

Former Blenheim Blades teammates Brayden Hopkins of Moraviantown and Kier Cumming of Chatham leave in August to make their pro debuts with the Arvika Hockey Club men's team.

Hopkins and Stapleton played together on the Maroons in 2014-15. Stapleton returned to Sweden after one season but he stayed in touch with Hopkins, who left the following season for the Blades.

They re-connected this spring when Stapleton visited Canada.

Hopkins, 22, has used up his junior eligibility, but Cumming is only 18 years old and could play four more junior 'C' seasons.

The five-foot-11, 170-pound Cumming was the Blades' leading scorer last season with 55 points in 37 games.

The Blades' head coach is his father, Bill, who was promoted this spring after being an assistant coach last season.

“I was so looking forward to being out there again this year with Kier,” Bill Cumming said. “It's a fantastic organization – it's fun, it's relaxed.”

But he knew the chance to play professionally was too good to turn down.

“It's an opportunity you don't always get, to go to a foreign country as a young person and play the game you love,” Bill Cumming said.

Kier Cumming graduated last week from Chatham-Kent Secondary School. He was unsure what to do for school this fall, so Bill and his wife, Crystal, gave their OK to playing in Sweden.

“He has a passion to play hockey,” Bill Cumming said. “When this door opened, we said, 'You're young. Go for it.'”

The six-foot, 208-pound Hopkins played five junior seasons – 3½ with the Maroons and 1½ with the Blades. The well-respected winger was a captain with both teams.

He had 40 points in 33 games last season and averaged more than a point per game in his career.

After coaching Hopkins on the Maroons and Blades, Bill Cumming is confident he'll be a positive influence on his son overseas.

“Hoppy's probably one of my favourites,” he said. “He's a complete gentleman. I trust him.”

Hopkins and Cumming will play on the same team as Stapleton, 21. Arvika is in Division 2, the fourth-highest tier in Sweden.

Stapleton's grandfather, Pat, played for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series. He spent 10 seasons in the NHL and five more in the World Hockey Association.

His father, Tom, is a Strathroy native who moved to Sweden 31 years ago to play pro hockey.

“For Kier, this is a dream come true, and while it is hard to lose him, he has our blessing,” Bill Cumming said. “Hoppy is also extremely excited about the opportunity to play in Sweden and we wish them both the best of luck.”
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