November 16, 2018- University of Victoria rookie forward Hayden Guilderson has been named a winner of the 2018 Premier’s Awards for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport for the Vancouver Island region.

The awards, which are a collaboration between the Provincial Government and the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council, were handed out to 47 honourees in 2018, with Guilderson being the only B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League student-athlete recognized.

Guilderson joined the Vikes in September following a distinguished junior hockey career with the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s Abbotsford Pilots and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Estevan Bruins. His 61 points last season in Estevan were a career high, and he totaled 160 points in 191 junior games over four seasons.

The 21-year old has also represented British Columbia at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships on multiple occasions, including a gold medal win in 2013.

He has enjoyed a successful start to his BCIHL career with three goals and two assists in six games with the Vikes.

“I’m very proud to support these awards, which provide much-deserved recognition for our top young Indigenous athletes,” said British Columbia Premier John Horgan. “It’s great to see these young champions achieving top results in such a wide variety of sports.”