Giancarlo Nadeau
Anthony Reimer’s first season in the PJHL feels like it was forever ago.
“I had just come back from Victoria and was talking to Matt throughout the year, and we just kind of worked it out,” he said. He was very excited with many friends on the team and a chance to play closer to home.
Reimer claims that the Wolf Pack overachieved in 2021-22, his rookie season, a year the team finished first in the Tom Shaw Conference and second in the PJHL with a record of 31-7-5-1. “We had a great year and had tons of fun,” he claimed.
The Wolf Pack is the only PJHL team Anthony Reimer has ever known during his three seasons in the league. “It’s kind of crazy. We’ve had the same group of guys for almost three years now, and that’s awesome,” he said.
Family has been a big part of Anthony’s hockey chapter. “There’s only so much you can do growing up in Whistler, so I was fortunate that my family helped me play in Vancouver for a year with the North West Hawks, and then my grade 12 team folded in Whistler and my parents and I worked it out and sent me to Victoria so I could play hockey for that season,” he said.
For many players, their commute to their home rink is relatively short; most players live in the city that they play in, but this was not the case for Reimer. Commutes from Whistler to North Vancouver were frequent during his first few seasons in the league. “It was a little hard, to be honest. You’re driving up and down the highway six to seven times a week, which is a bit much. It was what I had to do to play, and I loved it,” said the 2003-born forward.
Each passing game gave him more experience, making him more comfortable. “You come in as a rookie, and it’s a little intimidating with all the 20-year-olds around. I’ve made my way as I’ve gotten older,” he added.
Hard work and energy are what stick out when watching number 21, and he thanks his family, head coach, and assistant general manager, Mike Borrelli, for that. “I thank my family for allowing me to play and coach Borrelli, who’s been with me since I entered high school,” he said. Mike Borrelli coached at the Whistler hockey academy with Reimer as one of his players and has been a massive part of his development.
An off-season for Reimer involves lots of quality time with family and friends when he’s not training. “My buddies all return from school, and we hang out and have a lot of fun. There’s lots of training, too,” he said.
Losing to the White Rock Whalers in round 1 of his rookie season taught him valuable lessons about being a 20-year-old. “We didn’t know ours for too long that year because we got a bunch at the deadline, but they greatly impacted how I felt. Realizing that was the end of their junior hockey careers was really eye-opening for me,” he claimed.
Being a 20-year-old now has also changed his view on junior hockey. “It’s insane. I’m living with Ryan Hunter, and we’ll come home after practices and talk about how this is our last season. It’s wild. The season has flown by,” he said.
It didn’t take long for the native of Whistler, BC, to score his first PJHL goal. Reimer scored a second-period marker in a 4-2 victory over Richmond to give the Wolf Pack their first win in their first contest of the season. “It was nice to get that one out of the way right away. It took me a few games at home, but I did it,” he said.
With the curtain now shut on his junior career, Reimer hopes that fans will remember him as a hard-working guy and a player who loved stirring things up on the ice. “I liked to get under the other guy’s skin and think I was fun to watch. I didn’t score all the goals or get all the points, but I always tried my hardest,” he said.
“I’m super thankful to everyone involved in my hockey career, and I’m happy we had good crowds every night. The development was good, and my parents were super helpful,” he added.
Anthony Reimer finished his PJHL career with 121 regular season and playoff games, 22 goals, 31 assists, and 53 points. The organization would like to thank him and his family for all the help and hard work they provided the team over the years.
