When Penticton Vees forward Anselmo Rego broke his hand in the fall of 2023, he looked at the silver lining.
As a newcomer to B.C., the Brampton, Ont. product used parts of his recovery time to introduce himself to the South Okanagan hockey faithful and attend as many community outreach events as he could.
Instead of being on the ice with new teammates to start his BCHL career, Rego was at elementary schools playing floor hockey with students, or collecting non-perishable items for people in need.
That's why 11 months months later, it was a surprise to nobody within the Vees' organization when the 19-year-old was handed the league's annual Kyle Turris Community Award.
"I was really pleased and humbled to get the award," Rego said. "I remember going to all the community stuff as a little kid and enjoying it so much, so I really wanted to pay it forward here."
Rego, now in his second year with the Vees, credits his young fans across Penticton for helping with his injury recovery. The injury kept him away from his new team for two and a half months.
"I wanted to give back to the community and get the injury off my mind," he said. "I had a really good time visiting the schools and seeing the smiles on the kids' faces."
The forward, who recorded nine points in 22 playoff games last spring, said attending community events lifted his spirits during the darkest days of his rookie BCHL season.
"When I was injured, I was bummed out I wasn't playing but then I saw how much it meant to the kids when we visited the schools...their energy cheered me up and pushed me to work harder to get back on the ice."
The BCHL hands out the annual award 鈥� named after former Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers forward Kyle Turris 鈥� to one player on each team "who goes above and beyond in their community."
On any given weekday during the 2023-2024 season, Rego was seen poking his head through one of the Vees' administrative office doors, asking if he could sign up to be part of the next community-outreach event.
He's enjoyed every minute of it and doesn't plan on stopping this season, especially given how much he's grown to love Penticton.
"It's kind of like a family here," said Rego, who is serving as an alternate captain for the Vees in 2024-2025. "Everyone's so nice, welcoming and I just really enjoy it all."
