Kieffer Helbing reenlists with the Wolverines

The recruiting season is in full swing for the Whitefish Wolverines as they enter their second season of tier II Junior A hockey in Whitefish, Montana. The team is part of the Western States Hockey League (WSHL).

The Wolverines are proud to announce that forward Kieffer Helbing has signed on to play another year in Whitefish. Kieffer is originally from Dubuque, Iowa, and moved to Whitefish at the beginning of the 2014 hockey season. He played 41 games and earned a total of  30 points last season. Helbing is an aggressive player who was a real asset to the team last year. Both head coach Joakim Falt and GM Josh Steel will be looking to Helbing to be an integral part of the Wolverines’ success in the upcoming season. “I’m really excited about getting some of the boys back in Whitefish and starting the new season with a new group of guys; I’m hoping to have a similar atmosphere in the locker room as well as on and off the ice the way it was last year,” Kieffer eagerly expressed. Coach Falt is expecting Helbing to be a leader on and off the ice and to teach the younger kids the life of junior hockey. “You can’t be just a player, you have to be a leader when you’re older,” Coach Joakim explained.

Helbing is really hoping to take the team even further than they went last year, which was advancing to the second round of the playoffs. The Wolverines’ post-season run ended at the hands of the almost undefeated Idaho Jr. Steelheads. The Steelheads went on to win the league championship after beating out the El Paso Rhinos. Whitefish, however, was the only team that beat the Steelheads in regulation time during the regular season with a 6-1 victory in McCall, Idaho.

One of the greatest intrigues of playing in the WSHL is the recruiting process. Coaches can seek unlimited Canadian players and a maximum of fourteen Euros. This equates to a very competitive league with some outstanding and skilled players. The Wolverines continue to lean toward a young team, which means many of the younger players will learn and grow from some of the more experienced, seasoned players, including Helbing.

Kieffer hopes to follow his former teammate and linemate, Chris Cutshall, and play professional hockey in Sweden after the 2015-2016 season.