The Merritt Centennials continue to use the off-season to put more pieces of the puzzle together in their build-up to the 2014-15 BCHL season.

On July 17, it was announced that the hockey team has signed its second goalie of the summer — and a good one, too.

Twenty-year-old veteran netminder Jonah Imoo has been acquired from the Powell River Kings for future considerations.

A native of Surrey, Imoo has played a total of 82 BCHL regular-season games over three seasons with the Kings, amassing 41 wins, a save-percentage (SV%) of .892 and a goals-against-average (GAA) of 2.82.

In 2012-13, Imoo was the starting goaltender for Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

In four WJAC games, he recorded a 2.24 GAA and sparkling .918 SV%, and helped his team win the silver medal. He was chosen the tournament’s all-star goalie.

“To add a goaltender with the type of experience Jonah has was too good an opportunity to pass up,” Cents head coach and GM Luke Pierce said in a press release by the club. “He has proven both in the BCHL and in the World Junior A Challenge that he is capable of playing in high pressure situations.”

Pierce went on to add, “We have a solid track record of goaltending in the past few years and are confident that Jonah can come in and help our team continue that tradition. He will be looked upon to add leadership to our room and embrace his role as a positive representative of this community.”

Imoo, for his part, is looking forward to coming to Merritt.

“I’m really excited and keen to get my final year of Junior A hockey going. I’ve heard it’s a great group of guys on the team,” he said.

“Playing against Merritt, I know they always have a really hard-working team and are well-coached. They play pretty similar to Powell River.”

Asked to characterize his game, Imoo said, “Throughout my career, I’ve always been quite athletic, but in the last three to four years, I think that I’ve found the balance between athleticism and technique. If you only rely on athleticism, you’ll only go so far.”

Imoo has quite the goaltending pedigree. He is the son of former WHL netminder Dusty Imoo, who went on to play overseas in Japan for 10 seasons and represent that country at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, and at four World Championships.

While Jonah Imoo was born in Surrey, he spent most of his early childhood in Japan and began his hockey career in that country.

“I was probably on the ice when I was two years old — always hanging around the rink and in my dad’s dressing room,” he said.

“Because my dad was a goalie, I pretty much always wanted to play goal, too. It was tough over there. We were the only team in my age group, and we were pretty awful.”

Jonah’s first year of hockey in Canada was at the atom level.

“I was lucky enough to make the A-1 team, and things just sort of took off from there. I stayed with the same organization (Semiahmoo) right through to midget.”

Imoo played part of one season for the Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League before being picked up by Powell
River in 2012 and playing the next two seasons with the Kings.

Imoo has definite goals and aspirations heading into his final BCHL campaign.

“Being consistent is my main goal,” he said. “It’s always at the top of the list. I haven’t committed to a school yet for next year, so obviously that’s an important goal, too. I just want to do whatever I can to help my team, and hopefully take us as far as possible.”

Imoo’s signing comes two weeks after the Cents announced that they had committed to 18-year-old rookie goaltender Anthony Pupplo from Long Island, New York.

The two summer acquisitions necessitated that the Centennials move 19-year-old goalie Jared Schammerhorn who joined the team at the trade deadline last season. The Kelowna native has been traded to the Vernon Vipers for future considerations.

“We had to do it quick, and [Vernon] was interested,” Cents assistant coach Joe Martin said. “It wasn’t the ideal situation for Merritt — moving him within the division – but we wanted to get it done for Jared’s sake. He has a future, too.”