Valencia Native Harper Signs with Philadelphia Published on 3/20/2010 8:49:00 AM
By: Brent Maranto
Just two days after setting the Everett Silvertips’ record for goals scored in a season, former Valencia High School & Ice Station Valencia standout Shane Harper put the icing on the cake when he inked a Free Agent contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on March 4th.
Harper grew up playing roller hockey in Valencia, before making the switch to hitting the ice at Ice Station Valencia. As Ice Station celebrates its 10th anniversary Harper has the distinction of being the first player to have come up through Ice Station that has been signed to the NHL. Shane still skates regularly at Ice Station in the summer. The nifty stick handler played for a number of teams throughout his minor hockey career including the Los Angeles Jr. and the Ice Station High School Hockey League. Harper led the Ice Station High School Hockey League in scoring in 2005, while leading his Valencia Vikings squad to a championship.
In 2005 Harper set off to play for the Everett Silvertips in the Western Hockey League, the world’s premier Major Junior hockey league. While playing with the likes of first-round NHL draft picks Peter Mueller, Zach Hamill and Kyle Beach, Harper did not look out of place for a second. In five seasons with the team, his point totals have risen every year.
In a leadership role in his final season of junior hockey, the 5’11 193 pound right-winger has been nothing short of spectacular while guiding the Silvertips to their fifth playoff trip with Harper on board. He finished the regular season with 42 goals and 38 assists; good for 80 points in just 72 games. His 40th goal of the season marked a single-season team record, and his 214 points over five seasons with the “Tips” is also a team record. He also has a flair for the dramatic, as his overtime and shootout game-winning goals litter “YouTube”. Harper is not just your typical scorer however; he plays in all situations and was a +36 for the season.
The Silvertips begin the post-season this weekend, as they take on the Kelowna Rockets in the first round of WHL playoff action. Harper is expected to be a huge factor in what many believe will be a long run through the playoffs for Everett.
After his junior career concludes, Harper is expected to join the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate in Glenn Falls, New York.
The rise of Shane Harper and many other great hockey players coming from Southern California proves that hockey is alive and well on the west coast.
The Valencia Flyers wish Shane all the best in what we hope is a lengthy NHL career.
