VANCOUVER – The start date for the next Canada West hockey season is still uncertain, but what the UBC Thunderbirds do know is once play does resume, they'll be adding another three pieces to what's shaping up to be an even more formidable roster.
 
Joining the 'Birds for the coming season will be defenceman Jackson Caller, as well as a pair of transfers from the Lethbridge Pronghorns in blue liner Danny Gatenby and forward Michael Clarke.
 
The Canada West was dealt a harsh blow when the Pronghorns announced the folding of their hockey programs, but both Gatenby and Clarke will continue to do their former team proud while bringing their respective skill sets to the T-Birds who will be looking to build on last year's historic season that saw the team advance to the U SPORTS national championship tournament.
 

"Getting a chance to play against them last year I saw firsthand the talent and the ability they had," said Gatenby who adds the choice to transfer to the T-Birds was an easy one. "After seeing what (UBC) did on their playoff run and how bad those guys wanted it, it was just something I wanted to be a part of. UBC is an excellent academic school and that's important for me and I think it was the best of both worlds and I really couldn't be happier."
 
A product of Kelowna, Gatenby started his WHL career with his hometown Rockets in 2015-16. The 6-foot-4, 200 pound defenceman followed with a full season in Kamloops and then with the Tri-City Americans before closing out his junior career with the BCHL's Nanaimo Clippers.
 
Gatenby made 120 WHL regular season appearances totalling 13 points and a +18 rating. With the Pronghorns last year, Gatenby chipped in four points and 18 penalty minutes in 19 games.
 

"I take a lot of pride in my defensive game, I get a lot of enjoyment out of that, trying to play against the top players and do what I can every night to be solid for my team," added Gatenby. "A big thing for me is distributing the puck, trying to be a mobile, puck moving defenceman and make it hard on the other team every night. When I get a chance to chip in, that's great and something I'm continually working on in my game."
 
"He's a super mature, polished, smart kid," said UBC head coach Sven Butenschon. "He's a big body, solid, plays with an edge and he's going to be a real leader in the room. When you got that physical size, the good head on his shoulders, the maturity and leadership skills, he's impressive. I really look forward to getting to know him and watching him work."
 
Joining Gatenby from the Pronghorns, Clarke concluded his rookie U SPORTS campaign with seven goals and 16 points along with eight penalty minutes, appearing in all 28 regular season games. Finishing ninth in Canada West rookie scoring last season, Clarke will add some significant offensive punch to the T-Birds lineup.
 

The Humboldt Broncos are very excited that former Humboldt Broncos Alumni, Michael Clarke, has signed to continue his education and play for @UBCMHKY#onceabroncoalwaysabronco pic.twitter.com/F77whrMzau

— Humboldt Broncos (@HumboldtBroncos) May 23, 2020

"I'm very offensive, I can score, I can see the ice pretty well, and I'm a good skater," the Medicine Hat, Alberta native described himself. "I'm excited to play for Sven. I've heard lots of good things from his guys, they really like him. He's a players' coach and that's kind of what you need at the university level so I'm really excited to get the chance to work with him. They do graduate a lot of guys to professional hockey and that's exciting as well. UBC ranks at the top in Canada every year for their business program and I'm excited to be able to get a good degree."
 
Prior to joining the Pronghorns, Clarke had an impressive Junior 'A' career that saw him play a total of 278 games in the AJHL, BCHL, and SJHL, putting up 106 goals and 231 total points. In his final junior season, Clarke led the Humboldt Broncos with 71 points in 57 games, adding another seven points in seven playoff appearances.
 

Excited to add Clarke's skill set to his roster, Butenschon says the 5-foot-11, 200 pound forward stood out last season in all the right ways.
 
"He went into Lethbridge and instantly became an impact player that we had to watch and needed to be aware of at all times," said the T-Birds bench boss. "He adds another nice piece to that recruiting class from last year. When you look at the top rookie scorers with (Quinn) Benjafield and (Jake) Kryski, you're looking at three of the top 12 in rookie scoring, so that's nice to build off of going forward."
 
A veteran of more than 200 WHL games, Caller adds even more stability to an impressive UBC blue line as a dependable two-way defenceman.
 

A Portland bantam draft pick, the 6-foot-2, 190 pound Caller played eight games for the Winterhawks as a 16 year-old before being dealt to the Saskatoon Blades where he spent the next two full seasons. Midway into his third season in Saskatoon, Caller was traded to his hometown Kamloops Blazers. His final junior season was spent with the BCHL's Vernon Vipers where he put up five goals and 17 points in 55 games this past season.
 
"I'm a two-way D man, I look after my own end first and foremost," said Caller who takes great pride in protecting his own zone. "I'm a warrior on the penalty kill. I have a good stick and I like to bring a physical presence as well. I also contribute offensively, I can jump in the rush."
 
Caller's on ice traits combined with his book smarts and high character make for an all around very positive addition for the T-Birds.
 

"He's very consistent, he's polished, he does a lot of things," said Butenschon who has built up a formidable blue line over the last several seasons. "He's a great student and real mature so I think he's going to fit in great with the group and the culture that we have. He's going to add one more piece to an already impressive D corps."
 
Much like Gatenby and Clarke, Caller had a multitude of reasons to continue his playing career at UBC.
 
"They have a great program there, you can see from last year going to nationals," added Caller who also likes the idea of being able to study and play close to home. "They have a business school that I like, Sauder is very highly touted across Canada and just being able to go to a school that has a good reputation really helped me make my decision. To have that university schooling in my back pocket, I was very keen to start on that right away while continuing my hockey career."
 
Caller, Clarke, and Gatenby join Conner McDonald, Tian Rask, and Logan Foster in another strong recruit class for the T-Birds who anxiously await the start of the next Canada West season, whenever that may be.