#4 West Island Jawz
A brand-new franchise with undeniable personality, the Jawz are captained by standout forward Heise and backed by his right-hand man, sniper Dumas. While there’s little debate around the league that the Jawz boast the cleanest jerseys in the CDHL, questions remain about whether the roster underneath can match the aesthetic.
Heise wasted no time making a statement on draft day, selecting highly touted newcomer Ryan Gore with his first pick. The smooth-skating defenceman is widely viewed as a cornerstone piece—someone who can stabilize the back end and allow Heise and Dumas to focus on driving offense. It was a pick that drew near-universal praise.
At 12th overall, the Jawz added veteran presence with DMonty, a player known as much for his grit and relentless motor as for chipping in timely goals. Up to that point, the draft appeared methodical, even calculated. But things quickly took a turn.
With the 13th pick, Heise selected Dim—a choice that raised eyebrows across the league. While Dim brings elite conditioning and undeniable work ethic, his offensive upside has long been a question mark. Shortly after, the Jawz doubled down on uncertainty, drafting defenceman Nico Daly, who hasn’t played organized hockey in nearly a decade.
When asked about the decision, Heise remained confident:
“Yeah well he’s a fellow CCHL alum like I am. You obviously gotta be a certain level of good to lace ’em up in the C-Show like I did, you know what I mean? I’m not worried about DalDawg. Give him like a month or two and he’ll be back up to speed in no time.”
Heise was later reminded the spring season spans just seven games.
As the draft progressed, the Jawz leaned into familiarity. They added Khalfi, a known solo-skill specialist, and Belfer, a steady defenceman with a knack for jumping into the rush. From there, the gamble factor returned, with back-to-back selections of newcomers Corey Friedman and Omar Benjelloun—neither of whom participated in the evaluation skate.
Assistant captain Dumas didn’t sugarcoat it:
“Yeah, we genuinely have zero clue what we’re getting there. But based off word of mouth, they’re both great guys and they both play hockey. So that should be a big help.”
In net, the Jawz waited until late to secure their guy, selecting returning CDHL goaltender Chris O’Brien, fresh off becoming a new father. His post-draft comments were… concise:
“Yeah, I got new pads. They’re green. I like them.”
And honestly, so do we.
Heise closed out the draft by going back to what he knows best, selecting THE DON and MAC with his final two picks—moves that further reinforce the team’s emphasis on chemistry and locker room culture.
There’s no question the West Island Jawz will be one of the most entertaining teams off the ice this season. Whether that translates into wins on it, however, remains one of the league’s biggest question marks.