Vipers Sign L.A. All-Star:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Vipers sign L.A. all-star

May 09, 2008

The Vernon Vipers may have found a quarterback to anchor their powerplay in Los Angeles product Steven Weinstein.Weinstein, a defenceman who turns 18 in August, helped the L.A. Selects Midget AAA team win the State Championship and advance to last month’s nationals in Buffalo, committed to play with the Vipers next season.According to the Vipers, Weinstein led his team’s defence in every offensive category, playing up to 30 minutes a game.“I’ve seen him play a few times now, and he was one of the better offensive-minded defencemen at nationals in Buffalo,” said Vipers’ head coach/GM Mark Ferner. Last season, the Vipers didn’t have a d-man who could effectively coordinate the powerplay, so they had to move one of their veteran forwards, usually Scott Zurevinski or Hunter Bishop, to the point.“We have a powerplay guy now,” said Ferner, who likened Weinstein’s puck-handling skills to those of shifty Viper twins Connor and Kellen Jones. “He’s going to be very fun to watch, no question.“Those guys are invaluable and they don’t come around that often. Whenever you can add that dimension to your team, you have to. We were lucky because there was a lot of other interest in him.”The one knock against Weinstein could be his size.Weinstein’s player stats with the Selects list him at 5-foot-9 and 148 pounds, but Ferner said the California product has beefed up since the beginning of last season.Last year, the Vipers had the biggest d-man in the B.C. Hockey League in 6-foot-5, 230-pound Upland, Calif. product Kyle Bigos, and now they also have one of the smallest.When asked whether he would consider pairing Weinstein with Bigos to form the ultimate Mutt & Jeff defensive pairing, Ferner said it was a possibility.“Kyle is skating with him in California right now, and he said he’s very impressed.”Last season, the Selects went 50-15, including a 15-game win streak, and won four of the five tournaments they entered.