Venom HC Bolsters 16U Crease with Signing of Aiden Atkinson

ABBOTSFORD, BC — August 18, 2026 — The Venom HC AAA Program is excited to announce the signing of Mission, BC goaltender Aiden Atkinson to the 16U AAA Team for the 2026/27 NAPHL season.

Atkinson joins the Venom after spending last season with the Mission Stars U15 A2, his first year at the U15 level. Throughout the season, he earned opportunities to be called up to the U15 A1 team, continuing to demonstrate his ability to compete against higher-level competition.

Last season, Atkinson posted an impressive .910 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average, while regularly facing an extremely heavy workload of approximately 50–55 shots per game.

The Venom HC staff have been following Atkinson's development and have had the opportunity to watch clips of his play throughout the past season. The organization has also connected with his goaltending coaches at Assertion, who have been extremely supportive of Aiden taking the next step in his development and committing to a higher level of competition.

"We've been watching Aiden for a while now and really like what we've seen from him," said Venom HC President & GM Brady Douglas. "We've also had some great conversations with his goaltending coaches at Assertion, and they believe he's ready for this type of commitment and the next level of development. His numbers last season are impressive, especially considering the volume of shots he was facing, but what really stood out to us was his character, work ethic and the person he is away from the rink."

"Aiden comes from a great family background, and we feel he's the type of young man who will fit extremely well into our group. We're very excited to welcome him to Venom HC and get to work."

The 16U AAA coaching staff are looking forward to working closely with Atkinson throughout the season as he continues to develop his game, gain experience at the AAA level and take another step toward his long-term hockey goals.

Welcome to Venom HC, Aiden!