After taking two years off hockey, Humboldt's Dawson Atamanchuk has come back in a big way.

The 18-year-old led the Prairie Junior Hockey League's Delisle Chiefs in scoring this season in his first year with the club.

That earned him the distinction of being named the Rookie of the Year - the first time a Chief has achieved the feat in the eight years they have been a member organization in the Junior 'B' league.

"I was pretty honoured to win something like that," he stated. "Going in to the year you definitely don't think about it. You just think about the end goal of winning a championship. Even as the year goes on, its not something I focus on at all. To pick something up like that along the way, it is definitely a big honour."

Winning a championship is something the Chiefs are certainly in the running for this season. They finished the regular season second overall in the North Division with a 31-8-1 standing, giving them 63 points.

As the second seed, they received a bye in the first round of the playoffs and await the highest seed remaining in the survivor series.

Atamanchuk's play has helped the Chiefs bounce back from a 19 win season and quick playoff exit last year.

His 70 points are the most the team has seen from one player since the 2011-12 season. They are also the third most points tallied in a season by a Chief since they entered the league in 2008.

In a smaller region, the atmosphere at Delisle Centennial Arena, and the town overall is true to the prairie nature - something Atamanchuk quickly found out.

"It was a lot of fun. The team is great, management, staff. It is a lot of fun playing there," he noted. "You feel welcome there right off the bat. They make you feel like you belong there. It makes it a lot easier to play."

Gameday is a sight to behold as well, according to Atamanchuk.

"Lots of people come out and support. You become kind of a local hero. It is pretty cool having that feeling, walking out in to the lobby and everyone is saying good game, and they know you."

Coming off a league championship in the Centre Four Hockey League last year with the Midget AA Humboldt Broncos, Atamanchuk said the size of the game at the next level has been his biggest adjustment to make.

"The physical aspect. The amount of games, the intensity. It took a little while to get used to," he explained. "Once you get used to it, it is a lot more fun. It is faster paced, more intense, I really enjoyed it."

With his outstanding first year in the PJHL, it would not seem likely that it was Atamanchuk's second season back on the ice after taking two years off, but he has come back in a big way, and it has inspired him to continue on.

"I would like to pursue hockey and take it as far as I can go, whether it is Junior A or eventually maybe a scholarship. That's a dream, for sure, just being able to play the game that you love so much."

He added that having the opportunity to continue on in the game past minor hockey has made him quite thankful to the Chiefs organization.

"Just coming out of Midget, not playing a whole lot of hockey the past couple years, I was very appreciative of them taking a chance on me," he noted. "From the management, to the coaches, it was pretty cool to be wanted, even though I hadn't played a whole lot, so a big thank you to them."

The Chiefs will open up their playoff run at home on February 26.

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Hear Atamanchuk's full interview with Bolt FM's Tyler Bieber below.