Fan favourite turns pro in Sweden as Victoria Grizzlies reload for next season

Published 7:30 am Friday, May 15, 2026

The next chapter of Vidar Blixt’s hockey career will begin thousands of kilometres from Colwood.

The graduating Victoria Grizzlies forward signed his first professional contract with Mariestad BoIS of HockeyEttan in Sweden.

Blixt quickly became a fan favourite during his lone BCHL season, earning the Grizzlies’ Tony Burrows Community Award for his involvement throughout the community.

The Swedish forward recorded six goals and 12 assists in 48 games during the 2025-26 campaign.

“Vidar represented our organization extremely well both on and off the ice,” Grizzlies head coach and general manager Geoff Grimwood said.

“He embraced our community, became a very popular player with our fans, and worked hard every day. We’re proud to see him earn this opportunity to begin his professional career.”

The organization was equally complimentary of Blixt’s impact away from the rink when presenting him with the community award following the season.

“Vidar represented the Grizzlies with pride, dignity, and professionalism within the community this season in a way that was special to see,” the club said.

“His personal connections with young fans, gracious giving of his time to different initiatives, and promotion of Grizzlies hockey in the Westshore made him a no-brainer winner of this year’s ‘Tony Burrows’ Community Award. The outpouring of love and support for the Swede at the end of the season from Bear Country speaks for itself.”

HockeyEttan is Sweden’s third-highest professional league behind HockeyAllsvenskan and the Swedish Hockey League and has become an important development circuit for players continuing their careers in Europe.

Blixt is one of six graduating players moving on from the Grizzlies following a season in which Victoria finished 26-25-3-0 and placed fourth in the Coastal West division. Their season ended April 13 in a seven-game playoff loss to the Cowichan Valley Capitals.

Matthew Jenken has since committed to the University of Guelph, Carter Oakenfold is heading to Brock University, and Carson Lesiuk has committed to McGill University. Maddux Martin and Artur Gross have also completed their BCHL eligibility.

Since the season ended, the Grizzlies have added two forwards for 2026-27.

Seventeen-year-old Matthew Dowdall joins Victoria from the Vancouver NE Giants U18 program after posting 42 points in 32 games. He is also the younger brother of Grizzlies forward Michael Dowdall.

“We’re excited to add Matthew to our group,” Grimwood said. “He’s a big, strong forward who competes hard and produces offensively. Players with that combination are tough to find, and we believe he’ll be a player our fans will enjoy watching.”

The Grizzlies also added 18-year-old Slovakian forward Peter Ziak, who recorded 21 goals and 35 assists for 56 points with HC 05 Banská Bystrica U20 last season.

“Peter is a player who combines size with offensive ability, and he’s already had exposure to pro hockey at a young age,” Grimwood said. “We believe he has the tools to make a strong impact in our lineup.”