When a Chatham-Kent man travelled to Iceland last year to do some work, he made some contacts with the local hockey community there that will see a team from the Icelandic Hockey League play some exhibitions in Blenheim and Belle River this week.

Aidan Wiebenga, 23, of Tilbury, is a former Jr. B and C player who spent time with teams including the Chatham Maroons, Leamington Flyers and Belle River Canadiens.

A general machinist by trade, Wiebenga travelled to work on the automation of a line at a fish processing plant in the capital of Reykjavik and while there he had the opportunity to watch, and play a few games in the men’s league, known as the IHL.

“When I was there I thought I was going to be playing beer hockey,” said Wiebenga. But he was pleasantly surprised at the skill level, which he says is fast and comparable to Senior A hockey in Ontario.

Wiebenga said the Icelandic Hockey League is semi-professional featuring players not just from that country’s growing system, but hockey hotbeds like Sweden. He even ran into a fellow Canadian there and another player who grew up in Pittsburgh and had dual US/Icelandic citizenship.

He said there are four teams in the league and players are set up with jobs and the hockey helps supplement their income, either through some extra cash or having the team pay for school tuition.

“They handle the puck well and they skate,” said Wiebenga, who described their system as “chip and go” and compared to a more possession-focused game played by Canadians.

The contacts he made while there turned into an invitation that will see Skautafelag Björninn, one of the IHL teams, play two exhibition games in Blenheim and one in Belle River. Wiebenga said the team name can be translated as Bears Hockey Team.

The Canadians will be playing under the Tilbury Selects banner, even though none of the games will be taking place in Tilbury. In addition to Wiebenga, the team will consist of a number of local players with Junior B or C experience, and a lot of them come from the town. Players include Jeff Gardiner, Joel Gardiner, Dan Gardiner, Matt Lefaive, Jamie Lefaive and Tyler Clark.

The first game in the three-game friendly series will take place in Blenheim on Wednesday, Aug. 17. Warm ups will be at 7 p.m. and the regulation 60-minute game will begin at 7:20 p.m. Game 2 will be in Belle River on Friday, Aug. 19 and Game 3 will be back in Blenheim on Saturday, Aug. 20. All games will start at the same time.

Wiebenga said they are asking for $10 admission at the door with kids under 10 getting in free. The money will be used to help grow the minor hockey program in Iceland, where equipment can be difficult to come by.