The Kimberley Dynamiters are looking for three or four good homes willing to host a junior hockey player for the season.

The team will be requiring billet families for about a dozen athletes; if they found just a few more homes, players wouldn’t have to double up.

Good host candidates come from across the social and familial spectrum, but Dynamiters’ president Rick Prasad said empty nesters make for popular billets.

“We’ve got some great retired, older people that... every year they come to us and remind us that they’re taking kids,” he said. “That’s where (the players) want to be all the time; when they come in they ask to be placed there.”

There are several reasons for that, starting with parental experience.

“These are people that have raised kids and understand the teenage mind you might say, and they really get along with the kids,” said Prasad before adding, with a laugh: “Lots of empty nesters have a lot of time, so they do a lot of baking.”

While certainly welcome, skill in producing muffins and cinnamon buns is not a requirement to billet a hockey player. After all, families who host a Nitro are entitled to a grocery discount at some local vendors, and there’s no shame in procuring baked goods that way.

Billets also receive a $400 monthly stipend to help cover costs, and receive a season ticket.

“We understand the people who do this aren’t in it for the money as a rule. They’re in it because they want to do something good,” said Prasad.

Nitros-from-away have also stayed in single-parent households, or with families of three or four kids.

Prasad and his family have hosted many Dynamiters over the years, most recently Corey Lester. The president said it was a rewarding experience.

“It was great. We made some great relationships with these folks and we still stay in touch with them,” said Prasad, noting the athletes meshed well with his own kids.

“Our kids played hockey and they hung around with one another and never had problems; everybody enjoys playing Wii and video games, getting out playing street hockey and basketball, and they did all of that.”

If you’re curious about opening your home, contact the Dynamiters’ billet coordinator Tami Prasad at 250-427-1027.