Stuhini Appoints VP Exploration, Advisory Board Members and announces stock option grant

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 18, 2021 /CNW/ - Stuhini Exploration Ltd. (the "Company" or Stuhini") (TSX-V: STU) is pleased to announce the appointments of Ehsan Salmabadi, P. Geo., as its Vice President Exploration and Paul Zyla and Bruce Ballantyne to the Advisory Board.  The Company also announces the resignation of James Dawson from the Advisory Board and the grant of stock options to certain directors, officers and consultants.

"On behalf of the Company, I would like to not only welcome Ehsan but also thank Ehsan for his contributions to Stuhini, including as a Consulting Geologist working on and later leading our strong exploration team over the past two years at our Ruby Creek, Que and Metla Projects.  Ehsan brings a wealth of experience having held a number of progressively senior exploration roles as well as operating roles over the past 13 years. He has been intimately involved in our exploration efforts the past 2 years and is well positioned to lead our exploration program going forward," said President and CEO, David O'Brien.

Mr. Salmabadi has worked in the mining industry since 2007 and has a broad base of previous experience in not only exploration but also mine development and operation. Mr. Salmabadi began his career working for exploration companies and decided to move to a mine setting to expand his breadth of knowledge. He served as an Underground Mine Geologist, then Senior Geologist at North American Tungsten Corp. at the Cantung Mine in the Northwest Territories where he was involved in increasing mineral resources, reserve development, and long-range planning. Since then, Mr. Salmabadi has taken his mining and exploration experience and applied it as a consultant to exploration projects in Canada and the United States. Mr. Salmabadi holds a Bachelor of Science in geology from the University of British Columbia and is registered as a Professional Geologist (P.Geo.) with the Engineers and Geoscientists of BC.  He is concurrently completing his Master of Science in geology at the University of British Columbia. 

Changes to the Advisory Board:

Stuhini also wishes to announce the appointments of Bruce Ballantyne and Paul Zyla to the Advisory Board and that James Dawson has stepped down from the Advisory Board but will continue on as a consultant on an as-needed basis.

Company President and CEO Dave O'Brien commented: "Paul Zyla was an early investor and has been a fantastic mentor to me personally, so it's an honour to have him accept an advisory position with the Company. When we met Bruce Ballantyne at the 2020 Round-up in Vancouver, we were amazed at his intimate knowledge of the Atlin area and our Ruby Creek project. Bruce has spent much of his storied career working in the region. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish Jim Dawson all the best in his future endeavours and thank for his early-stage contributions to the Company which were important as we moved from a private Company towards our eventual IPO on the TSX-Venture Exchange."

Mr. Ballantyne has had a distinguished career of over 46 years starting in 1974, with the Geological Survey of Canada, as a well-known member of the Mineral Resources Division, where he specialized in Applied Exploration Geochemistry. In 1977 he was responsible for the development and initiation of the National Geochemical Reconnaissance Stream Sediment surveys in the Canadian Cordillera and as a guest speaker has presented his research on a variety of deposits nationally and internationally. During follow-up Atlin based research work he advised all levels of exploration companies and individuals including Homestake Mining, Placer Dome, and the Hughes-Lang Group's Cream Silver. In 1984 he was invited to present results of his studies of the unique specialized granite (Surprise Lake Batholith) and related skarn "wrigglite" styles of mineralization at the UN sponsored International Tin Conference in the Peoples Republic of China. This geologic setting is directly relevant to Stuhini claim holdings. Since 1996 he has consulted to junior and mid-tier mineral exploration companies including Starfield Resources Inc. where he was an integral part of the successful exploration and development of resources at the Ferguson Lake copper-nickel-cobalt-platinum group metal deposit in Nunavut, Canada. Most recently, Mr. Ballantyne served as Project Manager for Jaxon Minerals Inc. as they advanced their Red Springs Project in northwestern BC. Mr. Ballantyne holds a B.Sc. from the University of Guelph, Ontario.

Paul Zyla was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and holds a B.Sc. in Math, Physics and Chemistry from the University of Toronto. Upon graduation he was hired by IBM and trained in Systems Engineering. In the early 1980's he became a director of a mineral exploration company whose board included David Bell who had just recently made the Hemlo gold discovery in northwestern Ontario. Over the ensuing years Paul Zyla and David Bell worked on several projects in various parts of the world including Switzerland, the Republic of Cuba, Brazil, Peru, and, most recently, Ghana, West Africa. Mr. Zyla has served in capacities as Director, President and Chairman of public companies over the years. In 1992, he as Chairman and David Bell as President formed CaribGold Resources Inc. to explore for gold in the Republic of Cuba raising about $12-million and taking the company public on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In 2011 he was asked to become President of Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. which at the time traded on the US Pink Sheets. The objective was to list the company on a Canadian Exchange and Mr. Zyla accomplished getting the company financed and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange where it currently trades under the symbol XTG.

Grant of Stock Options

Concurrent with these appointments, the Company's Board of Directors has authorized and approved, as of today, the granting of stock options (the "Options") for an aggregate of 625,000 common shares at an exercise price of $0.50 per share to the Directors, Officers and consultants of the Company under its stock option plan. The Options will expire in 30 months and will vest in stages of 25% every 3 months such that all options will fully vest by Jan 18^th, 2022. The Options are subject to the approval of the TSXV.

About Stuhini Exploration Ltd.

Stuhini is a mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and development of precious and base metals properties in western Canada with its focus on the Ruby Creek Property located approximately 20 km east of Atlin, BC and the Que Property located approximately 70 km north of Johnson's Crossing in the Yukon.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

We seek Safe Harbor

SOURCE Stuhini Exploration Ltd.

please contact: David O'Brien, President & Chief Executive Officer, Telephone: [phone], Email: [email protected]