Snakes Load Up Front End With Milhouse Trade:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Snakes load up front end with Milhouse trade

Published: August 13, 2009

The Vernon Vipers have added another sniper to an already impressive corps of returning forwards for the 2009-10 B.C. Hockey League season.
The Snakes traded 20-year-old forward Brian Elser and future considerations to the Victoria Grizzlies in exchange for 20-year-old forward Jonathan Milhouse.
The Vipers had originally traded Elser to the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Drayton Valley Thunder last September for future considerations. Elser didn’t report, so the Snakes didn’t collect, and instead retained his rights.
Milhouse, a Yorba Linda, Calif. product, had a stint with the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winter Hawks last season before finishing his campaign with the Grizzlies.
In 42 games with Victoria, Milhouse collected 19 goals for 42 points. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder posted 10 points in 17 games with Portland.
“Any time a good player becomes available who wants to play for your club, you’ve got to take a look at it,” said Vipers’ assistant coach Jason Williamson. “He makes us quicker, he’s got great hands, he works hard... he’s a good kid.”
Williamson adds Milhouse was a standout at the National Junior A Championships in Victoria.
“At the Royal Bank Cup, we felt he was Victoria’s best player.”
With the addition of Milhouse, the Vipers now have 10 returning forwards, plus a pair of top prospects in Dylan Walchuk (Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Nelson Leafs) and Drew George (Notre Dame Midget Tier 1 Hounds).
Registration for the Vipers’ main camp goes Aug. 23, with on-ice sessions running Aug. 24-26.
“It’s going to be an interesting camp,” said Williamson. “They’ll sort things out in camp for themselves.”
On the Grizzlies’ website, head coach Victor Gervais said Milhouse “has great hands and skill... but his heart wasn’t playing in Victoria this season.”
Elser, a Hopewell Junction, N.Y. product, recorded 12-10-22 in 28 games with the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s New York Apple Core last season.
Meanwhile, Walchuk hasn’t even played a game with the Vipers and he has already committed to the NCAA Northern Michigan Wildcats for the 2011-12 season.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound McBride native led the Leafs with 29-36-65 and was top-10 in KIJHL scoring as a 16-year-old. He was an integral part of their run to the KIJHL championship and appearance in the Cyclone Taylor Cup.
“He was highly sought after by many junior teams and he was getting interest from a lot of big schools,” said Williamson.
“Not too many ‘92s commit out of Junior B, so he’ll be a good player. And he’s got high expectations of himself, so hopefully he’ll be able to jump in and contribute right away.”
Wildcats’ head coach Walt Kyle coached Vipers’ head coach Mark Ferner when he played with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Walchuk says he appreciates the effort Kyle put into meeting him.
“He (Kyle) came down to meet me and told me all about their program,” said Walchuk, who has spent the last few weeks at a conditioning camp in Penticton. “I felt like I could fit in there, which is why I picked it.”