I found these press releases off team websites, other hockey blogs or online.
BCHL News & Trades:
Turnbull Commits To Kings:
The Powell River Kings are proud to announce the commitment of 1998-born forward Carter Turnbull for next season. Turnbull, who turns 17 in September, is from Nanaimo and joined the Kings at their main camp this past August as well as playing in exhibition games for the club. This season, Turnbull was with the VIJHL’s Nanaimo Buccaneers and was 2nd in team scoring with 31 goals and 40 assists for 71 points. Those numbers also had Turnbull 9th in league scoring. Listed at 5’7, 155lbs, Turnbull is a small forward who isn’t afraid to mix it up. "Powell River plays a gritty game, and I like that" says Turnbull. "I’m hoping to bring some offence to the table, I like to be creative in the offensive zone." In addition to his time in Nanaimo, Turnbull played 1 game with the Kings and 4 with Cowichan Valley as an affiliate, scoring a goal and adding an assist with the Caps. "Carter is a very good player who is going to have a big role with our hockey club" says Kings Head Coach and General Manager Kent Lewis. "He’s obviously a very gifted player offensively, but he’s also smart with the puck and that’s why we’re excited to have him with us next season." With a successful season in Nanaimo under his belt, Turnbull set his mind on playing in the BCHL for the 2015/2016 campaign, and decided that he wanted to do that in Powell River. "The Kings are always a contender in the playoffs, they always have a good, tough team" says Turnbull. "Also some of the best coaching staff in the league, and it’s a beautiful town so there really wasn’t any reason not to choose Powell River." "We had a good look at Carter during camp and exhibitions last year and he certainly demonstrated that he can play at this level" says Lewis. "We felt the best thing for his development at the time was to spend time with the Buccaneers logging a lot of minutes there, and be able to come up to Junior A next season and play a big role for us." "Obviously it’s faster, it’s smarter, it’s better passing, better goalies, all around better" says Turnbull. "The challenge will be adapting to that and getting used to working with new guys and better players. I have ice time in the summer to get my feet wet, and lots of time in the gym in order for me to get stronger and bigger and ready for the season." Turnbull will be in Powell River late August as the eligible returnees assemble for Main Camp in town, in preparation of the 2015/2016 season beginning in September.
Trail-Merritt Trade:
The Merritt Centennials traded 18-year-old Rhett Willcox to the Trail Smoke Eaters as the future considerations. The deal completes the trade that saw the Cents pick up 20-year-old defenseman Griffyn Martin. Martin, who's from Fairfield, CT, had ten assists in 20 games with Merritt after posting 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 35 games with the Smoke Eaters. He played two games of NCAA hockey with Union College in 2013-14 before joining Trail this past season. Willcox, from Surrey, BC, is a veteran of two BCHL seasons in Merritt. He notched 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) in 97 career games with the Centennials. Willcox is a 10th round selection of the Portland Winterhawks in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft.
Dupas Leaves Sprince Kings:
"The world has gotten smaller because of technology," Hawes said, "and the hockey world is even smaller. Within a couple of hours of the announcement, I was getting calls and texts from people interested in the position." Dupas resigned to be closer to his family in the Okanagan, and Hawes says it wasn’t a complete surprise. His wife and two children had remained in West Kelowna after he took the Spruce Kings job partway through the 2010-11 season. "It wasn’t a shock. It’s always a tough situation when you’re away from your family for that long. Four and a half years is a long time to be in that situation." Hawes says there is a good chance the team will have hired a new coach by the time the Prospects Camp starts. "I’ve kind of overseen the Prospects Camp in the past, so it’s not necessary that we have a coach in place, but there’s a very good chance we will." The Prospects Camp will give the Spruce Kings executive and coaching staff a chance to look at players who will possibly be with the team next season. "We have 12 players eligible to return next season," Hawes said. "All 12 would be key contributors. We have one goalie, four defencemen and seven forwards. "That’s part of my job as general manager, to try and make sure we have a good nucleus of players coming back"
Meyer & Dingmann Commit To Bulldogs:
The Alberni Valley Bulldogs announce two commitments for the 2015/16 season: 6'4" defenseman Paul Meyer from the Edina HS Hornets in Edina, MN, and 6'4" forward Nathan Dingmann from the Wayzata HS Trojans. Both Meyer and Dingmann played together for the Minnesota Blades Major Midget program. Meyer is a big, solid, two-way defenseman. This season for Edina, Meyer contributed 17 point in 25 regular season games. Currently after two section playoff games, Meyer sits with 3 goals and 2 assists. Edina HS won the Minnesota state championships last season. Dingmann is described in an ISS scouting report by Pat Forciea, a former Executive Vice President with the Minnesota North Stars who also served on the NHL Board of Governors, as a massive forward that is athletic and gifted. Dingmann's assets include his skating, offensive upside, hockey sense, and a passion and drive for the game. Dingmann is projected to be a quality top 6 forward at the NCAA level. "I am very proud to have the opportunity to continue my hockey career playing with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs," said Dingmann. "I look forward to becoming a member of the team next season!" The Alberni Valley Bulldogs are very excited to welcome Paul and Nathan to the Bulldogs family for the 2015/16 season.
Hardy & Page Commit To Nanaimo Clippers:
The Nanaimo Clippers announced the commitment of two new players for the 2015-16 season. 16-year-old forward Owen Hardy and 19-year-old defenseman Louis-Philippe Page. Hardy is from Nanaimo and played this past season with the North Island Silvertips of the BC Major Midget League. He had 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 31 games with the Silvertips and no points in three games with the Clippers as an affiliate player. Hardy played for Team BC at last month's Canada Winter Games and had one assist. He was selected in the 2nd round, 42nd overall by the Vancouver Giants in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft. Page comes from the Deerfield Academy Varsity Boys high school team in Deerfield, MA. He's played three seasons with Deerfield and had 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 26 games this season. Page was a 2nd round pick, 34th overall, by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft.
Busy Off Season Ahead For Spruce Kings:
Mike Hawes has quite the to-do list in front of him this summer.Hire a head coach. Fill the remaining roster spots for the 2015-16 season.It's all in a day's work for the general manager of the Prince George Spruce Kings.Hawes hasn't had to worry about filling the head coach role in four-and-a-half seasons, but with Dave Dupas resigning Friday so he could be closer to his family that live full-time in Kelowna, there's now a vacancy behind the bench.During his time in Prince George, Dupas' teams never missed the B.C. Hockey League playoffs. This season, for the first time in 10 years, the Kings reached the second round of the playoffs before they were eliminated last week in four games by the Chilliwack Chiefs."The search (for the coach) has started. As soon as word got out, my phone's been ringing off the hook and guys have been emailing their resumes," said Hawes on Sunday. "There's a handful of individuals I want to have discussions with. I've got at least 12 resumes."With spring camp right around the corner from April 10 to 12 at the Coliseum, Hawes said since he oversees the camp and makes the decision on who to offer player cards to, it's not necessary to have someone in place before then. He would rather go through proper process and take his time hiring a new bench boss. As for the lineup, seven players won't be returning next season because they've earned NCAA hockey scholarships to U.S. universities for the 2015-16 season. They include forwards Chad Staley (Alaska-Anchorage), Jermiah Luedtke (Alaska-Fairbanks), Michael Buonincontri (St. Cloud State), defenceman Viktor Dombrovskiy (Harvard), and goaltender Jesse Jenks (Alaska-Fairbanks). Defenceman Karan Toor, who was sidelined for the entire year due to a groin injury, is off to Dartmouth, while forward Justin Rai, who only appeared in 25 games in the season after suffering a season-ending concussion, will go to school at the University of Maine. Forward Marco Ballarin and defencemen Adam Clements were eligible to return but were dealt on the weekend to the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. They were the future considerations in the deal Hawes made in December for defencemen Tyler Kunz who was later traded.The Kings will have a goaltender, four defencemen and six forwards eligible to return next season. They include goalie Alex Brooks-Potts, defencemen Cole McCaskill, Ryan Fritz, Alex Stoley and Matt Stief and forwards Jake LeBrun, Brogan O'Brien, Braiden Epp, Cole Todd, Nick Guerra, Daniel Nachbaur and Riley Hawes. "That's normal, usually having between 10 to 14 players return is an average year," said GM Hawes. "We have a good group of 12 back and Brooks-Potts is going to be a solid number one goaltender in the league. The building blocks we have are really good."Exit interviews with the players were conducted on Friday before they all returned home."The feedback we received was really good," said Hawes. "They were happy with the season and we have 12 guys who are eligible excited to come back. There's a guy like Stief from (Weston) Florida who loves Prince George. It's a good organization. He was at our spring camp last season and he loved the community then."So far, 60 players have registered for the spring camp and it rolls around, Hawes expects there will be 100 guys taking to the ice competing for five spots.The King were riddled with injuries this season, forcing Hawes to make roster moves on an almost weekly basis."It absolutely was one of the most difficult years in my role with the team," said Hawes. "Being able to ice a competitive team every night with a lot of turn-over losing a lot of man games to injuries. We don't have easy access to affiliate players like the Lower Mainland teams. Our closest junior B team is three-and-a-half hours away (in 100 Mile House). It was a lot of phone calls and definitely a lot of work, but it's part of my role."
Ayre & Ginnetti Commit To Langley:
The Langley Rivermen added two new recruits. 17-year-old forward Trevor Ayre and 16-year-old Cameron Ginnetti. Ayre is from Surrey and played 2014-15 with the Valley West Hawks of the BC Major Midget League. He was seventh in league scoring with 55 points (20 goals, 35 assists) in 40 games. Ayre also got into five BCHL games with the Rivermen as an affiliate player, but didn't register any points. Ginnetti played junior B hockey this past season with Grandview Steelers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. In 32 games with the Steelers, the Vancouver native picked up 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists). He also had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 12 playoff games for Grandview, which advanced to the Tom Shaw Conference Finals in the PJHL. Ginnetti played four games with Langley as an AP, scoring no points.
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