Thursday, October 1, 2015

BCHL News & Trades:

I found these press releases off team websites, other hockey blogs or online.

BCHL News & Trades:

Clippers Name Alumni LeNeveu New Goaltending Coach:

The Nanaimo Clippers are pleased to announce that David LeNeveu has joined the team as the Goaltending Coach for the 2015-2016 season.  David played for the Clippers during the 2000-2001 season before playing two seasons at Cornell University.  During his time at Cornell David played for Team Canada in the 2003 World Junior Hockey Championships. During his 12 year professional hockey career, David played in the National Hockey League with the Phoenix Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets.  Most recently, he played as a backup goaltender for the New York Rangers and dressed for all Rangers games in the 2014 Stanley Cup finals.  David brings a wealth of experience to the Clippers and our goalies will benefit from his knowledge.  He will be a great addition to the coaching staff.

Bolduc Family Loses Baby Daughter:

On September 6th we lost a young baby in our community , the daughter of Salmon Arm Silverbacks forward Carson Bolduc and his girlfriend Kierra Lentz. At just 1 week old Hallie was diagnosed with an entro virus that attacked her heart severally , she put up a tough fight but sadly after 3 weeks passed away.  Hallie was here for only a short amount of time but over that time she made an impact on so many people's lives, she will be greatly missed and continue to be loved by many . We just wanted to say thank you very much to the Silverbacks staff and players for the stickers on the helmets and for all the continued support from everyone in the community we really appreciate.

Smoke Eaters Name MacEachern Captain:

The Trail Smoke Eaters are pleased to announce their player leadership group for the 2015-16 BCHL season.  Coach/GM Nick Deschenes has announced that Evan MacEachern (95) will be the Captain for the Smoke Eaters this year.  "Evan has gained the confidence of his teammates and as a coaching staff we believe he will be capable of bringing our group along with the help of our leadership core." remarked Deschenes about the decision.  Jake Kauppila (95) was also named a full time assistant captain. Kauppila has 59 GP in the BCHL and played 41 of those with the Smoke Eaters during the 2013-14 season.  The remaining two assistant captain positions will alternate for home and away games. During home games Harlan Orr (95) and Ryan Swanson (95) will wear the 'A'. On the road, Kurt Black (95) and Cooper Leitch (96) will take their turn wearing the 'A'.  The Smoke Eaters will kick off the season Friday night in Vernon when the faceoff against the Vipers, and then will have their Home Opener the following night, as the Vipers will follow them back to Cominco Arena.

Merritt-Melville Trade:

The Merritt Centennials have acquired the CJHL playing rights to Mitch Lipon(96)(F) from the Melville Millionaires of the SJHL in exchange for the CJHL playing rights to Matt Foley(95)(D) and future considerations.

Penticton-Nanaimo Trade:

The Penticton Vees have acquired the CJHL playing rights to Ryan Coghlan(95)(D) from the Nanaimo Clippers in exchange for future considerations.

Coquitlam-Kindersley Trade:

The Coquitlam Express have traded Forward Daniell Lange (95) to the Kindersley Klippers (SJHL) In exchange for future considerations.  The Langley native, Lange played the last two seasons with the Express.  He dressed for 104 games with 19 goals and 15 assists for 34 points. He also dressed for 29 BCHL playoff and Western Canada cup games with two assists. He was a member of the Express 2014 Fred Page cup championship team.  The Express would like to thank Daniell for his hard work and dedication to the team over the last two seasons.  And wish him all the best in his final season of Junior hockey in Kindersley.

Vees Send Barry Home:

The Penticton Vees announced Saturday that they have sent goaltender Brendan Barry home for violating team policy. The Vees will make no further comment on the matter at this time. Barry started for the Vees in Salmon Arm against the Silverbacks, but was relieved after two periods as he allowed four goals on 23 shots in a 4-2 loss. Barry won 10 of 14 games as a rookie for the Vees last season putting up two shutouts with a 2.06 goals against average and .912 save percentage. Barry has landed in Vernon, is practising with the Vipers. The Vipers currently have two goaltenders in Andrew Shortridge & Jarrod Schamerhorn.

Prince George-Aurora Trade:

The Prince George Spruce Kings would like to announce the acquisition of 20 year old goaltender Sam Tanguay from the Aurora Tigers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). In exchange for Tanguay the Spruce Kings have traded 20 year old goaltender Alex Brooks-Potts to Aurora.  Sam Tanguay is 5’11” 190 lbs and is from Beauport Quebec. He played 29 games last season for the Sudbury Wolves of The Ontario Hockey League (OHL).  “Sam is a veteran goaltender who will come in here and give us a chance to win every night. He saw a lot of shots last season in Sudbury for a team that really struggled. He knows that the BCHL is a very good league and he’s excited to join our team and to help us have success” said Spruce Kings General Manager Mike Hawes.  “I would also like to thank Alex for his contributions to our team over the past year and wish him the best of luck in Aurora” continued Hawes.  Tanguay will join his new Spruce Kings team mates at practice this week before the team heads to the lower mainland for their first road trip of the season.  They play division rivals Langley and Surrey on Saturday and Sunday.

Chilliwack-Fort McMurray Trade:

The Chilliwack Chiefs have transferred the CJHL playing rights to Ben Sharf(96) to the Fort McMurray Oil Barrons in exchange for future considerations.

Penticton-Amherst Trade:

The Penticton Vees Jr. ‘A’ Hockey Club has acquired defenseman David Eccles (96) from the Amherst Ramblers of the Maritime Hockey League, in exchange for defenseman Tyler Niven (96) and the CJHL playing rights of Ryan Coghlan (95), the team announced Monday.  “David is a seasoned blue-liner who’s played at the highest level in the RBC Cup and experience like that is invaluable. His size will be a welcome addition to our back-end, especially in a very competitive Interior Division,” commented President, General Manager and Head Coach Fred Harbinson.  Eccles should be a familiar name to Vees fans, as the 19-year-old played last season for the Carleton Place Canadians, who faced the Vees in the Semi-Final of the RBC Cup in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Eccles and the Canadians lost in the championship game to the host Portage Terriers.  The rear-guard, who checks-in at 6’3 and 205 pounds, comes to Penticton with plenty of junior hockey seasoning. Last season Eccles won a Canadian Central Hockey League (CCHL) championship with Carleton Place. In the regular season, Eccles had five points in 26 games after starting the season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In the CCHL playoffs, Eccles matched his regular season total in 15 games, as the Canadians won back-to-back CCHL titles. The Ancaster, Ontario, product was a key contributor on the blue-line, as the Canadians was the East Region championship, the Fred Page Cup and then advance to theirs second straight RBC Cup Final.  Prior to joining Carleton Place, Eccles played parts of two seasons in the OHL, splitting time between the Sudbury Wolves and Sault St. Marie, picking up a pair of assists in 29 career games.  Niven, 19, was acquired by the Vees late last month from the Langley Rivermen for forward Mitch Newsome. Prior to playing in the BCHL, the Brunswick, Maine, product played three seasons at the Governor’s Academy in Massachusetts.   The Vees claimed the rights to Ryan Coghlan after he was put on waivers by the Nanaimo Clippers.  The Vees organization would like to welcome David to Penticton and wish Tyler all the best in his future hockey endeavors.

Kehler Joins Chiefs:

The Kamloops Blazers are down to two goaltenders after releasing Cole Kehler from their roster on Tuesday morning.  The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Kehler, who turns 18 on Dec. 17, is from Altona, Man. He was a sixth-round selection in the sixth round of the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft.  Just two years ago, he was seen as their goaltender of the future. Now he is expected to play for the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs this season. Kehler played in 32 games with the Blazers over the past two seasons, going 4-14-2. Last season, in 21 games, he was 3-14-2 with a 4.65 GAA and a .855 save percentage. He went into that season with a chance to be the starter, but Cole Ingram took over early in the new year and never looked back. The Blazers will open the season with Ingram, 18, who is fresh off a stint in training camp with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, and Dylan Ferguson, a freshman from Lantzville, B.C., as their goaltenders. Ingram, a 6-foot-1, 195-pounder from Imperial, Sask., is a list player who took charge in the second half of last season.

New Arena In Quesnel In The Works:

Residents interested in getting a sneak peak at the final construction drawings of the soon to be built West Fraser Centre are invited to an open house next week. Co-hosted by the Cariboo Regional District and the City of Quesnel, it will take place on Tuesday, September 29 from 6-8pm in the lobby of the North Cariboo Twin Arenas. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions of the project manager, the architects, elected officials and staff about the project status.  A general contractor for the project will be selected in mid-December with construction expected to begin next spring. In preparation for the start of construction, the City of Quesnel has commenced relocation of a number of underground utilities. Water, sewer, and storm water lines will need to be moved to accommodate the building footprint and to service the building. The 1,600 seat facility is expected to be completed by the fall of 2017. The estimated cost of the project (as of last spring ) is $18,759,740. 

Centennials Acquire Two New Defencemen:

The Merritt Centennials are pleased to announce the addition of two new Defencemen to the team. Mark O'Shaughnessy is an 18-year old defenceman that played last season with the Kamloops Storm and was an AP with the Vernon Vipers after being released from the Western Hockey League. Mark had impressive numbers last season scoring 7 goals and 32 assists in 39 games played, and had a good camp with the Kootenay Ice this year. Mark has good size and mobility and will add some skill to the back end. 18 year-old Tyler Holz was acquired from the Penticton Vees for future considerations. Holz is a solid stay-at-home Defencemen who played last year with the Osoyoos Coyotes. We anticipate he will add some good depth and size to the team.

Donald Leaves Smoke Eaters For Yale University:

The Trail Smoke Eaters would like to announce that Assistant Coach and Assistant General Manager Ryan Donald has accepted a position with Yale University. Donald who is in his first season with the Trail Smoke Eaters and the BCHL, is a former player for Yale University. The Smoke Eaters Organization wishes to thank Donald for his contributions to the organization in his short time with the club and wish him all the best with his alma mater, Yale University. "I am very thankful for the opportunity the Trail Smoke Eaters gave me during this phase of my coaching journey.  Everyone from the Operations department through the game day staff treated my wife Carly and I like family from day one and we are both going to miss what lay in front of us here in Trail.  Being a Yale Alum, it has always been my goal to someday return there in a coaching capacity, and I am excited to get back to New Haven and begin working with the student-athletes at Yale.  I look forward to following the Smokies in the future and watching these athletes grow into young men." stated Donald about his time here in Trail. Donald will continue with the Smoke Eaters as they prepare for the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack this weekend and complete his duties with the club at the end of September.

Coquitlam-Kanata Trade:

The Coquitlam Express have transferred the CJHL playing rights to Jivan Sidhu(95)(D) to the Kanata Lasers of the CCHL in exchange for future considerations.

Vees Sign Goaltender Boily:

The Penticton Vees hockey club has signed goaltender Emilien Boily, an 18-year-old from St. Hyancinthe, Que. a former QMJHL goaltender.  The Vees were in need of a backup goaltender after the team sent home former goaltender Brendan Barry for violating team policy.

Prince George-Grande Prairie Trade:

The Prince George Spruce Kings have transferred the CJHL playing rights to Frank Sullivan(96)(D) to the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL in exchange for future considerations.

Trail-Spruce Grove Trade:

The Trail Smoke Eaters have transferred the CJHL playing rights to Dexter Mcleod(96)(D) to the Spruce Grove Saints of the AJHL in exchange for future considerations.

Skapski & Cochrane Return To Chiefs: 

Returning are 19 year old forward Mitch Skapski and 19 year old defenseman Carter Cochrane.  Skapski was a member of the of the Chiefs for the first half of the 2012-13 season, scoring three goals and adding five assists in 29 games before leaving for the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips.  Skapski spent time with three WHL teams. In a combined 143 games with the Silvertips, Victoria Royals and Saskatoon Blades, he scored six goals and 13 assist and added 113 penalt minutes.  Cochrane spent the 2013-14 season with the Chiefs scoring 16 goals to go along with 31 assists and was named the Chiefs top defenseman.  He started the following season with the WHL’s Silvertips but was dealt part way through the season to the Tri City Americans.  The Chiefs also announced that defenseman Bennett Morrison has been traded to the Trail Smoke Eaters in exchange for future considerations. The Chiefs would like to thank Bennett for all his contributions to the team both on and off the ice.

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