BCHL News & Trades:
West Kelowna-Kindersley Trade:
The West Kelowna Warriors Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club are pleased to announce the acquisition of goaltender Xavier Burghardt (’97) from the Kindersley Klippers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) in exchange for future considerations. Burghardt, 19, spent the 2015/16 season with the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Burghardt appeared in 26 games last season, posting a 7-13-2 record with a 4.01 GAA and a .885 save percentage. Prior to joining the Dragons in the AJHL, Burghardt spent two seasons with the SEAC Tigers Midget AAA of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL) based out of Medicine Hat. The Medicine Hat, Alberta native was recently traded to Kindersley on Sunday in a three-team swap before the Warriors acquired him on Thursday. “We have been searching for a veteran goaltender to help solidify our team.” commented Warriors head coach and general manager Rylan Ferster. The Warriors would like to welcome Xavier to the city of West Kelowna as he will join the team ahead of their next game Saturday.
Vees TV:
The Penticton Vees have gotten their start to the the regular season off on the right foot. That came with a 4-0 win Saturday night against the Prince George Spruce Kings – a feat head coach Fred Harbinson said came with more difficulty that it seemed. "It was a much tighter game than the score indicated," he said in this week's edition of the Vees' View with Coach Harbinson. He credits the win to the whole team, from goalies to defence to forwards. "Every guy's sort of buying into the way we want to play here," he said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILFzc6wixnk
Pomeroy Commits To Silverbacks For Next Season:
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks Hockey Club are pleased to announced that D-Man Jesse Pomeroy of Prince George, BC has committed to the Silverbacks for the 2017-2018 season. “After watching Jesse play this past week in Chase and in Kelowna during the Cougars pre-season we as an organization were thrilled with how well Jesse played and committed to him for next season” stated GM Troy Mick “We are excited that Jesse has committed to be a Silverback next season. Jesse is a skilled, puck moving defenceman who will play for a Midget National Championship for the host Cariboo Cougars. He will lead his team until April and will gain experience that not all players get. We are excited to have Jesse and his family join the Silverbacks family. “I am excited and thrilled to be with the Silverbacks and I am excited to start my junior career with this team” Stated Jesse. “He will be an affiliate player this season for us and he will get into practices and games when opportunities arise. Silverbacks host Chilliwack & Coquitlam this coming weekend at the Shaw Centre and both games start at 7 PM. Tickets are on sale now and it is the Finz Magnet Schedule night on Friday and Askews Shoot to win on Saturday.
Nanaimo-Smith Falls Trade:
The Nanaimo Clippers have acquired the CJHL playing rights to Evan DeBrouwer(97)(G) from the Smith Falls Bears of the CCHL in exchange for future considerations.
Vees Season Ticket Sales Hit 1500 Mark:
The Penticton Vees have set a team record without even hitting the ice. Season ticket sales have hit the 1,500 mark. “It’s exciting to see our community rally around the team, especially this year being a big one with us hosting the Western Canada Cup,” said GM and head coach Fred Harbinson. “We truly believe we have some of the best fans in junior hockey, and the record number of season tickets is yet just another example of that.” The Vees are in the midst of a seven-game road swing to open the season, before their Oct. 1 home opener against the Trail Smoke Eaters. Season ticket holders can pick them up Sept. 28 at the South Okanagan Events Centre during the Vees’ annual pickup party, where fans can mingle with the team.
Capitals Name Carter Goaltender Coach:
The Cowichan Valley Capitals have announced that Chris Carter has been hired as the team’s goaltending coach. Carter, who’s originally from St. John’s, Newfoundland, brings a decade of experience coaching goalies of all ages and skill levels at Great Saves Goaltending, a program he’s owned and operated since 2007. In that time, he’s also been a goalie coach and technical director for the St. John’s Junior Hockey League, Newfoundland & Labrador High Performance Program, and for minor hockey teams aged throughout. Carter also spent four seasons as a head coach in minor midget – in those years he led his teams to two league championships and two runner-up finishes. “I’m thrilled to be joining the Capitals as their goaltending coach. It’s a great opportunity for me to join a great franchise and coaching staff and further pursue my passion for coaching goaltenders,” Carter said in a statement. “It’s an honor to be part of the team and I look forward to achieving some positive results and building new relationships in hockey.” Last season, Carter was the goaltending coach for the Avalon Capitals of the St. John’s Junior Hockey League and for the TriPen Osprey of the Newfoundland Major Midget League. He was also an assistant coach/ goaltending coach with an Atom-aged team in the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association in St. John’s. After relocating from Newfoundland, Carter expects to be with the team at the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack this week.
Centennials Name Jewell Captain:
The Merritt Centennials have named forward Brett Jewell team captain. “He does a lot of things well that we ask of all our players. The guys follow him, they’ve been following him for a while now. We talk about being a better person, better people make better Centennials, and that’s Brett Jewell.” said Cents General Manager and Head Coach Joe Martin. “He’s a true testament to a captain of the Centennials. ”Jewell, 19, is in his second full season with the Centennials. The Vernon native had 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 53 games for the team last season. The 6’1″, 174 pound bruising forward has never been a captain before in junior hockey. “I’m excited to be in that role, it’s a big role. It’ll help my play, and I’m gonna be able to help my teammates raise their play as well.” Jewell is the newest captain on the longest-active BCHL team. The Centennials have been in the league since 1973.
Prince George-Soo Trade:
The Prince George Spruce Kings would like to announce that they have traded 20 year old defenseman Mike Winn to the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) in exchange for future considerations. The 6’2” 190 Winn is from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Winn joined the team just prior the BCHL season, and sat out the first two games with an injury. In three games with the Spruce Kings Winn didn’t record any points. Last year with the Soo Eagles of the NOJHL Winn had 13 points to go along with 42 PIM in 39 games. In three playoff games with the team he had three points. The Spruce Kings would like to thank Mike Winn for his time with the team, and wish him the best with his new team.
Surrey-Toronto Trade:
The Surrey Eagles Hockey Club has announced the acquisition of defenceman Ryan Markovic from the Toronto Patriots of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in exchange for future considerations. Markovic (’97) is an intimidating figure on the ice, standing at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds. He split last season between the Mississauga Chargers of the OJHL and Brockville Braves of the CCHL where he recorded 8 points in 49 total games. According to head coach and general manager Blaine Neufeld, he was primarily acquired to balance out the back end, and inject a defensive-minded presence. “Any time you bring in an experienced, proven defenceman to your group, you’re making your team better,” said Neufeld in an interview with SurreyEagles.ca. “Our defence is loaded with offence, so it was clear that acquiring a player like Ryan was necessary. He’s very dependable, and also brings leadership qualities that you want to see from your older players.” Markovic served as an assistant captain during his tenure with the Mississauga Chargers. The gritty defender is not shy of playing in the rough areas, picking up nearly 100 total PIM last season. The Mississauga, Ontario native will be joining the team immediately, and is expected to suit up during the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack this week. The Eagles will be appearing in two games at the event – September 22nd vs Cowichan Valley and September 25th vs Salmon Arm. The Eagles next home game is on Thursday, September 29th at 6:30 PM. The Chilliwack Chiefs come to town to face off in the first instalment of Thursday Night Hockey.
Penticton-Olds Trade:
The Penticton Vees Jr. ‘A’ Hockey Club has acquired defenceman James Miller (98) from the Olds Grizzlys of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), for forward Noah Jordan (97) and future considerations the team announced Monday. President, General Manager and Head Coach Fred Harbinson likes Miller’s intangibles, “James is a very good skater with offensive tools that we feel will help generate offense from our blue-line. Despite being 18, he’s close to already playing 100 games at this level, and that experience is what we want to add to our line-up.” Olds isn’t an unfamiliar trading partner, as the Vees acquired forward Chris Gerrie (96) from the Grizzlys in an off-season move ahead of the 2015-16 season. Miller, 18, is entering his third season if junior hockey after previously spending the past two seasons in the AJHL. The Spruce Grove, Alberta, product had five goals and 21 points in 50 games last season, nearly doubling his point total from his 16-year-old rookie season in 2014-15. In 90 career regular season games, he has seven goals and 32 points. Last season Miller was part of Team West for the 2016 CJHL Prospects Game in Surrey, BC. Before he broke into the AJHL, Miller played both midget and bantam hockey for his hometown Spruce Grove PAC Saints. The rearguard has already secured an NCAA Division l commitment to the University of New Hampshire for the 2017-18 season. Jordan, 19, scored once in six games for the Vees, after coming to Penticton from the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s St. Michael’s Buzzers in an off-season trade. Last season with the Buzzers Jordan notched 12 goals and added another 44 points in 50 games. Miller will wear number 19 and make his Vees debut on Friday, September 30th, when the team makes a visit to West Kelowna, to face the Warriors at Royal LePage Place. Fans can listen to the game on EZ Rock AM 800, or they can purchase the BCHL pay-per-view package at www.fasthockey.com
Vees TV:
The Penticton Vees have finished their first big road trip strong, winning two out of three games. The Vees played the Powell River Kings, the Port Alberni Bulldogs and the Cowichan Valley Capitals, losing only to the Bulldogs on Saturday, putting their season to three wins and one loss. The team will be playing in a tournament this week in Chilliwack, in front of university and NHL scouts. On Sunday, the team will be at Boston Pizza in Penticton, signing autographs and posing for photos with fans. Boston Pizza will be putting on kids' meals for $4.99, with partial proceeds going to breakfast programs at local elementary schools. The event will be between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday at Boston Pizza on Main Street. Get all of the updates with head coach Fred Harbinson's thoughts on this week's edition of Vees' View with Coach Harbinson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKhEnc3OksM
Letter From Wild Owner:
Dear Wild Fans , season ticket holders , sponsors and volunteers. When my friend Don West told me he had an opportunity to have his own show with Cherry Creek, and that that had been his dream, I was so excited for him. I want everyone to be happy, life is too short not to be. When David Rayfield told us he was going to work in his family business, again I was excited for him. They both gave their all to the Wild, and are still willing to help us to this day. So we then decided to hire someone from the professional hockey ranks to run the business side going forward. That was Tim Hill. I was saddened to accept Tim Hill’s resignation. I do wish him well in his future endeavors and am fully sympathetic to his need to get back to his family. He did spearhead the hiring of a great front office staff that continues to be here supporting our community and team efforts. Katie Lenerville is our Director of Sales and Marketing, and will be the main point of contact for sponsorship duties going forward. We also hired two wonderful local people, Nadine Lemons, our Office Manager, and Zane Morrison, our Director of Game Operations. On the hockey side, we have added an additional development team, 3 total now….. and so the Wild staff keeps growing! I want to address the press release from Cherry Creek radio that I believe came out before I was even privy to the result of the meeting. It definitely raised an eyebrow considering how long we have been a client of theirs. We went to talk to Cherry Creek to get a better mutual understanding of each other’s role in this relationship. With Tim’s departure, I am circling back around on major budget items to see what the inner workings were. Our advertising budget is third behind our lease and direct team expenses. This is a wonderful community, with a wonderful arena and staff. This hockey team is a labor of love for me and my family; this is not my core business. The Wild are not profitable, but I am trying to make them so. I invested in the move to the BCHL to strengthen the foundation of the team, by having them play in a geographically friendly travel footprint. The quality of hockey is very exciting, and our players will be going further in their careers than ever before. With that being said, it is not a sustainable business model to pay for radio broadcast of our games and the amount of advertising we were. We have a league mandated portal called FastHockey. It is available for home and away games with Arch calling the play by play on those broadcasts. We also are looking at other options for free game broadcasts to the community for this season. We also are still discussing our advertising options with Cherry Creek radio and others. The Town Toyota Center is your building. The Wenatchee Wild are your building’s main tenant. We both need you to support the team with your physical presence at the games. You have been so supportive of us, and I am only taking care of the business side of things. As we start a new era in the front office, we need to make the best fiscal decisions for the entity. If you have any questions at all about what we are doing or what our plans are, please just direct those to me via the Wild office and I will get back to you.
Go Wild!
David E. White
President
Prince George-Whitecourt Trade:
The Prince George Spruce Kings would like to announce they have traded second year goalie Liam McCloskey to the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) in exchange for future considerations. The team has added 18 year old netminder Tavin Grant, a prospect for the Prince George Cougars. Last season with the Spruce Kings, the 18 year old McCloskey played in 34 games picking up eight wins and one shutout. The Pitt Meadows, BC product was signed by the team out of Spring Camp in 2015, along with fellow Vancouver NE Chiefs teammates Kyle Johnson and Parker Colley. This year McCloskey started two games, winning the most recent at the BCHL Bauer Showcase in a 7-2 victory over the Merritt Centennials. In his two starts, and two games of relief, McCloskey had a 5.81 Goals Against Average (GAA), and .837 Save Percentage (SP). Tavin Grant comes to the Spruce Kings after a strong season last year with the Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). In 12 games, the 6’1”, 174 lbs, Burnaby native posted an 8-4 record and one shutout with a 2.22 GAA and .922 SP. In 2013/14, Grant had the lowest GAA in the BCMML with a 2.04 GAA in 21 games as a member of the Vancouver NW Giants. The Spruce Kings would like to thank Liam McCloskey for his in Prince George and wish him the best of luck in Whitecourt.
Silverbacks Sign Kegler:
It was exactly this date last year that the Salmon Arm Silverbacks announced they signed goaltender Brandon Kegler who played with the Leduc Oil Kings Midget AAA program & Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL. Once again the Silverbacks are announcing the return of the 19 -year-old goalie who was just recently released by the WHL Hurricanes. To create room, the Silverbacks have sent 18-year-old goalie Mike Botiz to the Surrey Eagles for future considerations and want to wish him the best in his hockey endeavors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGGEzDbszqw
No comments:
Post a Comment