BCHL News & Trades:
Silverbacks Name Antisin Interim Head Coach:
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are proud to announce the hiring of Misko Antisin as Interim-Head Coach for the remainder of the season. “Misko knows our program inside and out and how things work in Salmon Arm” Stated GM Troy Mick. He is a player’s coach who demands the most out of his players. He knows a lot of the returning players and was a part of the recruiting class of this seasons new Backs players, so the transition will be an easy one for everybody. The fans in Salmon Arm will know Misko well as he was the Assistant coach for the Backs the last 2 seasons in Salmon Arm before taking on the GM/Head Coach reigns in Steamboat Springs, Colorado the Backs Tier 3 junior team in the USA to start this season. Antisin’s recent positions and extensive hockey experience including Assistant Coach with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks & the Westside Warriors (BCHL), Assistant Coach in the BC Major Midget League who won the BCMML Championship, and his experience as an Associate Coach and professional Coach in Switzerland are just a few reasons we’re excited to welcome him to the Silverbacks. Misko Antisin, of Vancouver, BC , played his minor hockey days at Kerrisdale/Point Grey. At the age of 15 he joined the BCHL and played with the Cowichan Valley Capitals and then with the Kelowna Buckaroos. Antisin’s last junior stop was in Victoria where he captained the WHL Victoria Cougars. As a free agent, he then signed with the Boston Bruins for two training camps in 1984 & 1985. Antisin then headed over to Switzerland for an 18-year career in professional hockey. During those years he captured 3 championships with 3 different clubs. He played on the Swiss National team in 1992, 1993 & 1998, achieving two 4th place rankings among the IIHF world’s best nations in 1992 & 1998. Antisin’s most recent playing accomplishments included two consecutive Allan Cups – one in 2005 with Horse Lake (NPHL) and the second winning the Allan Cup with Powell River (BCHL) in 2006. “I am very excited to be back with the Silverbacks Hockey Club and the BCHL. It’s an honour to lead these young men to what would be their dream of possibly playing NCAA, CIS or Pro hockey”. Stated Coach Antisin. The fans in Salmon Arm will be proud of our work ethic & community involvement. Misko will make his Head Coach debut Thursday night as the Backs travel to take on the Surrey Eagles.
Vees Sign Armstrong:
The Penticton Vees Jr. A Hockey Club has signed forward Jamie Armstrong (98), the team announced Thursday. Armstrong, 18, started the season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Sioux City Musketeers, picking up a goal and two points, to go along with 21 penalty-minutes in 13 games. Prior to joining Sioux City, the Warwick, Rhode Island, product played prep hockey at Avon Old Farms School for two seasons in Connecticut. Last year at Avon, Armstrong scored 22 goals and compiling 51 points in just 27 games, finishing second in team scoring. Those numbers caught the attention of scouts, as he was ranked 124th by NHL Central Scouting for the 2016 NHL Draft last June. In two seasons with Avon, the 6’2, 190-pound winger amassed 33 goals, 58 assists for 91 points in 53 games. The Northeastern University commitment also played with the Neponset Valley River Rats in the Massachusetts Select League (MHSL); the same program that Vees’ alum Miles Gendron played for. In 27 games over two seasons with the River Rats, Armstrong tallied 22 goals and 40 points. Jamie’s father Bill is the Director of Amateur Scouting for the St. Louis Blues and has held that position since August of 2010. Bill played four seasons of junior hockey in the OHL, winning the Memorial Cup in 1989 with the Oshawa Generals, and was a third round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1990. His nine-year pro career was split between the American Hockey League and International Hockey league. Armstrong will make his Vees debut in Coquitlam against the Express tomorrow night and will wear number 25. In another move Thursday, the Vees traded forward Ben Brar (98) to the Prince George Spruce Kings for future considerations. Brar was in his second season with the Vees and had a pair of goals and four points in 21 games. In his rookie year, the Abbotsford, BC, native collected four goals and nine points in 55 games. The Vees organization would like to wish Ben all the best in his future hockey endeavors with Prince George.
Coquitlam-Surrey Trade:
The Coquitlam Express have acquired the CJHL playing rights to Ryan Markovic(97)(D) from the Surrey Eagles in exchange for future considerations.
West Kelowna-Melfort Trade:
The West Kelowna Warriors Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club has traded forward Reed Gunville (’97) to the Melfort Mustangs of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) in exchange for future considerations. Gunville, 19, played in 106 games with the Warriors, including the regular season and playoffs, while registering 16 goals and 46 points during that span. The Prince Albert, Saskatchewan played a key part in the Warriors RBC Cup National Championship last season, scoring the game-winning goal in the RBC Cup Final against the Lloydminster Bobcats on May 22nd. “It’s incredibly tough to trade a kid like Reed,” stated Warriors general manager and head coach Rylan Ferster, “He was a big part of our team and we wish him all the best in Melfort.” The Warriors would like to thank Reed for all his contributions to the Warriors and the city of West Kelowna during his tenure with the club and wish him all the best in his future endeavors with the Mustangs in Melfort.
South Okanagan Events Centre Gets Review Capability:
The BCHL is taking a step forward in its officiating program by adding video-review capability at the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC) in Penticton. Starting Saturday, Nov. 19 with the Merritt Centennials at Penticton Vees game, video reviews at the SOEC will made available for determining whether a puck crossed the goal line. Managing the review process, should it come up, will be a fully qualified BCHL official who will be stationed off ice. “At the end of the day, we’re just trying to get it right,” said Brad Lazarowich, the BCHL’s director of officiating. “It benefits the fans, the teams and the BCHL; moving forward this is a great direction for the BCHL to go.” There will be no video-replay reviews of goals resulting from high sticks, kicking motions or if the puck crossed the line before the buzzer. Those situations will still have to be decided upon by the on-ice officials. Any replay will only be for determining whether or not a puck crossed the goal line. “This is an initiative brought through the league board of governors in its continuing effort to improve the quality of our game,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “The idea came forward at our 2016 annual general meeting and Penticton was the team most interested in pursuing it.” The varying degree of technology and resources available at each BCHL arena made it unrealistic at this time to mandate league-wide implementation of video review. The BCHL will be following the process in Penticton and reporting back to the board of governors on its progress.
Post Season Adjustments Made:
The BCHL board of governors has approved a new postseason format for the 2017 BC Ford Dealers Road to the Fred Page Cup BCHL Playoffs. The BCHL’s need to carefully plan its playoff format is predicated on the fact the BCHL has three divisions – the Island, Mainland and Interior Divisions – yet must still arrive at two teams to compete for the title. The following describes how each round will be structured. All series will be best-of-seven. Island Division: The top-four teams will make the playoffs with the No. 1-seed facing the No. 4-seed and the No. 2-seed facing the No. 3-seed in Round 1. The winners will advance to the Division finals. The winner of the Division finals will advance to play the winner of the Mainland Division. Mainland Division: The top-four teams will make the playoffs with the No. 1-seed facing the No. 4-seed and the No. 2-seed facing the No. 3-seed in Round 1. The winners will advance to the Division finals. The winner of the Division finals will advance to play the winner of the Island Division. Interior Division: Six teams will qualify for the playoffs, including a possible crossover team* from the Mainland Division. With the teams ranked No. 1 to No. 6, the top-two seeds will get a first-round bye. The Round 1 matchups will see the No. 3-seed facing the No. 6-seed and the No. 4-seed facing the No. 5-seed. In Round 2, the No. 1-seed (having had a bye) will face the lowest-seeded team to advance. The No. 2-seed (having had a bye) will face the other team that advances. *Should the fifth-place team in the Mainland Division have more points than the sixth-place team from the Interior, the Mainland team will cross over to the Interior and play as the No. 6-seed in Round 1. Once the Interior determines its champion, that team will play the winner of the Island-Mainland best-of-seven in the Fred Page Cup BCHL Finals.
Nanaimo Makes Move Towards Hosting A WHL Team:
Nanaimo has taken a step towards potentially hosting a Western Hockey League franchise. The City has completed an initial study looking into the building of an event centre with up to 8,300 seats depending on the event. Nanaimo’s chief financial officer says such a complex could be a game changer for Nanaimo’s downtown and draw many more attractions. Victor Mema says it would be a 5,200 to 5,700 seat arena and it would also “be a multi-purpose event centre so other things can happen there such as concerts.” The study by a Toronto based company examined five locations in the city. It determined the Howard Johnson site and this city owned property at 1 Port Drive are most suitable. But there are many details yet to be determined if the project is going to become a reality. Mema says “Phase one has identified that we probably, to make this viable, need a tenant of WHL nature. That’s part of the equation in doing phase two to see if that’s a possibility or not.” The artistic renderings are styled like a first nations long house. Financing is a big question mark. The building is estimated to cost between 62 to 83 million dollars. The study suggests 19 financing options. Nanaimo’s mayor says this is a huge question that needs to be suitably answered. “We need to have a team that has a stake in the building if we choose to go to a WHL team,” says Bill McKay. “We need to have investors that have a stake in the building otherwise they’re completely immobile and we’re the ones taking all the risk.” The study says there are more than three hundred thousand people within an hours drive of Nanaimo that would help fill the seats. The city will be gathering community feedback and it has commissioned a second study due in mid December.
NCAA Hockey On TSN:
For the third-straight season, the NCAA has announced a schedule of games to be aired nationwide in Canada and each game will feature multiple BCHL alums. Canadian viewers will be treated to 37 regular-season games in 2016-17, including coverage of marquee events like Frozen Fenway in January and the Beanpot from Boston in February. Coverage begins this Friday on TSN with the Friendship Four from Belfast, Northern Ireland where as many as 29 BCHL alums could play, including nine B.C.-born players. “We are excited that TSN will once again be making so many NCAA games available to hockey fans in Canada,” said College Hockey Inc. Executive Director Mike Snee. “Close to 30 per cent of all NCAA hockey players are Canadian, including three NHL first-round draft picks in 2016. Our partnership with TSN allows these young players to be more closely followed in their hometowns and shows what makes playing for your school a unique and special experience.” The first televised games on TSN’s 2016-17 NCAA hockey schedule are Friday from Belfast, Northern Ireland, where Massachusetts, Quinnipiac, St. Lawrence and Vermont will compete in the Friendship Four. Friday’s games are set for 8 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. PT and will be available on TSN2 and TSN GO. For those with extra channels, several games will be available on Big Ten Network (BTN) and CBS Sports Network (CBSSN). “TSN’s significant coverage of NCAA hockey is great news for the hockey fan in Canada,” said Craig Button, TSN’s Director of Scouting and a former NHL general manager. “The games are intense and the players are very skilled, with many of them headed to the NHL in the near future. NCAA hockey is highly entertaining and fun to watch.” TSN’s schedule showcases teams from all six NCAA Division I conferences and many of the nearly 200 NHL draft picks currently playing at the NCAA level. Three Canadian players taken in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft are featured in the schedule, including Nashville Predators draft pick Dante Fabbro of Boston University, whose team will appear at least three times. “I’ve only been at Boston University for a few months but I can already see why playing NCAA hockey makes such a lasting impression on players who have done it,” said Fabbro, a native of New Westminster, B.C., who played for the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. “It will be great that my friends and family back home will be able to see what it’s like and watch me play.” TSN’s expanded coverage of NCAA hockey is available for live streaming and on-demand viewing to TSN subscribers through TSN GO. Seven games this season have already been made available on TSN GO.
CLICK BELOW TO VIEW THE COMPLETE CANADIAN TV SCHEDULE
http://collegehockeyinc.com/pages/canadian-ncaa-hockey-tv-schedule
Salmon Arm-Estevan Trade:
Silverbacks President/General Manager Troy Mick announced today the club has traded D-Man Jake Heerspink to the Estevan Bruins of the SJHL for future considerations. “I would like to thank Jake for all of his hard work and dedication to our club however we needed to open up a roster spot for forward Josh Latta as he is due to come of the IR this week. Jake is a great young man and we wish him the best of luck with his new club.
West Kelowna-Notre Dame Trade:
The West Kelowna Warriors Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club has traded forward Marshall Wilton (’98) to the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) for future considerations. Wilton, 18, played in 16 games with the Warriors in the 2016/17 season amassing a goal and two assists for three points and four penalty minutes. The Emerald Park, Saskatchewan native heads back to his home province while spending his midget hockey with the Tisdale Trojans of the Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League (SMHL). The Warriors would like wish Marshall the best in Notre Dame.
Crossley Leaves Clippers For Western Hockey League:
Crossley, a product of Fort St. John, B.C., has played in 25 games with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers this season, picking up a goal and an assist to go along with 22 penalty minutes. He also suited up for B.C. at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship in Mississauga, ON in May, captaining his side to an undefeated gold-medal performance. In that tournament, he earned the Most Valuable Defenceman award. Last year, he played the bulk of his season with the KIJHL’s Kamloops Storm, collecting nine points and 64 penalty minutes in 40 contests. Crossley is familiar with Prince Albert. He was invited to training camp prior to the 2014-15 campaign. Prior to that camp, Crossley participated “Hit The Ice,” which was a training camp and television show that highlighted young aboriginal hockey players.
Vees TV:
In another edition of Vees' View with Coach Harbinson, Penticton Vees broadcaster Fraser Rodgers talks to a pair of defencemen who racked up points for the Vees over the weekend. That includes Gabe Bast who returned from an injury and scored his first goal in 14 months against the Merritt Centennials in his first home game of the year on Saturday. Fellow defenceman Joseph Leahy called that goal the "feel-good moment of this year," when he spoke to Rodgers for Vees' View. Leahy was another goalscorer in that game, with a lengthy skate from the Vees' end and around the Centennials' net, before driving in the game-ender. In fact, all four goals from the Vees on Saturday's game came from the blue line. That game ended 4-3 at home against the Centennials, while Friday's game ended 7-2 in Coquitlam against the Express. That keeps the team at the top spot, with 21 wins and 4 losses, so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C83OhpFsybg
West Kelowna-Brockville Trade:
The West Kelowna Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club has traded defensemen Blake Coffey (’98) to the Brockville Braves of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) in exchange for future considerations. Coffey, 18, was signed by the Warriors after his release from Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Toronto, Ontario native collected three goals and no assists in his 24 games played with the Warriors in the BCHL to go along with 18 penalty minutes. “Blake is a hard working, great kid that we want to wish him nothing but the best moving forward” stated Warriors general manager and head coach Rylan Ferster. The Warriors would like to thank Blake for his time and contributions to the team and the City of West Kelowna and would like to wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Nanaimo-Camrose Trade:
The Nanaimo Clippers have transferred the CJHL playing rights to Tate Coughlin(97)(D) to the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL in exchange for future considerations.
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