BCHL News & Trades:

I found these press releases off team websites, twitter accounts, blogs or online. All Vipers news-trades are posted on this blog as soon as released-announced.

BCHL News & Trades:

BCHL To Review Warriors' Sale:

The BC Hockey League board of governors has directed its franchise committee to review an application to move the West Kelowna Warriors to North Delta. The board announced it would review the transfer application following its semi-annual board of governors meeting held in Richmond. The committee will make a recomendation to the board about what the best course of action will be for the BCHL with regard to the potential sale of the Warriors. Fans express sorrow over sale of franchise "This is a result of talks between West Kelowna Warriors owner Mark Cheyne and a group interested in purchasing his franchise and moving it to North Delta’s Sungod Arena," the league stated in a release. "It is the responsibility of the franchise committee to make a recommendation to the board of governors as to what would be best course of action for the BCHL and all its member clubs in this matter. The franchise committee is also to determine a timeline to when this potential transfer would be voted on by the board."

BCHL Showcase Extends Contract In Chilliwack:

The BCHL and its board of governors have approved a three-year term for the Chilliwack Chiefs and Prospera Centre to continue to host the Bauer BCHL Showcase. Starting in 2012, every BCHL club has come to Chilliwack to play to regular-season games to showcase players for scouts from the college and professional ranks. Prospera Centre’s ample space and availability of dressing rooms along with Chilliwack’s relative proximity to many other franchises has made it an excellent location. “Knowing we’ll be in Chilliwack and Prospera Centre for at least the next three seasons gives us a great deal of confidence the Showcase will continue to thrive,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “The event has gotten smoother each year and we expect that will continue and our players will receive maximum exposure.” The Chiefs franchise has risen to the challenge every year of hosting 17 teams at Prospera Centre and are pleased to have earned the trust of the rest of the league to remain the host location for the Bauer BCHL Showcase. “We’re thrilled to have the support of the BCHL and all the other teams in coming back to Prospera Centre for three more years,” said Chilliwack Chiefs president Glen Ringdal. “Over the past five years, we’ve shown we can run this event successfully for the players, coaches and most importantly for the college and pro scouts. We look forward to welcoming everyone again this coming season and into the future.” Last season, the BCHL established new marks with three players selected in the first round of the NHL Draft and 148 college commitments – more than 120 of those to NCAA Div. I programs. This season also saw the first former Showcase participants make their NHL debuts in Danton Heinen with Boston and Troy Stecher with Vancouver. There are many local partners that contribute to the success of the Showcase in areas ranging from accommodations and meals to transportation and volunteering and Chilliwack has proven capable at every turn. “To be given the honour to host the Showcase for another three years speaks volumes to how our community works together as a team to host such a great economic driver,” said Tourism Chilliwack executive director Allison Colthorp. Dates for the 2017 Bauer BCHL Showcase will be determined an announced after the BCHL’s annual general meeting in June.

Prospective Owner Of Junior A Hockey Team Tours Sungod Arena:

The prospective new owner of a Junior A hockey team in North Delta toured Sungod Recreaction Centre on Tuesday morning (Jan. 24), and he says he likes what he sees. It was a return trip to the 112th Street arena for Kejun Wang, a Vancouver resident and hockey parent who has a deal, in principle, to buy the West Kelowna Warriors and move the BCHL team to North Delta. But first, the league’s franchise committee must approve the move, and a decision by the board of governors may not be made public for another week or two. At Sungod on Tuesday, in an exclusive interview, Wang spoke to the Now through a female interpreter named Patricia. “(We) are very happy with the whole facility here in North Delta, and also the people from the parks and recreation board have been very supportive to bring a Junior A team to North Delta,” Wang said through the interpreter. Asked if he would like to see improvements made to the 2,000-seat arena, Wang said yes, he would, although it’s unclear who would pay for any renovations. “(We) would like to have some improvements, including the home-team dressing room – (we would) like to make it nicer, the room. And (we) are very happy with the local location, which is very convenient,” Wang said through the interpreter. “(We) are looking forward to working with people from China, bringing players to Delta, a very good location, close to airports.” Wang and his wife are parents of two sons who play hockey at Burnaby Winter Club, or BWC. Last week, the Now reported that Warriors owner Mark Cheyne wanted to move his team from West Kelowna to North Delta, but it turns out the relocation bid involves the sale of the franchise to Wang. CLICK HERE to read our original story. The league’s board of governors met last week to discuss the possible move, and the franchise committee will now “vet out” the prospective new owner and facility, according to BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “We have to take a closer look at all of that, including the business plan and the community,” Grisdale said Friday. “The league has been there (in North Delta) before, in the early days, and unsuccessfully, so all of that has to be reviewed. He added: “It’s nice to have an interested party but our league, like any league, wants to make sure it’s going to be a good move.… You want to make sure it’s a good operation, a good franchise, from top to bottom.” The franchise committee’s report will tackle subjects including potential fan interest in attending games at Sungod and also possible team sponsors, Grisdale said. A BCHL team in North Delta would be nearby competition for the Surrey Eagles, a team that draws between 400 and 500 fans per game at South Surrey Arena. In addition to the Eagles, the league’s Mainland division includes teams in Coquitlam, Langley, Chilliwack, Prince George and Wenatchee, in Washington State. Last season, the West Kelowna Warriors, who play in the Interior division, won the RBC Cup national championship for Junior A hockey teams. Despite recent on-ice success, the team has struggled to attract crowds at Royal LePage Place, the rink in West Kelowna. In November, Delta council supported a move to have Junior A hockey games played at Sungod, and a memorandum of understanding with Wang was drafted. The club is looking to play home games on Saturday nights and also have daytime practices on weekdays, according to a report to council from Delta’s director of parks, recreation and culture. The Junior-B North Delta Devils played at Sungod until the end of the 2014 season, when the team moved to Langley and became the Knights. Last fall, the PJHL franchise moved to Surrey and now plays at North Surrey rec centre.

BCHL Eyes Campbell River:

The future of the Nanaimo Clippers junior A hockey club is contingent on the outcome of an upcoming referendum on a sports and events centre on the Harbour City’s waterfront. But that future could include Campbell River. Our city’s name is being bandied about as a possible location for Nanaimo’s BCHL franchise which may be on the move if Nanaimo is able to attract a major junior franchise. At the B.C. Hockey League’s governors’ meeting last week, the Clippers filled in other teams about their situation. “We just made the league aware that there’s potential for a new event centre and that the rumour is that if the event centre comes in, that a WHL team will closely follow, if not immediately,” said David LeNeveu, Clippers president. “Now, we’re not party to any of those discussions, so we can’t say one way or the other. We’re just making the [BCHL] aware that this could be what was happening and to prepare, in case that did happen.” He said the idea of major junior and junior A hockey trying to coexist in Nanaimo would be a detriment to the success of both clubs. “Could we do it? Yeah. Will we do it? I don’t know. We’ve got to keep every option available on the table, but it’s definitely not the most likely case scenario,” LeNeveu said. Another possibility is moving the team. BCHL commissioner John Grisdale said Campbell River is a location that would have to be considered. “There has to be an agreement both ways for the ownership in Nanaimo to relocate there and the league to approve it … and we can’t do anything there that’s not fair to the junior B group (Campbell River Storm),” Grisdale said. He said the BCHL’s franchise committee has not had any discussions about relocating the Clippers and said there’s nothing the league can do on that front until Nanaimo’s referendum. Nothing has been confirmed yet as far as a major junior hockey team being relocated to the Harbour City, though the Nanaimo Event Centre Phase 1 report noted that it was conducted with the understanding “that there may be an opportunity to attract a Western Hockey League Team to Nanaimo and that these opportunities do not happen often.” The Kootenay Ice, based in Cranbrook, is the team that could be on the move.

Clippers Consider Contingency Plans Related To Multiplex Referendum:

Nanaimo has a reputation as a hockey town and now citizens could help determine what brand of hockey is played in the city. The future of the Nanaimo Clippers junior A hockey club is contingent on the outcome of an upcoming referendum on a sports and events centre on the waterfront. At the B.C. Hockey League’s governors’ meeting last week, the Clippers filled in other teams about their situation. “We just made the league aware that there’s potential for a new event centre and that the rumour is that if the event centre comes in, that a WHL team will closely follow, if not immediately,” said David LeNeveu, Clippers president. “Now, we’re not party to any of those discussions, so we can’t say one way or the other. We’re just making the [BCHL] aware that this could be what was happening and to prepare, in case that did happen.” He said the idea of major junior and junior A hockey trying to coexist in Nanaimo would be a detriment to the success of both clubs. “Could we do it? Yeah. Will we do it? I don’t know. We’ve got to keep every option available on the table, but it’s definitely not the most likely case scenario,” LeNeveu said. Another possibility is moving the team. BCHL commissioner John Grisdale said Campbell River is a location that would have to be considered. “There has to be an agreement both ways for the ownership in Nanaimo to relocate there and the league to approve it … and we can’t do anything there that’s not fair to the junior B group,” Grisdale said. He said the BCHL’s franchise committee has not had any discussions about relocating the Clippers and said there’s nothing the league can do on that front until Nanaimo’s referendum. A third option for the Clippers would be for the club to 'go dark,' which means that the Clippers would continue to exist as a BCHL club, but with non-playing status. Nothing has been confirmed yet as far as a major junior hockey team being relocated to the Harbour City, though the Nanaimo Event Centre Phase 1 report noted that it was conducted with the understanding “that there may be an opportunity to attract a Western Hockey League team to Nanaimo and that these opportunities do not happen often.” The Kootenay Ice, based in Cranbrook, is the team that could be on the move. “The WHL is leading those negotiations. That’s their function,” said Kim Fowler, the city’s chief sustainability officer, earlier this month, adding that the City of Nanaimo was in the process of negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the WHL. Fowler suggested Nanaimo could accommodate major junior hockey in the period before a multiplex is constructed. “Of course we can’t build an event centre in a few months … it’s going to take a couple years to build a facility,” she said. “So in the interim, Frank Crane Arena, of course, is the biggest one we have, so there needs to be an investigation done of that arena to find out what is required for interim conditions.” Initial analysis, she said, indicates that there’s “nothing significant, nothing that would prevent” the arena from being temporarily used for major junior. In the meantime, Frank Crane Arena is hosting Nanaimo Clippers hockey and a “very exciting playoff race…” said LeNeveu. “We just want to reiterate to our fans and our corporate sponsors and everybody else out there that we continue to hope for your support going forward.” Aside from that, the hockey team will await the outcome of a potentially game-changing referendum on March 11. “We’ll know our fate, basically, after that date and we’ll expect things to happen very quickly from that date forward,” LeNeveu said.