BCHL News & Trades:
Chilliwack Chiefs Name Maloney New head Coach/GM:
The Chilliwack Chiefs have replaced their head coach, a week before the RBC Cup hits their home arena. The club’s ownership made the announcement on Thursday, via their website. “Brian Maloney has been named Head Coach and General Manager of the Chilliwack Chiefs, effective immediately,” they wrote. “Maloney, a Chiefs’ Alumnus, and previously Associate Coach and Assistant General Manager of the Club, will be behind the bench as the team competes in the 2018 RBC Cup at Prospera Centre May 12 – 20. “President Glen Ringdal said the decision to elevate Maloney was made by Chiefs’ ownership today.” However, the announcement did not explain head coach Jason Tatarnic’s sudden departure. He joined the team as bench boss in April 2014, coming here from Woodstock Slammers of the Maritime Junior Hockey League. Maloney has been a member of the Chiefs coaching staff for two seasons now. He spent the previous season as a part-time assistant coach. He’s also a former Chiefs player, spending a season and a half in uniform after joining the team January 1997. In 87 regular season games with the Chiefs, he scored 44 goals and added 87 assists. In his final season he served as the team’s captain and led the Chiefs to their second appearance the BCHL Final, where they fell in five games to the Vernon Vipers. After accepting a four year scholarship to Michigan State University, Maloney played pro hockey in various locations for 11 seasons, including stops in the American Hockey League with Binghamton and Chicago. He retired as a player after the 2013-14 season, his seventh in Germany. The RBC Cup is a 13-game tournament involving five teams from across Canada. The round robin runs from May 12 to May 17, the semi-finals are on May 19, and the championship game will be held on May 20 at 4 p.m.
Kings Name Kuntz New head Coach/GM:
The Powell River Kings Board of Directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Tyler Kuntz as Head Coach and General Manager of the Powell River Kings Junior A Hockey Club. Kuntz comes with several years of experience in the hockey world. The 39-year old Lumsden, Saskatchewan native has over a decade of coaching experience and was the Assistant Coach with the Daemyung Killer Whales in South Korea last season. Prior to that, Kuntz was the Assistant Coach for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants from 2015 to 2017 and Head Coach of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds for the 2014/2015 season after serving as an assistant coach with the program for four years. He also ran the Canucks pre-season training camp on ice sessions in 2014 and 2016 under the guidance former Canucks coach Willie Desjardins. Before coaching, Kuntz patrolled the blue line for the BCHL’s Burnaby (now Alberni Valley) Bulldogs in 1998/1999 before moving on to a five year career with the UBC Thunderbirds, earning a Bachelor of Education. Following university, Kuntz played professionally in Europe and North America. “It’s a new direction for me in my career, but I’m excited to go somewhere I’m very familiar with,” said Kuntz. “Over the last 10 years, I’ve coached and worked with a lot of former Kings and followed the team closely. I know it’s always had a reputation of a good program, always competitive, always have good players and it’s nice to go somewhere with a history of success.” Kuntz adds that Kings fans can expect a well prepared team to compete hard every night. “You have to be detailed, create great work habits and with 95% of the game being played without the puck you really have to teach where to go when players don’t have the puck so they can go get it as quick as they can,” says Kuntz. “Then on transition you have to be really quick, and have a quick mind.” The addition of Kuntz to the Kings coaching staff is a big one according to Kings President Rob Villani. “Through the interview process we felt Tyler has a vision for the players and the program that was in line with our vision,” says Villani. “Tyler’s philosophy of developing players on and off the ice and developing them within the community is of utmost importance to him. We believe Tyler knows how vital the team is to our community and we are confident he is the right choice to lead us in the future.” The first focus for Kuntz is to become acquainted with the current Kings staff, and then oversee Kings Spring Camp in Kamloops on May 11th to 13th. The Kings would also like to invite local media and fans to ice level of the Hap Parker Arena on Thursday May 3rd at 10:00am for a meet and greet to officially unveil Kuntz as the team’s new Head Coach. Kuntz, along with members from the Kings Board of Directors will be on hand to speak and answer questions.
Smoke Eaters Name Tambellini New Head Coach/GM:
The Trail Smoke Eaters are pleased to announce Jeff Tambellini has been hired as the team’s next General Manager and Head Coach. Tambellini spent 12 seasons playing professional hockey, which included stints with the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks and the Swedish Hockey League. The Port Moody, BC native is familiar with the BCHL, having played for the Chilliwack Chiefs for two seasons. During his junior career with the Chiefs, Tambellini earned League MVP and Top Scorer honours, Canadian Junior-A Player of the Year (2002), while also leading Chilliwack to a Fred Page Cup as league champions and a Doyle Cup as Pacific Region Champions. Tambellini’s success in the BCHL helped him secure a scholarship with the University of Michigan. In 124 career games for the Wolverines, Tambellini racked up 129 points while helping lead the university to two CCHA Championships. After scoring 45 points over 43 games in his freshman year, he received All-Rookie Team, Second All-Star Team and Rookie of the Year honours in the CCHA. In 2004-05, Tambellini notched 57 points over 42 games, earning CCHA First Team Honours, Second Team All-American, CCHA Tournament MVP and was also named to the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament team. A first round selection of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft (27th overall), Tambellini appeared in 242 NHL games, including a Stanley Cup Finals appearance with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011. After making the decision to retire as a player, Tambellini returned to Michigan as an Assistant Coach for the 2017-2018 season. Last season saw the Wolverines compile a 22-15-3 record en route to a NCAA tournament bid. The success continued as they reached the Frozen Four for the first time in seven years, adding to their national record with a 25th appearance. Spending a season working with the players at Michigan helped Tambellini determine that he was ready pursue a job as a head coach. “I am extremely honoured to become a part of the Trail Smoke Eater family today. The city of Trail has played a significant role in my life and has always been good to my family. I’ve been so impressed with the culture change and community support since Rich & Annie Murphy took over the hockey club. I’m excited to continue building the Trail Smoke Eaters into one of the BCHL’s elite franchises.” The team is very excited to have Jeff join the Trail Smoke Eaters organization. Director of Hockey and Business Operations, Craig Clare was impressed by Tambellini’s professionalism during the hiring process. “In my discussions with Jeff, I felt that his vision for the players and our program was very much in line with the direction I feel this organization needs to go. Jeff talked about how he will communicate with our players and how important their development on the ice and in the community will be to him. It is clear that Jeff is going to bring passion and excitement to his role as the head coach of our team. I believe that he understands how integral this team is to our community and I am confident that he is the right person to lead what I feel will be one of the best Junior-A programs in the country.” The Trail Smoke Eaters welcome Jeff to the team and look forward to working with him as we continue to build an elite BCHL program for our players and community.
Keith Joins Chilliwack Chiefs:
Chilliwack Chiefs Hockey Club is excited to announce Cam Keith will join new head coach Brian Maloney on the Chiefs’ bench for the duration of the RBC Cup. Keith, originally from Nelson, B.C., spent the last two years as head coach and general manager of the Trail Smoke Eaters. Previously, Keith coached the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones. He and Maloney are well-acquainted, having played versus each other in the American Hockey League, NCAA, and British Columbia Hockey League, and will now work together to coach the host team through the RBC Cup tournament. “I am deeply honoured and excited to join the Chilliwack Chiefs coaching staff,” Keith says. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in the RBC Cup.”
Clippers Name McPhalen New Assistant/Goalie Coach:
Ken as over 30 years of coaching experience as a Head Coach and Assistant Coach in minor hockey, Major Midget, Jr B., and various AAA Spring and development programs. As a goalie consultant, Ken (aka the Goalie Whisperer) has helped to develop the next generation of elite goaltenders here in Western Canada and the USA.
New Chilliwack Chiefs Coach Trying To Find Calm In The Chaos:
In the wake of the surprise firing of Chilliwack Chiefs head coach/general manager Jason Tatarnic late last week, new hockey boss Brian Maloney has been thrown into a very tough situation. He’s assumed command of a team that will host the RBC Cup in just three days. There’s no easing into that job. Maloney is doing everything on the fly, with a hundred balls in the air and a locker room full of Chiefs players looking for leadership. “You’d have to ask the ownership group exactly whey they decided to do it at this time,” Maloney said. “But my guess would be that the organization felt they owed it to the community and the history of the Chiefs — there’s only ever been one RBC Cup here, and I think ownership’s plan was to give us our best shot at winning this thing.” To that end, Maloney doesn’t look at the coaching change as a poorly-timed distraction. He views it as a jolt of energy for a Chiefs team that enters the tournament as fairly huge underdogs. When you’re a player who’s on the same line all the time or doing the same things over and over, things can get stagnent,” he said. “But when you show up to the rink and suddenly you’re on a different line, it’s like the world has changed. It can be new and refreshing.” Maloney hasn’t been parachuted into the head coaching job cold. He has been Tatarnic’s assistant the last two seasons, forging relationships with all of his players. “I’ve been around so they all know me and they’re comfortable with me, but it’s still a different voice,” Maloney said. “I’ve been encouraging the guys to ask a lot of questions and the back-and-forth has been really good. “You know they’re really engaged when they’re asking questions.” The Chiefs haven’t played a meaningful hockey game since March 11, when they were bounced from the BCHL playoffs by the Prince George Spruce Kings. Maloney played a key role helping Tatarnic craft a plan to deal with the long layoff. Maloney reached out to Rocky Thompson, who coached the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires to a Memorial Cup title last season. Thompson’s crew faced a similar scenario when they were eliminated early in the 2016-17 OHL playoffs and then hosted Canada’s national major junior championship. “I played against Rocky when we were both in the American Hockey League, and I reached out to him for help,” Maloney said. “We put together a six-week program that kept the energy and the pace up.” The Chiefs did tons of conditioning work in the first phase followed by skills and systems work in the middle phase. Over the last while the team has scaled back to a two-days-on-one-day-off schedule as they get ready for go-time. “Rocky calls it the best time for the players and the worst time for the coach,” Maloney laughed. “The players know they aren’t running stairs or getting skated, but it’s tough for the coach because you almost feel like you’re not doing enough.” Maloney has a few new faces in the building helping him out. Suneil Karod, head coach of the junior B Victoria Cougars is pitching in along with Brad Rihela, formerly of the Yale Hockey Academy. Cam Keith, who was recently ousted as head coach and GM in Trail, is lending his experience. “Cam and I played against each other in the BCHL, the NCAA, the AHL and even in Germany,” Maloney laughed. “We have a good relationship and he’s a good communicator with the guys. And being in Trail, he’s got some experience dealing with Wenatchee. “There are some fantastic people in the community who have stepped up so I can focus on preparing our guys for the RBC Cup. “I’d like to thank our host committee for doing such a great job with this tournament. I think it’s a fantastic event and a great opportunity for our community.”
Royal Bank Cup Preview
132 teams across Canada (with a few in the United States) started the 2017-18 season with the same goal in mind; to advance to the Royal Bank Cup.
Four teams join the British Columbia Hockey League’s Chilliwack Chiefs for the 48th Canadian Junior “A” National Championship event. This year’s event is being played at the Chiefs’ home at the 5,000 seat Prospera Centre in Chilliwack.
The biggest story coming into this year’s tournament is the real threat that an American team can take home the cup. If that happens, the Canadian hockey world will try to make changes to ensure it can never happen again.
Chilliwack Chiefs
League: British Columbia Hockey League
Regular Season: 26-26-3-3
CJHL Final Ranking: Not Ranked
Playoffs: Defeated by Prince George Spruce Kings (3-4)
Playoffs Record: 3-4
Thoughts: There had to be a ton of backstabbing going on for the ownership of this team to fire Jason Tatarnic before the start of the RBC. Let’s see how his team responds now. Built to contend for the RBC, the Chiefs played uninspired hockey all season before getting bounced in the first round of the BCHL Playoffs. The general thought is it's just another case of having too many stars on the team and not enough pucks to go around. The talent is certainly in place to make a run but the question remains; do they have the heart?
Wenatchee Wild
League: British Columbia Hockey League
Regular Season: 37-16-4-1
CJHL Final Ranking: Not Ranked
Playoffs: FIRST ROUND 4-0 over Merritt Centennials / SECOND ROUND 4-2 over Vernon Vipers / SEMI-FINAL 4-1 over Trail Smoke Eaters / BCHL FINAL 4-1 over Prince George Spruce Kings / DOYLE CUP 4-1 over Spruce Grove Saints
Playoffs Record: 20-5
Thoughts: The National Championship of Canada is Wenatchee’s to lose, the remainder of the field, outside of the Chilliwack Bruins, will find themselves in the same position as the Spruce Grove Saints; and that is just trying to keep up. The Wild are unbelievably fast, disciplined, and more than willing to get physical if that’s what the other team wants to do, and that would be a huge mistake.
Steinbach Pistons
League: Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Regular Season: 48-8-2-2
CJHL Final Ranking: #3
Playoffs: OUARTER-FINAL 4-0 over Swan Valley Stampeders / SEMI-FINAL 4-2 over Winnipeg Blues / MJHL FINAL 4-2 over Virden Oil Capitals / ANAVET CUP 4-2 over Nipawin Hawks
Playoff Record:20-10
Thoughts: I believe in the developmental potential of the Manitoba and Saskatchewan junior “A” leagues. The issue here is going to be level of competition on a daily basis. Winning 40 more games than losses in regulation is fine and dandy for the CJHL rankings, but it’s cancer when it comes to keeping the competitive fire going inside the heart of each player. Again, we love these leagues but hate what continues to happen time and time again when it comes to events like the RBC. With just five titles in 22 years of competition, the writing is on the wall.
Wellington Dukes
League: Ontario Junior Hockey League
Regular Season: 33-13-3-5
CJHL Final Ranking: Not Ranked
Playoffs: NORTHEAST QUARTER-FINAL 4-3 over Pickering Panthers / NORTHEAST SEMI-FINAL 4-3 over Newmarket Hurricanes / NORTHEAST FINALS 4-1 over Aurora Tigers / OJHL FINAL 4-2 over Georgetown Raiders / DUDLEY HEWITT CUP Round Robin 2-1, SEMI-FINAL game 6-3 over Thunder Bay North Stars, CHAMPIONSHIP game 7-4 over Dryden Ice Dogs
Playoffs Record: 20 wins - 10 losses
Thoughts: The Dukes fought their way through the post-season with one gutsy performance after another. Like the Anavet Cup winners above, the Dudley Hewitt Champions have just three titles in 22 years of RBC competition. The issue with teams in leagues like the OJHL is fact that players are free to move around the country and are no longer stuck within the province. Those pesky player fees are not helping either. Yes, teams can load up on 20 year-olds to make a post-season run, but doing so seams to do a number on locker room morale.
Ottawa Jr. Senators
Regular Season: 49-9-5-2
CJHL Final Ranking: #7
Playoffs: QUARTER-FINALS 4-2 over Pembroke Lumber Kings / SEMI-FINAL 4-3 over Brockville Braves / CCHL FINAL 4-1 over Carlton Place Canadians / FRED PAGE CUP ROUND ROBIN record 2-1, CHAMPIONSHIP game 10-1 over Longueuill College Francais.
Playoffs Record: 15 wins - 7 losses
Thoughts: The Jr Sens cruised to a 10-1 win in the Final of the Fred Page Cup after having an easy time in the regular season. That won/loss ratio changed dramatically in the playoffs as the level of play increased. The five game series win over Carlton Place was impressive enough. I’m not convinced that there is going to be much more in the tank.
SCHEDULE
Saturday May 12 - 2pm – Wellington Dukes vs Ottawa Jr. Senators
Saturday May 12 - 7pm - Wenatchee Wild vs Chilliwack Chiefs
Sunday May 13 - 2pm - Steinbach Pistons vs Wenatchee Wild
Sunday May 13 - 7pm - Chilliwack Chiefs vs Ottawa Jr. Senators
Monday May 14 - 7pm – Steinbach Pistons vs Wellington Dukes
Tuesday May 15 - 2pm - Ottawa Jr. Senators vs Wenatchee Wild
Tuesday May 15 - 7pm – Wellington Dukes vs Chilliwack Chiefs
Wednesday May 16 - 7pm - Ottawa Jr. Senators vs Steinbach Pistons
Thursday May 17 - 2pm – Wenatchee Wild vs Wellington Dukes
Thursday May 17 - 7pm - Chilliwack Chiefs vs Steinbach Pistons
Semi Finals:
Saturday May 19 - 2pm - Semi Final Game #1
Saturday May 19 - 7pm - Semi Final Game #2
Championship Game
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