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:
Centennials Announce Front Office Changes:
The Merritt Centennials are announcing changes to their team and office staff ahead of the 2018-19 season. Shifting roles will be Assistant Coach Brandon Shaw and Play by Play Broadcaster Jared Thomas. Shaw will now also fill the role of Director of Scouting while Thomas will be joining the front office in the role of Business Operations Manager and will handle marketing, game day operations, and communications for the club. The Centennials would also like to thank Athletic Trainer Kim Penner for her years of service to the team, but she is stepping down to focus on her upcoming marriage and opportunities outside of Junior Hockey. Head Coach and General Manager Joe Martin says that Penner was a great team player from day one. “I’ve known Kim since we recruited her to the Centennials in 2014, and since then she’s been a perfect example of what’s expected in the position. The players were always in great hands, and she was a pleasure to work with on and off the ice. The Centennials will miss her, but we are excited for what the future holds for Kim and her family.” To fill the void left by Penner, the Centennials are adding two trainers for the upcoming season from the Merritt area: Tyler Wowchuk and Kelly Bartch. Wowchuk, was born and raised in Merritt and is a local Personal Trainer, will join the team as an Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach. Bartch, is a retired RCMP officer who spent the majority of his career in Merritt, and will join the staff as an Equipment Manager and Trainer. The new trainers will get their first test when Centennials Main Camp opens on August 20, 2018.
Warriors Under New Ownership Pending BCHL Approval:
The West Kelowna Warriors Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club announced Friday that the club is under new ownership as the group KD Sports Ltd. will oversee team operations. (Addendum – The sale still needs to be ratified by the BC Board of Governors on August 17th. This was omitted from the original release.) The Warriors had been under the ownership of Mark Cheyne and the Vision Sports Group for the last 9 seasons before an agreement was reached in August for the purchase of the club by KD Sports Ltd. The group is comprised of Kim Dobranski and a minority silent partner that will oversee team operations beginning ahead of the 2018/19 season. “I am very excited to work towards developing a sustainable business model where the community can participate and take ownership in this team,” commented Warriors Owner and President Kim Dobranski, “Our division and the BCHL is the top league to play and enjoy Junior Hockey in Canada and we are very fortunate to have this caliber of hockey in our back yard. Communities thrive socially and economically when they adopt a sports team and teams such as the Warriors also help build a sense of identity for a community.” We are calling on the public and business community to participate in the success of this franchise,” continued Dobranski, “By buying season tickets or sponsoring and volunteering at games support these players who come here to represent our community.” The West Kelowna Warriors Hockey Society has been established in correlation with the new ownership, allowing members of the community to be more involved than ever before. “This organization is not about any one person, it’s about the community it resides in, the players who come here and represent us, many of them local kids, and our collective role in sport producing good citizens for our communities,” said Dobranski, “This franchise existed long before, and it will continue to exist long after, continuing the good work the BCHL does in our communities.” This season is the franchise’s 25th, beginning in 1994 as the Langley Thunder before moving to the Westside in 2006 when Mark Cheyne took over the team. The name changed to the West Kelowna Warriors in 2012, where it remains presently. The 2018/19 regular season schedule has been released with West Kelowna opening their season with a home-and-home against the Trail Smoke Eaters on Friday, September 7th. The home opener for the Warriors comes on Saturday, September 8th when they host the Smoke Eaters.
Penticton-Powell River-Drayton Valley-Victoria-Langley Trade:
The Penticton Vees have announced the acquisition of 2000-born defenceman Mason Snell from the Powell River Kings as part of a four-team trade. In the deal, the Vees acquired Tanner Hopps from the Victoria Grizzlies in exchange for future considerations. Hopps was then moved to the Drayton Valley Thunder of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in exchange for forward Trevor Ayre. Ayre was then moved to the Langley Rivermen for defenceman Jayden Lee, who was then sent to Powell River for Snell. Snell, from Clarington, Ontario, split the 2017-18 season with the OJHL’s Whitby Fury and Wellington Dukes scoring six goals with 14 assists. He then appeared in 25 playoff games for Wellington, scoring one goal and adding 12 assists to help the Dukes win the OJHL’s Buckland Cup. The 6’, 192-pound defenceman posted three assists in four games during the Dudley Hewitt Cup, helping the Dukes reach the Royal Bank Cup in Chilliwack where Snell recorded two assists in six games as the Dukes reached the RBC Cup final, ultimately losing to the Chiefs. Snell also suited up for Team Canada East at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia, being held pointless in four games. “Mason is an experienced defenceman who played in a lot of big games last year,” Vees head coach, general manager and president Fred Harbinson said. “He’s committed to a great program in Penn State, has national championship experience as well as playing on the International stage. He will be a big addition to our program.” Snell will join the rest of his teammates later this month when training camp begins in late August. “It took some work for us to get it all done,” said Vees president, GM and head coach Fred Harbinson. “It was definitely a good week for us.” Both players played in last season’s RBC Cup, with Snell also suiting up for Team Canada East at the annual World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia. Harbinson said Snell is a strong two-way defenceman who displayed plenty of offensive upside last season. “He’ll be going to a great school in Penn State next year and his Dad (Chris) is a former pro player who works for the Winnipeg Jets, so he’s a kid who comes from a hockey background,” said Harbinson. Snell, from Clarington, Ont., split the 2017-18 season with the OJHL’s Whitby Fury and Wellington Dukes, scoring six goals and 20 points. He appeared in 25 playoff games for Wellington, scoring one goal and 13 points to help the Dukes win the OJHL’s Buckland Cup. The 6’, 192-pound defenceman posted three assists in four games during the Dudley Hewitt Cup, helping the Dukes reach the Royal Bank Cup in Chilliwack. Snell recorded two assists in six games as the Dukes reached the RBC final where they lost to the Chiefs. The 1999-born Miotto spent the 2017-18 season with Chilliwack, scoring nine goals and 21 points in 57 games. He added two goals in five post-season games and helped the Chiefs win the RBC Cup. The 5’ 10’’, 173-pound forward has an NCAA commitment to Canisius College for the 2019-20 season. Harbinson said Miotto is a versatile player who can play up and down the lineup and contribute offensively. He noted Miotto scored twice against the Vees in a game in Chilliwack last season. Harbinson said the Vees will be up against a lot of teams in the Interior Division with older and more experienced lineups. The Vernon Vipers, for example, have the maximum six 20-year-olds among a boatload of returning players. The Vees only have three 20-year-olds. “We wanted to add some experience and guys who have played on championship teams,” said Harbinson. He noted the Vees still have three 20-year-old spots open, though they currently have the maximum of six ‘import’ players signed. The coach said the Vees are in good shape going into training camp that starts Aug. 20. He said the team is set in goal and likes the depth, speed and skill up front. Harbinson noted key forward Cassidy Bowes is working his way back after having shoulder surgery this summer. The addition to Snell fills a need on defence. “Would we look at adding one more guy back there … maybe, if it was the right situation,” said Harbinson.
New BCHL Commissioner’s Journey Begins, Makes Stop In Trail:
Chris Hebb began his journey as the new BCHL commissioner with a long drive around the province. Hebb made a stop in Trail on Wednesday to introduce himself to Trail Smoke Eaters head of hockey operations Craig Clare, the Smoke Eaters staff, and the Trail Times as part of a tour of BCHL cities. “I’m travelling to every franchise, and I’m doing it in my own car because I want to see the geography that these kids are dealing with,” said Hebb. “I mean going to Prince George to Wenatchee for a playoff series is not lost on me the toll it takes on the kids.” No one was likely more over-qualified for the commissioner’s job than the former Victoria Vikings basketball star. Hebb was President of Starting Five Media Consulting Ltd., a company advising sports organizations on business strategy and development. The Prince Rupert native was also a senior executive for Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, owner of the Vancouver Canucks, for 11 years, before joining Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) where he worked as Senior Vice president of Content and Communications from 2006-13. So why the BCHL? “When I left MLSE, I had a consulting business and I was helping a lot of amateur sports organizations with their business development, broadcast deals, that sort of thing, because none of them can afford to have somebody do that full time,” said Hebb. “What I found is that I love amateur sport and amateur sport actually was responsible for everything I had … so I always had this heart for amateur sport and I really didn’t know how that was going to manifest itself, but when the (BCHL) opportunity came up, it just seemed like the perfect fit.” Hebb took over the reins for longtime commissioner John Grisdale in June, and is impressed with the evolution of the league under the 15-year tenure of Grisdale, but recognizes that there is room for improvement. “I think the BCHL that John Grisdale built is a fabulous construct,” said Hebb. “To bring all these communities together and have them play at the high level they do, at the arenas they do and almost every team is the Vancouver Canucks of their community, but I think that we can market it better.” Many BCHL teams prosper, but others, like Trail, have suffered through years of low attendance and financial hardship. Hebb’s mandate is to ensure all teams enjoy success through vigorous marketing and communications programs, with league expansion a possibility further down the road. “We’d certainly like to make sure that the franchises we have in place are solvent, and doing well,” said Hebb. “I think that’s the first job. The second job is to see if there is a way to expand the league where we can generate more revenue that the league can share with the teams.” Revenue sharing is common in major league sports, and Hebb believes that if the BCHL is marketed successfully, and different streams of revenue activated through corporate sponsorships, digital and TV contracts, the extra profits could be distributed among the teams. “That’s my job first and foremost is to make sure we market the league properly and see if we can aggregate the assets of all of these teams and the deals with corporate sponsors will then get shared. “I don’t think our answer should always be going to look for a cheque for expansion. Those cheques get divided by 17 and they don’t last very long. It’s really about building the value of the league itself and then that will force franchise values up, so when you do get a franchise cheque it’s sizeable.” Hebb points to the success of Smoke Eaters owner Rich Murphy and the turnaround of the former community-owned team under private ownership. “Our community-owned teams, some are doing great, some of them aren’t. I don’t think there is a formula you can apply to each community, because they are so different. “We do know that what Rich (Murphy) was able to do coming to Trail, was a real partnership with the community that the community recognized as genuine … I’m using Trail as the poster child for the way a community based team can operate in conjunction with private interests so everybody wins.” But Hebb’s main priority is keeping the players safe in their travels and secure in their futures. The BCHL is a potential avenue to the NHL, and while the majority of players won’t realize that dream, many will have the opportunity to play hockey in the NCAA or USport, and play professionally in North America or Europe after their college careers. At the very least, most will earn a degree and make lasting relationships. And despite competition from other leagues, Hebb is confident that the BCHL will always be a viable avenue for elite players. “It just seems to me that with 32 per cent of the NHL actually being players who came through college, that’s the trend and the BCHL is right at the head of that trend.” This past year, the BCHL committed (at last count) 154 players to post-secondary institutions, the most in its history, and had seven players drafted into the NHL, including Smoke Eaters defenceman Seth Barton. Last season there were 36 BCHL grads playing in the NHL. “At the end of the day we want a safe league, we want our kids to be safe. Secondly, we want a financially solvent league, and the third thing we want is a league that’s growing in a way that is to the advantage of the audience, whether that audience is in the arena, online, or maybe some day on television. I think when you grow the audience the league becomes more successful. We’ve seen that with Major Junior, we’ve seen that with the NHL, but Jr. A, to a degree, has been spinning its wheels a bit. “There’s no lack of appetite for hockey in Canada, and that’s one of the advantages we have.
Spruce Kings Name Gibson New Strength & Conditioning Coach:
The Prince George Spruce Kings are pleased to announce a new partnership with Jonathan Gibson of Gibson’s Landing Athletics as the new Strength and Conditioning Coach for the 2018/2019 season. Gibson, who is a Spruce Kings Alumnus from 2009/2010, played 138 Junior A games, scoring 13 goals and adding 43 assists in his time between the Spruce Kings, and the OJHL’s Burlington Cougars and Hamilton Red Wings. “We would like to welcome Jonathan back to the team,” said Spruce Kings General Manager Mike Hawes, “It’s exciting to add an alumni to the group. Jonathan is an impressive young man who will do a tremendous job with our players. We would also like to thank Shelby Ballendine for her work as our strength & conditioning coach for the past few seasons. She did a great job and we wish her the best moving forward.” “I am truly honoured to be a part of such a great organization,” Gibson says, “I am excited to give back to a team that gave me a chance as a player and work with these incredible athletes. I know how important it was as a player to have a strong strength and conditioning program throughout the year to maintain physical performance and most importantly stay healthy.” Head Coach Adam Maglio adds, “We are pleased to add Jonathan Gibson to the Spruce Kings Staff as our Strength and Conditioning Coach. Jonathan is a Spruce Kings alumni and is experienced with training athletes. He will bring a wealth and knowledge and accountability to our players. We would like to welcome Jonathan to the Spruce Kings Family.” Gibson will begin working with the Spruce Kings players at Main Camp in late August, and is excited to get going. “I am very grateful to have the opportunity to give back to the Prince George hockey community, which allows me to utilize my experience and knowledge as an individualized strength and conditioning coach as well as my insight as an athlete.”
2018-19 Outlook With New Vees Recruit Elser:
Drew Elser had no shortage of role models growing up. The youngest of four brothers, Drew saw Brian, Danny and James work their way through the hockey ranks through a variety of paths. “I definitely learned a lot from them,” Drew said. “Seeing my older brothers go through everything it’s definitely helped me through my journey. All of us have kind of been all over the place growing up so it’s nice when everyone gets together because we have a really close family.” Brian, the oldest brother, had brief stops in the BCHL with Vernon and Victoria before playing two years of NCAA Div III hockey. He then played two years of pro hockey in the ECHL and SPHL ending in 2014. Danny went the major junior route with stops in London, Belleville and Moncton before returning to the USHL. He has played the last three seasons in Canada at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Finally, James played three seasons in the NAHL and will begin his NCAA career at the University of New England this fall. Drew spent the 2017-18 season in the USHL with the Central Illinois Flying Aces, scoring eight goals an eight assists. After playing the previous three seasons in prep school, jumping to junior hockey was about what Elser expected. “It was definitely a pretty big leap,” he admitted. “It probably took me a month or two to get into the swing of the game and get used to the speed. Moving away from home wasn’t too hard for me, I got used to being away when I was at South Kent and Avon.” Elser admitted playing in a league like the USHL as a 17 year old could be intimidating at times considering the quality of players he matched up against each and every game. Thirty six players were drafted in the NHL from the USHL in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The substantial jump in level of competition wasn’t the only thing Elser had to fight through during his rookie season however. A lingering injury ended with Elser’s season being cut short due to sports hernia surgery. “It was probably going on for about a month,” Elser recalled. “I had just come back from a different injury and I felt it right away. I played on it for awhile and one day we had a really hard practice and I couldn’t do sit ups on the ice. The trainer called me off and told me to go see a doctor. It was definitely frustrating, it’s tough being in the stands and not being on the ice with my teammates.” The injury and subsequent surgery forced Elser to miss the final 11 games of the regular season, one in which his Flying Aces finished at the bottom of the USHL standings with a record of 14-39-3-4. While Elser has a commitment to the University of Connecticut, another season of junior hockey was the best opportunity for before making another big leap. Returning to the USHL was an option for him, but when Penticton came calling Elser began thinking about coming north of the border. “The more and more I looked into it I thought it was a really good opportunity,” Elser said. “I got more excited about it and ended up committing. I have a lot of friends who played in the BCHL and they always had nothing but good things to say not only about the league, but about Penticton too.” Often times coming to a new team, let alone a new country, means a player doesn’t have much familiarity heading into the season. Luckily for Elser, one of his best friends, Conner Hutchison, is also coming to Penticton for the 2018-19 season. “It’ll be awesome. I grew up playing against him and we actually kind of hated each other until about eighth grade,” Elser laughed. “After that we became really good friends and I’m excited to be able to play with him again.” Elser and Hutchison played two seasons together at the Selects Hockey Academy U16 team in South Kent, Connecticut. After not being able to play a full season last year, Elser knows what his goals are for the upcoming season. “I just want to get my confidence back,” he said. “I’d like to put up as many numbers as I can, get my speed back up and just improve in any way I can. I like to be on the offensive side of the puck and I think I’ve got the ability to be a play maker and a goal scorer.” Following his surgery Elser had to go into rehab mode and wasn’t able to work out as much as he would have liked, something he spent the summer focusing on to make sure he’s ready for the long grind of a BCHL season. In just a few short weeks, Vees fans will see a very motivated Drew Elser flying down the wings of the South Okanagan Events Centre.
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