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:

Locals & NHL Bloodlines Among Those At Cents Camp:

Main camp set to begin with 40 players vying for 23 spots on the Merritt Centennials. Of the 40, 14 players represented the Centennials last season. Nick Wicks, Rylan Van Unen, Christian Sabin, Brad Cocca, Mathieu Gosselin, Brendan Schneider and Matt Kopperud are carry overs from the forward core. Joey Berkopec, Mike Van Unen, Mattias Dal Monte, Jackson Munro, and Colten Gerlib will once again man the blueline. In net, the Cents will lean on Austin Roden and Vincent Duplessis between the pipes. There are 3 Merritt locals, all defensemen, who will have a chance to impress the coaching staff: Atreyu Johnny who plays with the Merritt Midget program, Talon Zakall who plays with the Yale Elite, and the youngest is Chase Cooke who plays with Thompson Bantam. All 3 were also at the Centennials Spring Camp. Other names of note include forward Frazer Dodd, who was an affiliate player with the team last season, Brett Roloson who registered over a point per game at Shawnigan Lake School Prep last season, and is the son of former NHL goaltender Dwayne Roloson, and Josh Van Unen, younger brother of Rylan and Mike, who also posted over a point per game at Shawnigan Lake last year. Whether a returning player, or someone looking to fight his way onto the team, Head Coach and General Manager Joe Martin says he expects the veterans to lead the way. "I think it's going to be a fast, skilled camp, but super competitive. It's led by our veterans, that's the hope, that's the desire, it's led by our veterans and you look for them to set the bar, and it starts Monday morning with fitness testing." Camp begins with registration and opening remarks at 10am Monday morning at the NVMA.

Castagna Ready To Entertain Bulldog Fans:

The Alberni Valley Bulldogs Fans got a little taste of what it is like to see Stephen Castagna play as he suited up for five regular season games and four play off games last season and I think the fans were pretty impressed. In nine games he tallied a total of five points, two goals and three assist and earned himself the Jowsey’s Furniture Player of the Week on February 26th after earning three points in two games and being named the games third star. Castagna who said getting in some games last season really helped him prepare for this upcoming season “It was good to feel the pace of the game as it’s a lot faster hockey and you always need to be a step ahead.” Castagna did also mention how physical the BCHL is and it was one of his goals to work on in the off season “I know I had to get stronger so I wasn’t getting knocked off the puck and that I  can win battles but still maintaining my speed.” When asking Coach Hughes about Castagna his first words were his speed and work ethic “He proved to us at the end of last season he can play at this level and is effective in all three zones, which is the kind of players we need.” You can see Stephen Castagna in action all this week during Main Camp or at the Bulldogs first exhibition game on Friday at 7:00PM at the Dog Pound.

Top-End Talent Competes At Smoke Eaters Camp:

A talented mix of rookie and veteran players is generating a lot of optimism at the Trail Smoke Eaters Main Camp. The Smoke Eaters recruiting last season and over the summer has created one of the most intriguing camps in recent years, with 11 Smoke Eaters commitments standing out among the 60 players competing for positions over the three-days of scrimmages. “We’ve been really impressed with the players that we committed to to come and play for us,” said Smoke Eaters assistant coach Jessie Leung. “For our money, they’ve been the best players every time they’re on the ice.” The coaching staff, led by head coach and GM Jeff Tambellini, is also giving fans a glimpse into the upcoming season with line combinations that included a trio of Smoke Eater veterans in Carter Jones centring Tyler Ghirardosi and Levi Glasman, and Braeden Tuck playing on a line with highly-touted Burnaby Winter Club commits Kent Johnson and Sean Donaldson. “Potentially, we had a couple of combinations that we thought about throughout the off-season that we thought might work and give us some things to work with,” said Leung. “And as we’ve gone through it, a lot of them have worked out as we thought, and some better than we thought.” Tuck, a three-year Smoke Eater vet, is pumped about the camp’s emerging talent and says the 11 returning veterans are even more confident for the upcoming season. “It’s going good,” said Tuck. “Everybody is looking good, and all I know is the returning guys are eager and wanting to go farther than we did last year, and win a championship, so it’s exciting.” Tuck and his Burnaby linemates generated more than a few dazzling scoring chances on the first day of scrimmage Tuesday with creative passing and a quick finish. “It’s pretty cool,” said Tuck. “They have a lot of chemistry so I try to just help them out and they help me out too, so it’s been nice to play with them.” Johnson, a 15-year-old turning 16 in October, comes to camp after committing to the Smoke Eaters in December, not long after Burnaby teammate Donaldson. The Port Moody native played three games last season for Trail as an affiliate player, and was excited to join the the club. “I think it’s an awesome staff, and great facilities, awesome fans and just a top-notch organization all the way through,” said Johnson. “It’s nice to come in with a guy you’re already familiar with and someone you have chemistry with on the ice too. It makes it a little easier coming in.” Nashville Predators scout Glen Sanders was also impressed with the new Trail recruits, and pleasantly surprised with the quality of defencemen the Smokies assembled after losing all but two of their blueliners. Veteran defencemen Jeremy Smith and Diarmud DiMurro play with poise and confidence and will compliment the leadership of returning d-men Kyle Chernenkoff and Trevor Zins. “I think we have a great set of dynamic defencemen, and the ones I hadn’t seen yet have come as advertised, if not better,” said Leung. Like Tambellini, Leung believes this year’s team will have four strong, dynamic lines, and that depth will be the Smoke Eaters major strength going forward. “We’re very happy with the depth and the breadth of quality we have here,” said Leung. “There is a tremendous skill level and a lot of dynamic players within that group – some puck transporters, some puck movers – and we’re just really happy to know we have an incredible amount of depth to work with.” In the past, Trail had trouble competing with rival BCHL teams for top-end talent, but that is all changing and the proof is becoming more apparent every year. “I think you look at some of the players we were able to commit to and bring to camp and these are players that are high-profile, top-end talent that any team would love to get,” said Leung. “It’s credit to the work we’ve done here as a coaching staff, and as a team staff, and clearly credit to Rich and Annie (Murphy) for coming in and really changing the landscape of what we can do here.” The Smoke Eaters will cut the camp numbers down to two teams for the Black vs White game Thursday at the Cominco Arena. The evening scrimmage will highlight immediate and future prospects as the team prepares for it’s exhibition season that starts in Wenatchee against the Wild on the weekend. “In terms of depth, in terms of high-end, and just the variety of talented players we have here, I think this is higher than we had last season, so we’re very excited what we’re able to do this year, and what this means for us in the future.” Trail plays four exhibition games, two in Wenatchee on Saturday and Sunday, and a home-and-home with West Kelowna on Aug. 31 in Kelowna and Sept. 1 in Trail. The Black vs White game goes Thursday night at 6 p.m. at the Cominco Arena.

Ferster Steps Down As Warriors Head Coach/GM:

The West Kelowna Warriors Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club announced on Tuesday that Rylan Ferster has resigned from his position as Head Coach and General Manager ahead of the 2018/19 season. Associate Head Coach and Assistant General Manager Geoff Grimwood has been named the interim Head Coach and General Manager while Assistant Coach Matt Miller and Goaltending Coach Chad Carder remain with the team. The Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native has spent the past seven seasons with the Warriors, guiding the team to six straight postseason berths as well as the club’s first Interior Division Championship, BCHL Fred Page Cup, Western Canada Cup and RBC Cup National Championship in 2016. Coaching in a total of 406 regular season games from 2011-2018 with the Warriors, Ferster compiled a very strong 210-150-35 record, finishing second in the regular season Interior Division race three times. Ferster has been a part of many successes in the Junior ‘A’ ranks through the years, beginning in the Kootenay’s with the Trail Smoke Eaters at the beginning of the 1999 season before shifting ways to Vancouver Island and taking over at the helm of the Victoria Grizzlies and eventually to the Shuswap to join the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. After a year in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League with the Revelstoke Grizzlies and coaching the Team Canada West at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge, the veteran coach transitioned into the Okanagan in West Kelowna. “There’s so many people to thank over my seven seasons in West Kelowna,” commented Ferster, “I’d like to thank the Cheyne family for bringing me on in 2011 and being great people to work under. I’d also like to thank Kim Dobranski for keeping the team in West Kelowna and working as hard as he has to give a chance for hockey to stay in a great community like West Kelowna.” “The coaching staff I’ve had over the years, billet families and fans have been incredibly supportive and wish the team all the best in the future.” Continued Ferster, “I leave knowing I joined the program in great shape and am leaving with a strong group of talented players.” “It’s difficult to see an experienced and highly respected coach like Rylan go,” stated Warriors owner Kim Dobranski, “He meant a lot to the people in this community and we’d like to thank him for everything he has done with the program and always fielding a competitive and entertaining team in one of Canada’s toughest Junior ‘A’ divisions.” Grimwood, 37, takes the helm behind the bench on an interim basis after being named Associate Head Coach and Assistant General Manager in early July. The Victoria, BC native spent the last three seasons as the bench boss with the Kindersley Klippers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), helping them to a 79-82-8-5 record over the last three campaigns including playoff berths in each of his three seasons in Kindersley and playing into the quarterfinal round twice. “I am very grateful for the opportunity from Mr. Dobranski to step into the Head Coach and GM job on an interim basis,” said Grimwood, “The most important thing to me was having the support and encouragement of Rylan to take the job. I am disappointed not to be able to work with Rylan but am excited to build on the culture, success and tradition he has built in West Kelowna.” The Warriors would like to thank Rylan for his seven years with the club and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Ferster Says "It Was Time To Go"

Rylan Ferster said the time was right for a change. Ferster made the comment after his sudden resignation as head coach of the BC Hockey League's West Kelowna Warriors. After seven years behind the bench, the longest-serving and winningest coach in franchise history stepped down, just two days before the start of training camp. "It was really tough. I've been here a long time," said Ferster. "When you stay in one place in this business for seven seasons, that's pretty good, I think. That's a pretty good run." Ferster's resignation has led to speculation of a clash between the veteran coach and new owner Kim Dobransky. Especially after a spate of departures by employees and volunteers over the past two months. Ferster quelled that speculation. "I have had no disagreements with Kim. We sat down and had a really good chat. I have no ill feelings toward the organization or anybody involved in it. "Kim has worked tireless hours to keep the team in West Kelowna ... to give the fans hockey this year. I think that's a real positive." Ferster said it wasn't a knee-jerk reaction, it was just the right time to move on. "It's life. Is there ever a right or wrong time?" he said. "In life, people move on, and hockey is no different. "West Kelowna is still a great place to play, it's in a great division, it's in a great league whether Rylan Ferster is coaching or Joe Smith." As for what's next, Ferster said he hasn't thought that far ahead yet. He says he'll spend some time decompressing before deciding on his next move. "On one hand, it's exciting, and on the other hand, it's a little bit scary."

Nanaimo-Langley Trade:

The Nanaimo Clippers have acquired Jordan Dawson and Brady Berger in a trade with the Langley Rivermen for Austin Chorney. The 20-year-old, 6’3″, 198-lb. defenceman, Jordan Dawson comes to the Clippers having spent last season with the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Langley Rivermen. Jordan played 24 games for the Rivermen scoring 1 goal and having 5 assists. Brady Berger a 19-year-old, 6’4″, 190-lb. forward comes to the Clippers having played 50 games for the Rivermen last season. Brady scored 5 goals and had 8 assists. The Nanaimo Clippers wish Austin well in his hockey future.

Penticton-Merritt Trade:

The Penticton Vees Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club is pleased to announce the acquisition of 2000-born defenceman Peter Muzyka from the Merritt Centennials in exchange for future considerations. Muzyka, from Toronto, has spent the past two seasons with the North York Rangers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. In 2016-17, he scored five goals with 12 assists in 54 games, before three goals and eight assists in 53 games last season. The 6’3’’ 175-pound defenceman was named to Team East for the CJHL Top Prospects game last year, where he played against Vees alum Jonny Tychonick. Muzyka is committed to Cornell University and will make his Vees debut tonight against the West Kelowna Warriors at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Vees play-by-play broadcaster Craig Beauchemin caught up with Muzyka for this feature story. Peter Muzyka may never have gone the NCAA route for his hockey career if not for a detour he and his dad made when he was 12 years old. “We were on our way back from Cooperstown, New York where I was playing baseball,” Muzyka explained. “My dad said we were going to pass through Ithaca (New York) and maybe we should stop to check out the Cornell campus. We didn’t really think much of it, but we saw the hockey rink and it was just a beautiful campus.” Muzyka had only been playing hockey for a handful of years at that point, as he got his start in the game later than most kids. As a seven-year-old, he watched Hockey Night in Canada and wanted to play but his parents resisted at first. With constant pandering they eventually caved, which lead him to where he is now. Now at age 18, Muzyka has established himself firmly as a defenceman, but like most kids starting out in hockey it didn’t begin that way. “I think for most kids when you’re watching hockey the thing that draws you in are the big goals and the flashy plays,” Muzyka said. “I’ve always been a tall kid, so I started out as a centreman. One of my coaches asked if I would be willing to try playing defence since I was one of the tallest kids on the team. I fell in love with playing defence and I don’t know how anyone can play forward now. You can see the whole ice and I love blocking shots, going in the corners and getting gritty.” The transition to the backend was smooth for Muzyka, as was his transition from midget to junior for the 2016-17 season. Five goals and 12 assists in 54 games with the OJHL’s North York Rangers was a good first act into junior hockey for Muzyka, especially considering he received his NCAA commitment to Cornell before the season had even started. “It was a huge relief to get that out of the way early,” he said. “Even in minor midget there’s pressure knowing there’s scouts watching every game. You want to make the perfect pass or the perfect shot, it kind of takes away from playing hockey. I played with guys who wanted to go the school route and they didn’t have scholarships yet, so I tried to help them out and not let them think about it too much.” Muzyka didn’t make an offensive jump in his second year with the Rangers, scoring three times with eight assists in 53 games, though he did match his regular season goal total in just 11 playoff games. The same offensive production didn’t bother him however, as he said he wanted to work more on his defensive game. He was also named to Team East for the CJHL Top Prospects game where he played against Vees alum Jonny Tychonick. The focus on defence seemed to work, as Muzyka’s Rangers gave up just 15 power-play goals during the 17-18 season, 11 fewer than the next lowest team and good for a 92.2 per cent penalty kill. Once the season was over Muzyka knew he wanted to suit up for another year of junior hockey, but the possibility of coming to a league out West started to become a reality. “Now that I’m out of high school I would be able to focus purely on hockey,” Muzyka added. “My coach had talked to a few teams and when the Penticton name comes up it’s extremely exciting. You get a chill down your back and think ‘come on, this can’t be real.’ I know it’s still junior hockey but it’s one hell of an organization.” Muzyka noted he had seen other player acquisitions the Vees had made over the summer, especially Mason Snell and Jack LaFontaine, two former OJHL players. While the OJHL has a great track record of moving players on to the NCAA and the NHL, one thing it has always struggled with is drawing fans. Through 27 home games for the Rangers last year, the team averaged 77 fans per game. “I get the chills even just thinking about playing in front of massive crowds,” Muzyka admitted. “I remember in the CJHL Top Prospects game there was around 2,000 fans. Coming from North York where there’s 75 people in the stands, to head out to Penticton is going to be surreal. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it but it’s going to be so much fun.” 

West Steps Down-Surrey Eagles Names Schaefer New Head Coach:

The Surrey Eagles hockey club is announcing a change behind the bench for the 2018-19 BCHL season, as Peter Schaefer will immediately take over as head coach. Brandon West is stepping down and has mutually agreed to part ways with the team. Schaefer was previously the head coach of the Eagles for the 2013-14 season after serving as an assistant coach before that. He is a veteran of 13 professional hockey seasons during his playing career, which included 572 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators, and Boston Bruins. “We’re very excited about this year’s group of players, and we’re confident moving forward with Peter Schaefer in charge,” said Eagles general manager Blaine Neufeld about the coaching change. “We want to thank Brandon West for what he accomplished while with the Eagles. He’s a very passionate coach, and he will certainly find another opportunity quickly.” West will be stepping away from the organization because of personal reasons. He led the Eagles to a 26-22-8 record last season and a first round playoff victory over the Langley Rivermen. The entire team thanks him for his time in Surrey, and wishes him nothing but the best in his future in hockey. Neufeld also mentioned that the team is actively looking to compliment Schaefer with another BCHL-experienced assistant coach. The Eagles have two more pre-season games remaining before the 2018-19 BCHL season begins. The season officially kicks off on September 7th at home against the Coquitlam Express. Season tickets and special 5-game ticket packs are available now.