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:

Cowichan-Alberni Valley Trade:

The Bulldogs have dealt 20-year old forward Paul Selleck to the Capitals following a 17-goal, 33-point rookie season. “Paul is a tremendous young man who was the odd man out after a very competitive battle for a limited number of import spots on our roster,” says Hughes. “We appreciate everything that Paul did for our organization on and off the ice last season, and we hope he has a very successful year with the Capitals.”

Centennials Sign Ziemer:

The Merritt Centennials are pleased to announce the signing of 2000 born right shot defenseman Brady Ziemer. The Carver, Minnesota native joins the Centennials by way of the Holy Family Catholic Fire in the United States High School (USHS) League. Last season with the Fire, Ziemer served as Captain and tallied 7 goals and 21 assists for 28 points in 25 games played. He also spent time with Team Southwest in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League (UMHSEHL), where he posted 7 assists in 17 games played.  Ziemer has also earned himself a commitment to the St. Cloud State University Huskies, and is committed for the 2019-20 season. Head Coach and General Manager Joe Martin says that he feels Ziemer will make life difficult on the opponent. “He’s a right handed defenseman, he plays a hard nose style. He’s a medium sized defenseman but has a low centre of gravity, likes to play physical, and should help us against some of the better players in the league.” Martin adds that Ziemer should get some game time this weekend as the Centennials open the season against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, before coming home to take on the Vernon Vipers.

Alberni Valley-Powell River Trade:

The Alberni Valley Bulldogs are closer to finalizing their roster for the start of the 2018/19 British Columbia Hockey League season after trading 1999-born forward Liam Lytton to the Powell River Kings in return for future considerations. Lytton was acquired by the Bulldogs in December 2017 from the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits but sustained a season-ending injury after just three games with the team. He is now back to full health and will have the opportunity for a successful season in Powell River. “Liam was only with us a short time but he made a positive impact on our team and in our dressing room,” says Bulldogs head coach Matt Hughes. “We’d like to wish him all the best with the Kings.” The Bulldogs recently concluded their five-game preseason schedule and will announce their opening night roster for Friday’s game against the Cowichan Valley Capitals in the coming days.

Penticton Vees New Third Jersey’s:

Nanaimo Clippers Here To Stay:

With the season opener days away on September 8, 2018 at the Frank Crane Arena, the Nanaimo Clippers are settling in for the long haul in Nanaimo. Leading up to the purchase of the Clippers by Wes Mussio in October of last year, there was much uncertainty as to whether or not the team would remain in Nanaimo. Mr. Mussio made it clear he had no intentions to move the team out of the City. Those promises are solidified as the City of Nanaimo and the Nanaimo Clippers inked a long term rental deal so that the Clippers will be playing out of the Frank Crane Arena for years to come. As a commitment to the City, Mr. Mussio has spent substantial funds over the summer in upgrading the Frank Crane Arena. If you haven’t been in the arena to see the renovations recently, you’ll notice that the Clipper office got a complete reboot. The upstairs beer garden looks impressive. The home dressing room is receiving an extensive renovation as we speak heading into the Clippers’ home opener. Mr. Mussio remarked, “I’m very pleased with the City of Nanaimo and their desire to work with the Clippers to ensure that we have an excellent long-term relationship. As I promised when I took over the team ownership, the Clippers will be a part of the City for many years to come. It only made sense financially to invest a substantial amount of my own money into the Frank Crane Arena to improve the fan experience and move the Clippers towards one of the top programs in the BC Hockey League.” When asked about future renovations in the Frank Crane Arena, Mr. Mussio commented, “if all goes well, we have plans to reinvest several hundred thousand dollars worth of renovations in the arena to add many amenities to improve the fan experience.” With the summer winding down, and everyone heading back to school and work, it’s time to come out to watch a Clippers game at the Frank Crane Arena. You will be pleasantly surprised as to the facelift the team and the facility has received.

Powell River-Grande Prairie Trade:

The Powell River Kings are excited to announce the addition of 1998 born forward Ryan Brushett from the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm, in exchange for defenceman Riley Hayles who joins the Surrey Eagles. Brushett is a third year BCHL veteran. The Verdun, Quebec product suited up for both the Vernon Vipers and Surrey Eagles in the previous two seasons, playing 108 BCHL games, scoring 31 goals and assisting on 44 others. Prior to the BCHL, Brushett spent a season in the USHL with Sioux Falls and Bloomington. “We’re getting a guy going into his fourth year of Junior hockey which is really important,” said Kings GM and Head Coach Tyler Kuntz. “Also we’re getting a guy with a reputation of someone who can score, put pucks in the net and I think you can never have too many of those.” In his last two seasons with Vernon and Surrey, Brushett had developed a knack of scoring against the Kings. He had 3 goals in 2 games last season with the Eagles, while also scoring 1 goal in the two games against Vernon the year prior. Leaving Powell River is 1998 born defenceman Riley Hayles, who was acquired in the off-season from the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Hayles will join the Eagles as both Surrey and Grande Prairie agreed on terms to complete the three team trade. “We really liked Riley and were excited to bring him here to Powell River, however he has a family situation where he needs to stay close to his home base in Ladner,” adds Kuntz. “Obviously that’s disappointing for us but at the same time you want to help kids out, we think he’s a great young man and we wanted to get him playing as soon as possible. It’s good for him and his family that he can stay at home and still pursue the BCHL and hopefully college hockey next year.”

Bargar Joins Wild:

F Blake Bargar, 20, who played the past four seasons in the WHL, has joined the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild. Bargar, from Torrance, Calif., spent two seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors and one each with the Victoria Royals and Seattle Thunderbirds. In 238 regular-season games, he put up 19 goals and 23 assists.

Nanaimo-Langley Trade:

The Nanaimo Clippers have acquired the playing rights to Andrew Lucas from the Langley Rivermen for futures. The 19-year-old Lucas, a 5‘10“, 170-lb. defenceman, hails from Alexandria, Virginia.  He spent last season with The Loomis Chaffee School of the USHS Prep league. He played in 26 games, scoring 10 goals and having 18 assists. Lucas played three games for the Rivermen this season, having one assist and two penalty minutes. He is committed to the University of Vermont for the 2019-2020 season.

Surrey-Powell River Trade:

The Surrey Eagles have acquired Riley Hayles from the Powell River Kings in exchange for future considerations. Hayles is expected to join the team immediately, but will not be in the lineup for the home opener on Friday night. Hayles, 20, is a defenceman from Delta, BC, who has spent the last two seasons playing for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. In 95 games with Salmon Arm, he has scored 8 goals and added 31 assists while racking up 44 penalty minutes. In a subsequent trade, the Eagles have also sent Jordan Robert to the Cowichan Valley Capitals in exchange for future considerations. Robert served as the team’s captain for the last season and a half. The organization would like to thank Jordan for his dedication and commitment to the team during his time in Surrey. He possesses excellent leadership skills, which will benefit his new team greatly.

Salmon Arm Silverbacks New Jersey’s:

Holmes Joins Chiefs:

The Chilliwack Chiefs are pleased to welcome forward Matty Holmes to the team. The 19 year old Rye, New York native makes his way to the Chiefs via a short stint in the USHL with the Tri City Storm. Holmes, a 2019-20 Brown University committed player, will join former Salisbury teammates, Kevin Wall, Brett Willits, and Chris Brown and is anticipated to be in the line up this weekend as the Chiefs play a home and home against Langley Friday and Saturday, rounding out the weekend with a 2pm tilt against the Surrey Eagles.

Express Sign Fuller & Alden:

The Coquitlam Express have made two moves to their roster. They have brought back defenceman Landon Fuller (99) and added forward Hunter Alden (98). Fuller returns to the Express after playing 38 games last season. He had 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points. The 6’5 defenceman also had 1 assist in 4 playoff games. Alden comes to the Express where he played one game this season with the Wenatchee Wild and 13 games with them during the 2015-16 season. Last season he played with the New Jersey Junior Titans of the NAHL. He finished the season tied for the team lead in scoring with 10 goals and 37 assists for 47 points in 60 games. He also led the team in penalty minutes with 113. He’s been a very productive point producer at various levels of hockey in the past. Welcome back Landon, and welcome to the Express Hunter.

Penticton-Nanaimo Trade:

The Nanaimo Clippers have acquired 2000-born defenceman Trevor Isaksson from the Penticton Vees for future considerations. The North Delta native, before signing with the Vees, spent the past two seasons with the Valley West Hawks in the British Columbia Major Midget League. There he totalled 19 goals and 35 assists in 76 games. The 6’2”, 194-pound defenceman had a banner season in 2017-18, leading the league in defensive scoring with 14 goals and 22 assists in 36 games. He was named to the BCMML All-Star Team. Isaksson served as the Hawks captain during last season. He played for four games as an affiliate with the Vees last season.

Powell River-West Kelowna Trade:

The Powell River Kings have completed a trade with the West Kelowna Warriors, acquiring 99-born goaltender Hayden Missler in exchange for future considerations. Missler, from Wainwright, Alberta joins Powell River after one game in West Kelowna and the bulk of last season with Spruce Grove in the AJHL. Missler compiled an impressive 14-3-1 record with the Saints including two shutouts. His .902sv% and 2.45 GAA put Missler in the top 10 of goaltenders in the league last season. Missler has joined the Kings in Chilliwack ahead of the team’s first game at the Showcase against Coquitlam on Thursday.

Marrocco Joins Chilliwack Chiefs:

Meanwhile, the Chilliwack Chiefs have added a piece to their blueline. Alexander Marrocco made his BCHL debut Friday night, picking up a goal in a 4-2 road win over the Langley Rivermen. The 18 year old added an assist the following night in a home win over Langley. Marrocco is the younger brother of PJ Marrocco, a forward from last spring’s RBC Cup champion Chiefs, and Chilliwack head coach Brian Maloney said he’s been tracking the kid for a while. It wasn’t easy getting Marrocco on the roster though. Maloney had to cut through a mile of red tape to get the Edmonton native to Chilliwack. “We started scouting Alex right around the same time we started scouting PJ, maybe even a little bit earlier because we thought he would be a good addition to our team this year,” Maloney said. “He’s been in our plans for quite some time, but we had a hiccup getting him here because of some Hockey Canada registry problems. “It took quite a bit of back and forth to get it done.” He should be worth the wait. Marrocco spent the last two seasons as a full-time player for the Knights of Columbus Pats, a midget AAA team in the Alberta Midget Hockey League. He posted six goals, 35 points and 58 penalty minutes in 47 regular season and playoff outings in 2017-18 and played one junior A game with the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. Standing five-foot-ten and weighing 185 pounds (according to eliteprospects.com), Marrocco has sufficient size to survive in the BCHL. “He gives us that puck moving defenceman that we need back there,” Maloney said. “He’s really good offensively, getting pucks through to the net, and just like any other young player, we’re working on the defensive side of his game.”

Belcourt Joins Nanaimo Clippers:

18-year-old defenceman Liam Belcourt has joined the Clippers after playing the 2017-2018 season with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. The left-handed, 6‘4“, 201-lb., Sherwood Park, AB native, played in 16 games for the Americans having one assist and six minutes in penalties. The 2016-2017 season saw Liam playing for the UFA Bisons of the Alberta Midget Hockey League. In 33 regular season and 12 playoff games, he amassed two goals, 10 assists and 110 penalty minutes. In the 2015-2016 season he played 36 games for the CSSHL OHA Edmonton Prep, and two games for the WHL Tri-City Americans.

Eagles Release Eisele:

The Surrey Eagles have made a change in goal. Gone is veteran Seth Eisele, released after posting a 4.05 goals-against average and .871 save percentage in two early season outings. The new guy is Cayden Bailey, who debuted Sunday with 38 saves in a 4-2 road loss at Chilliwack. “We felt it was important to change direction in net. We didn’t get off to the start we had hoped and wanted to shake things up early,” Eagles general manager Blaine Neufeld told the Peace Arch News Monday. “We are here to win it all this year and there will be more fine-tuning to come. We understand it’s early but we see it as an opportunity to find the right pieces now so we can be playing into May.” Surrey has started 0-4 and only Merritt has given up more goals than the Eagles (22 to 21).