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:
Borgiel Commits To Capitals:
The Cowichan Capitals are very pleased to announce that Zach Borgiel has committed to play for the team for the upcoming season. The 6’2” 205lb goaltender joins the Capitals from the Leamington Flyers of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The 19 year old Fort Gratiot, Michigan native posted a 20-7-1 record with a 2.25 GAA and .924 Save % in 28 games played for the Flyers this past season. Zach was also the recipient of the Roy Caley Award for the League Best GAA, Western Conference Goaltender of the Year, Western Conference First All-Star Team, as well as the Flyers Most Valuable Player. The Capitals would like to welcome Zach to the Capitals Family and look forward to seeing him on the ice at Main Camp in late August.
BCHL Debut's New LNG Canada Road Show:
The BC Hockey League announced today it will debut a new league event on the 2019-20 schedule – the LNG Canada BCHL Road Show. This event will see two BCHL teams come to a neutral site arena in British Columbia for a weekend of hockey and community activities. This year’s LNG Canada BCHL Road Show will feature the defending Fred Page Cup Champion Prince George Spruce Kings and their Mainland Division rivals the Langley Rivermen playing a pair of games in the community of Kitimat. The games will be held Saturday Feb. 15 and Sunday Feb. 16, 2020 at Tamitik Arena. As part of the Road Show event on Friday Feb. 14, the BCHL, in conjunction with the Canucks Alumni, will also run a Youth Hockey Clinic for the community that will involve on-ice activities, as well as an autograph session with BCHL and Canucks Alumni players. “We are extremely excited to bring BCHL hockey to the community of Kitimat,” said BCHL Commissioner Chris Hebb. “This event is a great way for us to showcase our BCHL talent outside of our 17 local markets and reach hockey fans that might not be able to attend our games.” The BCHL and LNG Canada have also announced an official agreement for the 2019-20 season as LNG Canada will become one of the league’s Founding Partners. “We are pleased to support an initiative that brings communities together and encourages young people to be active,” said Susannah Pierce, Director Corporate Affairs with LNG Canada. “And because we believe that communities thrive when citizens volunteer their time, LNG Canada will also present the Volunteer of the Month Award, which we will award to a team or league volunteer that demonstrates dedication to their team, the league or the sport.” Along with the Vancouver Canucks Alumni, the BCHL and LNG Canada will select 10 BCHL and minor hockey players throughout the season and donate a $2,500 Scholarship Award to a Canadian post-secondary institution they will attend, as a part of the BC Hockey League Canucks Alumni Scholarship Program.
Stevens Commits To Powell River Kings:
The Powell River Kings are excited to announce the signing of Yale University Commit Ryan Stevens for the 2019-2020 season. The 2000-born Massachusetts product joins the Kings after spending the last three seasons playing at Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts where he compiled 21 goals and 35 points in 55 games. “This year we wanted to improve our team speed, and with Ryan he’s obviously a catalyst in that department,” said Kings Head Coach and General Manager Tyler Kuntz. “Talking with all of his coaches, they say that he plays aggressive and can get under his opponent’s skin while also possessing good speed and skill which is something we really like.” Ryan also comes from a strong hockey background as his dad Kevin spent 15 years in the NHL winning a pair of Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992, while his brother Luke was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015. “Obviously his bloodlines are really good,” said Tyler Kuntz “His dad was one of the best American scorers in NHL history and its clear Ryan has picked up some of that from him.” Stevens will join his teammates in Powell River for main camp, starting August 19th.
Spruce Kings Name Waldie New Broadcaster:
The Prince George Spruce Kings are thrilled to welcome Cole Waldie as the team’s new Communications Director, and Play by Play broadcaster. Waldie joins the Spruce Kings after two seasons with the Vancouver NE Chiefs, including one season as the team’s Director of Media.. He recently graduated from BCIT’s Radio, Arts, and Entertainment program. Waldie, 22, born and raised in Prince George, has followed the Spruce Kings for several seasons and has had the opportunity to do colour commentary a select number of times for the team. Some of his highlights have been working the 2017 Telus Cup for the Cariboo Cougars, and to call the first annual BCMML Winter Classic. “I am genuinely so happy to be a part of the Prince George Spruce Kings. It has been a goal of mine to work in the BCHL, and for it to be at home, makes it that much better. I have tons of passion for the game, and I look forward to sharing that with the Spruce Kings fans. It is a really exciting time for the organization coming off the Fred Page Cup and Doyle Cup Championships and I am looking forward to being a part of it”. Waldie will broadcast all 58 regular season games and the entire playoffs on HockeyTV and Mixlr. “The 2019/2020 season was the perfect time for our organization to expand in this capacity,” said Spruce Kings Business Operations Manager Kyle Anderson, “to have a voice for all of our games is something that is important to us, and we are very happy to have Cole on board.” The Spruce Kings will be making more announcements in the near future, including the BCHL Schedule in the coming weeks.
Warriors Change Start Times:
The West Kelowna Warriors have made a significant change for the upcoming 2019-2020 BC Hockey League season. The club has moved the start times of its Saturday games back an hour from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. The move was announced Tuesday as the league unveiled most of its new schedule. Club owner Kim Dobranski says the change was made partly due to good attendance numbers in other cities, such as Penticton and Vernon, with earlier Saturday start times. "We're trying to get more fans out, more families and younger fans," Dobranski said of the change. Fifty-six of the team's 58 games were released Tuesday. The final two games, part of the league's annual Bauer Showcase in Chilliwack, will be released today. The schedule has some quirks and "challenges," including a one-month period, between Oct. 25 and Nov. 22 when the Warriors are without any home dates. They'll play seven games on the road during that period. "I'm not happy about that, but the trade-off is more Saturday games and fewer Tuesday and Sunday dates," he said. "We're also getting more home dates in September and after Christmas." More than half of the Warriors' 28 home dates will be played during those times, including six in September and 10 after Christmas. The Warriors also have six back-to-back home weekends either on a Friday-Saturday or, on one occasion, Saturday-Sunday. "That allows us to do special theme weekends," said Dobranski, who says the team is trying to create a festive event atmosphere at Royal LePage Place as opposed to just hosting a hockey game. The season-opening weekend will have a back-to-school theme, while Oct. 18 and 19 will have a breast cancer awareness theme where the players will don pink jersey's that will be auctioned off. The always popular Teddy Bear Toss night is set for Dec. 14. The Warriors open the season at home Friday, Sept. 6, against Vernon and, in another quirk of the schedule, don't face the Vipers again until Jan. 24. In fact, five of their final 12 games will be played against the Vipers. The Warriors open training camp Aug. 19, and kick off their pre-season schedule soon after. That schedule has not yet been released.
Nanaimo Clippers Sign Walton:
The Nanaimo Clippers have added a key addition to the roster for the 2019-20 season. 20-year-old Travis Walton has agreed to play for the Clippers after three years with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League. Travis is a 6 foot 2 in, 192 pound forward with a great work ethic and a high hockey IQ who can play a 200 foot game in any league. Travis played at the Yale Hockey Academy over two years before committing to the Chilliwack Chiefs for the 2016-2017 season but then deciding to move on to the WHL instead of staying in the BCHL. While at the Yale Hockey Academy, he was a key component of the championship team during the 2014-2015 season. Overall, he accumulated 82 points in 63 games in the CSSHL. He also played in the U16 Team BC program. Darren Naylor, Head Coach of the Nanaimo Clippers, commented “Travis has been on our protected list for two years as we were hoping to be able to secure him in his final year of junior hockey. I’ve coached Travis in a number of spring programs when he was younger and was impressed by his leadership abilities on and off the ice. Travis puts in a full effort on every shift and is very defensively responsible. I can’t be happier with this addition to our roster for the coming season as he adds a much-needed big body upfront who is willing to play a defensive shutdown game while contributing offensively.” Wes Mussio, owner of the Clippers, explained “I’ve watched Travis play since he was five years old initially on the Vancouver Select spring program. He always impressed me as being a very committed, high skill forward. Indeed, he has always been one of the highest ranked 1999 born forwards in British Columbia throughout the years. He’s going to be a key part of a very competitive team we are putting forward for the 2019-2020 season.” Travis is set to join the Clippers in August at Main Camp.
Merritt-Weyburn Trade:
The Merritt Centennials have acquired the CJHL playing rights to Justin Plett (00)(F) from the Weyburn Red Wings of the SJHL in exchange for future considerations
McGovern Commits To Prince George Spruce Kings:
The Prince George Spruce Kings are pleased to announce the commitment of Goaltender Jack McGovern (01) from the St. Catharines Falcons of the GOJHL. McGovern, a 6’3”, 195 pound native of Waterdown, Ontario, played in 23 games in 2018/2019, going 20-2 with 4 shutouts. He posted a 1.90 GAA and a .925 Save %.
Webster Commits To Capitals:
The Cowichan Capitals are very pleased to announce that Clark Webster has committed to play for the team for the upcoming season. The 6’1″ 200lb defenceman joins the Capitals from the Boston Bandits of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) of the USPHL. The 18 year old Kelvin Grove, Prince Edward Island native tallied 2 goals and 12 assists for 14 points in 50 games played for the Bandits this past season. The Capitals would like to welcome Clark to the Capitals Family and look forward to seeing him on the ice at Main Camp in late August.
Miller Leaves Smoke Eaters:
The Trail Smoke Eaters Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club announced on Thursday that play-by-play broadcaster Trevor Miller will not be returning to the organization for the 2019/20 season to pursue another job opportunity. Miller, 24, spent the 2018/19 season with the Smoke Eaters, calling all 58 regular season games as well as 12 playoff games during the team’s run to the Interior Division Semi Final, along with providing social media and website updates. Miller came to Trail after three seasons with the Penticton Vees as a colour commentator before spending two seasons with the West Kelowna Warriors as a play-by-play broadcaster. “It was an extremely difficult decision for me to leave Trail,” Miller stated, “Even though I was only there for a season, the people within the organization and community welcomed me with open arms and I can’t thank them enough for that. I also want to thank the Murphy’s for bringing me on and allowing me to work inside such an incredibly run program.” The Smoke Eaters would like to thank Trevor for his time and efforts with the team.
Silverbacks Acquire Ruscheinski:
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are pleased to announce the acquisition of 2001-born defenceman Kieran Ruscheinski for the upcoming 2019-20 BCHL season. The Silverbacks committed to Ruscheinski on June 1, the first day of player carding eligibility. The mammoth defenceman, who played midget AAA last season for the Calgary North Stars in the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL), was subsequently drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the seventh round (206th overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday. “We are excited to add Kieran to our line-up and feel that he will have an extremely positive impact on the performance of our team next season,” Silverbacks head coach and general manager Scott Atkinson said. “At 6-foot-6 and over 200 pounds, Kieran is an imposing figure on the ice, but he also possesses a solid all-round skill set and has great mobility.” The Calgary native won the Richard Warwick Memorial Trophy as AMHL MVP this season, while recording 11 points in 33 games for the North Stars. He also notched one assist while playing three games for the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). “What we really fell in love with was Kieran’s overall attitude and character attributes. This is a very solid citizen who will not only contribute on the ice but also to the Salmon Arm community at large,” Atkinson added. Ruscheinski was not the only BCHL commit drafted by the Canadiens on Saturday, as Victoria Grizzlies commit Jayden Struble was taken by the Habs in the second round, 46th overall.
Penny Commits To Chilliwack Chiefs:
The Chilliwack Chiefs are proud to announce the commitment of 2000 born forward, Kyle Penney from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. Born on July 18, 2000, Kyle captained last season’s Kimball Union Academy Wildcats. He was a teammate at KUA of recent Chiefs commit Arlo Merritt. Kyle is a 6’0, 190 lb forward that brings a complete two-way game and a high hockey IQ to Chilliwack. He was leaned on heavily last season by his coaches and teammates. In fact, he played defense for a large portion of the 2018-19 schedule to help his team after a player was lost due to injury. Despite playing out of position, he still put up an impressive 27 points in 37 games played. A 2016 draft pick of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Gatineau Olympiques, Kyle has secured a scholarship to Cornell and will head there after his time with the Chilliwack Chiefs. “The biggest criteria for us in recruiting is character. Kyle is a player that has always come across to us as a natural leader. He is mature, grounded, and someone you want to have in your locker room.” said Chiefs Head Coach and GM Brian Maloney. “As far as on-ice ability, Kyle has an extremely high Hockey IQ, and uses his size and speed to make life miserable for opponents. Today is an exciting day for us in Chilliwack.” Kyle will report to Chilliwack ahead of Main training camp in late August.
Beauchemin Leaves Vees For Western Hockey League:
The Penticton Vees announced today that Director of Broadcasting and Communications, Craig Beauchemin, has accepted a position as the Broadcast and Community Relations Manager with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League. Beauchemin, from Whitehorse, Yukon, joined the Vees in August of 2017, taking over from Fraser Rodgers who had held the position for the previous six years. Beauchemin was responsible for running and updating all Vees social media outlets, coordinating media requests within the organization, generating content for social media use and handling the play-by-play of all Vees games. The Vees would like to thank him for his contributions over the past two seasons and wish him the best of luck in his new position. An announcement regarding Beauchemin’s successor will be made in the near future.
Bliss Commits To Eagles:
The Surrey Eagles are excited to announce that 2001-born defenceman Brett Bliss has committed to the team for the upcoming 2019-20 BCHL season. Bliss comes to the Eagles with a NCAA Division I scholarship to Brown University, and is expected to make the jump to college in the 2021-22 season. Bliss hails from Chelmsford, Massachusetts and split last season between his Belmont Hill High School club and the Neponset Valley River Rats U18 team. He scored 5 goals and added 9 assists in 30 games with Belmont High and finished with 6 goals and 15 assists in 30 games with his midget team. “I’m really excited to get started,” Bliss told SurreyEagles.ca in an interview. “I’ve always heard that the BCHL would be a great place for me to develop as a player. After getting in contact with coach Cam Keith I decided that it was the right decision for me and that Surrey would be a great place to play.” The decision to come and play in the BCHL is part of a long-term plan with the coaching staff at Brown University. Once he got in touch with Cam Keith and talked about his coaching philosophy, it sealed the deal. “As soon as I started talking to [Coach Keith] I could tell that he was a really good guy and an even better coach. I really liked the relationship that we started to form and I’m really looking forward to this upcoming season.” With last week’s announcement of Cody Schiavon‘s commitment to Yale University and the addition of Bliss, this ensures that the Eagles will begin the 2019-20 season with at least four defencemen on the roster with NCAA Division I scholarships in hand. The other two recruits are Cade Alami (Providence College) and Owen Nolan (Army). As the team starts to take shape for the upcoming season, it’s clear that an emphasis has been placed on building up the back end as much as possible. Although it will be a young group, being part of a strong defensive group going forward is something that excites the newest Eagle. “I think Cam has done a really good job of putting together a solid team for next year and I think it will be really exciting to see where it goes. He’s thrilled about where we’re at, the team that we have so far. We can’t wait for training camp to start.” Bliss describes himself as a “two-way defenceman” and prides himself on being able to contribute at both sides of the rink. He’s also prepared to play on the Olympic-sized ice, coming from a program that also utilizes the larger surface. “One of my strongest assets is the way I see plays develop,” Bliss said, further describing his style. “I can help generate offence from the back end. I think that I have a strong shot and pride myself on getting pucks through from the point.” As a late-2001 birthday, Bliss comes into the season as a first-time eligible player for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Admittedly, he tries to keep those high hopes in the back of his mind, but realizes that the scouting exposure the BCHL offers is an exciting part about making the jump to the west coast. For now, he wants to focus on the short term. That involves helping the Eagles win games, and developing as a player before eventually making the jump to NCAA Division I hockey. “I think we have a good, young group that can do something special. I’m excited to see where it goes. I’m just really excited to get started and get this season going.”
Hill Commits To Spruce Kings:
The Prince George Spruce Kings are pleased to announce the commitment of Defenseman Brendan Hill (01) from Detroit Catholic Central High School. Hill, a 6’0”, 170 pound native of South Lyon, Missouri scored 2 goals and added 19 assists in 29 games last season. Brendan is committed to Lake Superior State University, where he will join the Lakers after his time in Prince George.
Coquitlam-St. Michaels Trade:
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