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:
Salmon Arm-Bonnyville Trade:
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks announced today the acquisition of veteran defenceman Noah Lugli and 20-year-old forward Zach Russell after the completion of separate trades with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Bonnyville Pontiacs and Fort McMurray Oil Barons. The Silverbacks received Lugli, a towering 6-foot-5 defenceman, from the Pontiacs in exchange for forwards Hudson Schandor and Tyson Gayfer. The club acquired the CJHL playing rights of Russell from the Oil Barons in exchange for recently acquired forward Michael Hodge, who was sent to Salmon Arm last week in a separate three-team trade with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and Merritt Centennials. In order to acquire Hodge from the Bulldogs, the Silverbacks sent defenceman Olson Werenka to the Centennials, who sent Jackson Munro to Alberni Valley. “These moves were made in an effort to bring in two veteran players with proven track records and significant playoff experience,” Silverbacks head coach and general manager Scott Atkinson sad. “We gave up three very good players to acquire two very good players who will help us in specific areas of need. Schandor and Gayfer are both high character individuals and accomplished players who will be missed, but I think fans will like what Russell and Lugli bring to the table. They are also high character people who play a very hard brand of hockey.” Lugli recorded 17 points last season in 57 games for Bonnyville, while adding 178 penalty minutes, which ranked seventh in the AJHL. The Toronto, Ont. native split time in 2017-18 between the North American Hockey League’s Minnesota Magicians and the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Wellington Dukes, where he won both the Frank L. Buckland Trophy as league champions and the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Junior A champs. Russell, a bulky forward from Calgary, Alta. brings Western Hockey League experience with him, as he suited up in 29 games last season for the Edmonton Oil Kings. Russell tallied six points in those 29 regular season games and added three more in seven playoff contests. In the 2017-18 season, Russell spent most of his time in the AJHL with the Calgary Canucks, where he scored 16 goals and added 20 assists for 36 points in 43 games. He also added 212 penalty minutes, which ranked fourth in the AJHL. The Silverbacks would like to thank Schandor, Gayfer and Werenka for their service and dedication to the team and wish them every success in their future endeavours.
BCHL Next Generation: Cowichan Capitals
All summer we’ll be going team-by-team to profile new players coming in for the 2019-20 season with recaps of offseason commits and acquisitions. We will also have interviews and scouting reports from the coaches.
Next up is the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
After finishing with the second-worst record in the BCHL last season and qualifying for the playoffs as the 16th seed, the Capitals pulled off the biggest upset of the season as they beat the Interior Division champion Penticton Vees in six games in their first-round series. They went on to push the defending Fred Page Cup champions the Wenatchee Wild to six games before bowing out in the second round. Although the team is starting fresh again in 2019-20, head coach Mike Vandekamp believes that late-season success can rub off on the players returning this year. “I think that having some success like that gives the team some real confidence,” said Vandekamp. “The core group coming back experienced a pretty neat playoff run there and I think it’s something we can build on to start the season this year. “Our team last year was better than our record. We lost 16 games by one goal and we were never healthy. As the year progressed, we got everybody back in the lineup. We still really believed in ourselves as a team. The attitude was really good.”
2019-20 commits
Andres Bridgewater (2000, F)
Hometown: Calgary, Alta.
- Previous team: Calgary Mustangs (AJHL)
Bridgewater joins the Capitals from the Calgary Mustangs who will be inactive for the 2019-20 season. The 19-year-old had 33 points in 51 games last year.
Vandekamp’s scouting report:
“It was a rare opportunity to add a guy that had already played Junior A hockey and we were able to add him without giving up any assets. He brings a tenacious type of game. He’s a fast, hard-working, two-way, gritty kind of player, so I think he’ll fit nicely into what we’re looking for.”
Ben Howard (2000, G)
- Hometown: Calgary, Alta.
- Previous team: Calgary Mustangs (AJHL)
Howard played two years in the AJHL prior to joining Cowichan in the offseason. Last year with the Mustangs, he had a .905 save percentage in 28 games.
Vandekamp’s scouting report:
“He’s a big goalie. He’s pretty consistent and steady and he has really good character. That was important to us as well. Just knowing, from speaking to his old coaches, he was a quality person too. He’ll compete for the starting role. We’ve got a couple of other goalies in the mix too. It will be something that will play out through training camp and exhibition and into the early portion of the season.”
Maxime Dumas (2000, D)
Hometown: Quebec, Que.
- Previous team: St. Paul’s School (USHS-Prep)
The Quebec native spent the last two years playing high-school hockey in New Hampshire. Last season he had seven points in 27 games.
Vandekamp’s scouting report:
“He’s a good skater and he’s a right-shot defenceman. We were specifically looking for that. He’s a big, thick, strong kid who plays physically. He’ll be a defence-first kind of a guy. That’s another thing we were looking for. We believe it was a really nice fit for what we were looking for in that spot.”
Clark Webster (2000, D)
- Hometown: Kensington, P.E.I.
- Previous team: Boston Jr. Bandits (NCDC)
Webster’s hockey career has taken him from Prince Edward Island, to Boston and now to Cowichan. He had two goals and 10 assists in 50 games last year with the Bandits.
Vandekamp’s scouting report:
“He played in a good league in the States last year, so we were able to creatively add a guy who’s got some junior experience without having to give up assets. He’s a big guy with really good character again and he skates well.”
Cullen Ferguson (2001, D)
- Hometown: Binbrook, Ont.
- Previous team: Hamilton Kilty B’s (GOJHL)
Ferguson joins the Caps after spending last season playing Junior B in Ontario where he had 19 points in 41 games
Vandekamp’s scouting report:
“He’s a defenceman that has a lot of potential. He could potentially become a really good player in our league. The reason why we’re excited about Cullen is because of his skating ability. That’s obviously a really important part when you’re trying to build a defence core, you’ve got to have mobile guys.”
Zach Borgiel (2000, G)
- Hometown: Fort Gratiot, Mich.
- Previous team: Leamington Flyers (GOJHL)
Borgiel put up some impressive numbers last year playing Junior B, finishing the year with a .924 save percentage and a 2.25 goals-against average in 28 games.
Johnny Howie (2001, D)
- Hometown: Carp, Ont.
- Previous team: Renfrew Timberwolves (CCHL2)
The third player on our list to come from a Junior B program, Howie had 23 points in 43 games last year to finish second on his team in defencemen scoring.
Silverbacks Name Carter Director Of Hockey Operations:
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are pleased to announce Craig Carter has been named the club’s director of hockey operations. Carter, a former assistant general manager with the team, returns to the organization after serving as an amateur scout for two seasons with the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild. In his new role with the Silverbacks, Carter’s primary responsibilities will be in the areas of player identification, recruitment, procurement and promotion. “Bringing Craig on board is a big bonus for our organization,” Silverbacks head coach and general manager Scott Atkinson said. “Craig’s experience at the NHL level will definitely add to the professionalism of our approach, as well as bolster our network of hockey contacts at the national and international level. Craig is very well respected in the hockey world.” Prior to his first stint with the Silverbacks in 2015-16, Carter was a BCHL scout for over a decade, which included serving as the head scout for the Coquitlam Express during their Fred Page Cup championship in 2014. He was named to the scouting staff of the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits in the summer of 2014. “My family and I are really excited to return to Salmon Arm and begin this next chapter,” Carter said. “Salmon Arm is a special place with some of the best fans in the BCHL. The team has a strong passionate ownership group who are really committed to the players and community, and winning on and off the ice. “I owe a big thank you to Dale Unruh, Brooks Christensen and Scott Atkinson for believing in me and allowing me this opportunity again to slot in and help bring a championship to Salmon Arm.” The Silverbacks would like to welcome Carter and his family back to the Salmon Arm community.
Hockey Parent Is Angry:
As a parent of a West Kelowna Minor Hockey player, I am livid with the owner of the West Kelowna Warriors. If he had any sense of community, he would realize that by changing the nationally accepted game start time of 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. in hopes of gaining more family attendees, he will actually be losing current attendees. WKMH players and their families make up the majority of the team's fan base. His decision to change the start times potentially could eliminate 30 minor hockey player spots, leaving these kids with no place to play. The city needs to realize it holds the power in this scenario and should be bullish on the issue. The city owns the arena the Warriors play in. It should be dictating what ice time the Warriors get. Meanwhile, by no longer allowing the minor league to sell 50/50 tickets at Warriors home games, he has in turn reduced the league's operating budget by approximately $13,000 a year. All this, while he sponsors the very league that inevitably he is hurting. Don't forget that less than 20 minutes away, WKMH families have another option on how to spend their hard earned money.
Scott Koenig
2019-20 Penticton Vees Spotlight: David Silye
Three seasons of Junior ‘A’ hockey can amount to plenty of memories, life long connections and lasting relationships that will go well beyond the years of playing. David Silye has experienced just about everything that Junior ‘A’ and the BC Hockey League has had to offer with the exception of one missing piece: a championship. That is at the forefront of the mind of the 5’11”, 183-pound forward, coming off of his best season statistically in his 160-game BCHL campaign. Silye notched a career-best 21 goals and 39 assists for 60 points in 49 games played last season in Penticton, which was his first with the Vees after an offseason trade saw him come to the South Okanagan from the Nanaimo Clippers. With three years of experience under his belt, Silye is excited to be coming back to Penticton for his final season of junior hockey. “I’ve had the chance to go through the whole process of junior hockey from being a rookie to a second year guy and now one of the older guys,” said Silye, “Now I’m at that final stage and I think I’ve gotten all I can get out of junior hockey and I’m just missing that one piece which is a championship so I’m looking forward to getting back in my 20-year-old season and fighting for a Fred Page Cup.” Although the 2018/19 season didn’t end the way the Vees were hoping for, the Arnprior, Ontario native says there’s plenty to be proud of from a group that fought through plenty of challenges, “If you look back on it, we fought a lot of adversity throughout the course of the season,” Silye commented, “You could probably count on one hand the amount of times we played with a full, healthy lineup and we were a tight group so I’m definitely proud of how we went through the regular season and grinded.” Silye is one of nine players projected to return to the Vees lineup this season and a first-round defeat at the hands of the Cowichan Valley Capitals in the playoffs is still fresh in the mind of that returning core, who enter this season with a bit of a chip on their shoulder to avenge the early exit from a year ago. “For me personally, avenging that loss from last year and giving the fans something they deserve and missed out on is the goal,” said Silye, “Coach Harbinson has been working hard to build a championship-calibre team and won’t settle for anything less and that’s the mentality to take heading into the season.” The offseason has been a busy one for Harbinson and his staff, including adding a pair of NHL draft picks to the roster in the way of Jay O’Brien and Cade Webber which has a player like Silye ready to hit the ice with the group in late August, “It’s definitely exciting to see some big names coming in and we’re looking really good on paper right now so we’ll be looking to translate that into the locker room and gel as a group.” Heading into his fourth season of BCHL hockey, leadership is something that the right-handed shooting forward knows will be paramount in his final season, “Regardless if I get a letter or not, I’m a 20-year-old and automatically being that age means taking on a leadership role and helping some of the young guys out and pass along what I have learnt from the past three seasons.” Silye has had the chance to live in and experience a variety of different cities and communities but after playing in his first season in Penticton, one thing stood out that was different from the rest, “The community support is incredible,” mentioned Silye, “The fans are always cheering for us, whether through a win or a loss, and are involved with every community event we are out at and show their support everywhere we go.” Training through the offseason is a key step through development and having the experience that a player like Silye does, each season away from the rink becomes more and more valuable. But for David, getting his body into optimal shape to compete at a high level for a possible nine month season is what comes first. “After my first year, I was all about getting on the ice as quickly as possible and getting as much ice as I could because I enjoyed playing so much,” said Silye, “But now I’ve realized, as I’ve gotten older, the season is so grueling and you’ve got to take care of your body and increase things like mobility and flexibility and getting your body back to being 110% heading into camp.”
McCoy Commits To Kings:
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