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:
Merritt-Powell River Trade:
The Merritt Centennials have acquired forward Christian Buono (00) and future considerations from the Powell River Kings in exchange for Brett Roloson. A veteran of over 90 BCHL contests, Buono, the 5’10”, 195 pound native of Burnaby, has picked up 14 points in 21 games played this season with the Kings. Last year he tallied 35 points in 55 games. Buono also averaged over a point-per-game in his midget career split between the Vancouver North East Chiefs and the Vancouver North West Giants. Roloson had tallied 16 points in 19 games this year and makes the move closer to home in the Island Division. Head Coach Derek Sweet-Coulter says that Buono brings an all around game with an edge to the team. “We are excited to bring in an experienced BCHL veteran like Buono who can contribute in all areas of the game. Christian is extremely excited to be a Centennial and that’s what we are looking for. We want players who want to be Merritt Centennials and represent our culture and history with pride on and off the ice.” The Centennials would like to thank Brett for his contributions to the team and community over his time here, and would like to extend a warm welcome to Christian and the Buono family as they begin their time in the Nicola Valley.
Connor Commits To Surrey Eagles For 2020-21 Season:
The Surrey Eagles organization is proud to announce the commitment of 2001 born defenseman Matt Connor to the team for the 2020-21 B.C Hockey League season. The right shot defender will join the team after this season concludes, but will play out his 2019-20 hockey season with Lawrence Academy in the United States High School Prep League (USHS-Prep). The Amherst, New Hampshire native will be 19 by the time he starts his BCHL career, and will be another strong defensive defenseman in Cam Keith’s top 6. The 6’2, 220 pound blue-liner will look to be an impact player right out of the gate, and has shown well so far in the USHS Prep league, with 4 goals, 7 assists for 11 points in 27 games last year for Lawrence while being a defensive stalwart for the team. Matt knows he’ll be looked upon to be an impact player right out of the gate, and is excited about the possibility of playing in Surrey next season. He told us in an interview with SurreyEagles.ca, “I’m very excited. It’s a good group of guys, and I’m just happy to be here.” Connor elaborated on his play style a bit more, adding, “I’m a pretty physical guy, I like to hit a lot of guys with a good, hard shot. I’m a stay at home defenseman.” Connor will look to be a “part of the team, be a good team player, buying in and playing hard every game. I’m always going to give it my all.” Eagles head coach Cam Keith also spoke on the news of Connor committing to the group for next year. “Matt’s going to be a kid that can come in right away and have an impact in the BCHL. He’ll be a 19 year old rookie that’ll be expected to play a big role right away.” Connor won’t have to learn a whole bunch of new faces however, as him and current Eagles defenseman Brett Bliss have been friends for a long time back over on the other side of the continent. Cam admitted, “It just helped us recruit him, because the parents knew each other and Brett gave him the run down and a glowing recommendation about what’s going on out here.” Welcome to the flock Matt!!
Building ‘Trophy Town’: A Home Of Champions Story:
Legends aren’t born, they are made, built like a wall, one brick at a time. More than 80 years have passed since the 1939 Trail Smoke Eaters won the World Hockey Championship, but they and their 1961 Smoke Eater counterparts will have the caps put on their respective stories in an upcoming documentary entitled, Trophy Town: Local Heroes, International Legends. “I kind of look at this as a David and Goliath story repeating itself,” said director/producer Robert Barrett. “These guys came from this exotic, beautiful, and remote place in Canada and in my mind they went overseas and kicked the baddest asses on the block in both cases.” The gold-medal wins by the ‘39 and ‘61 Smoke Eaters in Europe are well known to Silver City residents, but not necessarily common knowledge across Canada and beyond. The Toronto filmmakers, comprised of Barrett, writer/producer Dave Alexander, and cinematographer/cameraman David Cain, are trying to change all that and revisited Trail last month as part of their quest to share the unique and incredible stories with the rest of the world. “Everyone has been so ultra-supportive here, when they find out what we’re doing,” said Barrett. “We’ve been to all the restaurants – the Colander, the Arlington, the Beer Refinery – the bakery, the hotel, everywhere so our whole journey and stay here has been wonderful.” The documentarians also enjoyed a Trail Smoke Eaters game first hand, and attended the Trail vs Nanaimo Clippers tilt on Oct. 18, a match that drew more than 2,400 fans. “Hockey in Trail is like ‘Friday night lights’, where football in the states is everything, in Canada it’s hockey. I was really impressed and felt emotional about being there on Friday night, and seeing families getting together and old timers having a beer, shooting the breeze, and watching hockey, and kids in the stands dancing and being silly. It’s a community centre, it’s the hub of Trail. So how do you place value on that?” The assistance of the Silver City’s curator Sarah Benson-Lord and videographer Eric Gonzalez have been indispensable for the making of Trophy Town, as have the many players, coaches, wives and Trail residents interviewed. The 90-minute film will feature the Smoke Eaters’ stories, but also a variety of topics that include its rich sporting legacy, the landscape and the people that contributed to make Trail, The Home of Champions. “There’s worm-holes left, right, and centre that we go down and we explore and that’s what kind of gives it texture,” said Barrett. “Any time you’re making a film you’re looking for texture and perspectives and this thing’s loaded with that.” The crew met with members of the ‘61 Smoke Eaters at the Rex Hotel last month, celebrating Norm Lenardon’s 86th birthday over a beer, with two cameras on hand to document the memorable event. “These guys are blue-collar, humble, hard working guys who like to have a beer, they are full of humility, quiet and confident … but they are dragon slayers.” Barrett first conjured the idea of a documentary after talking to his friend, Stephen Sweeting, who had visited Trail to appraise its museum’s collection in Sept. 2018. Sweeting was so impressed with the sporting archives and excess of Trail sporting awards, he told Barrett. The more the director and his writer looked at it, the more the rich colours and texture of Trail’s history revealed itself. “We became intrigued, and as a filmmaker, it sounds like it’s got good bones to be able to tell a story,” said Barrett. “The more myself and my writer started exploring it as a story and digging more, it had all these crazy twists and turns and all these amazing characters.” Longtime Trail historian, John D’Arcangelo, author of the anthology A Trail to Remember, was also interviewed alongside Terry Brennan, whose father Mickey played on the ‘39 Smoke Eaters. “I think it’s an excellent idea,” said D’Arcangelo. “I think it’s overdue, and I’m glad they’re doing this because it’s a remarkable story, both teams.” The ‘39 Smoke Eaters played 72 games in Europe, in the months leading up to the second World War. They defeated Nazi Germany twice in Berlin in games that had Swastikas decorating flags and programs. In 1961, Trail faced off against the Soviet Union’s Red Army team at the height of the Cold War, and beat them soundly. “It’s a huge feat,” added Barrett. “They’re playing against trained soldiers. These (Trail) guys worked in a plant by day, and scored goals at night.” The Smoke Eaters legacy and influence goes well beyond the bounds of southeastern BC and D’Arcangelo and Brennan were integral in fleshing out additional storylines for the filmmakers. In particular, that of Trail WWII pilot Steve Saprunoff, whose Smoke Eaters sweater that was given to him by Mickey Brennan, may have saved his life. A former mascot and stick-boy for the Smoke Eaters, Saprunoff’s plane was shot down over Germany in 1944, and the young man became a prisoner of war. His fate changed when a German prison guard noticed the Smoke Eaters jersey he wore under his flight jacket for luck. The guard was a huge hockey fan and had watched the Smoke Eaters play Team Germany in Berlin in December of 1938. He smuggled food to Saprunoff, who survived the ordeal and returned to Trail after the war. Another Trail hockey figure, Mike Buckna, became the father of Czech hockey and coached the Czech national team, the only team to score against Trail at the ‘39 championship. “(Anatoli) Tarasov, the father of Russian hockey, called the ‘39 Smoke Eaters one of the greatest teams, amateur or professional he’s ever seen, and he patterned his team after their style of teamwork, passing and possession of the puck,” added D’Arcangelo. “The inspiring story of Trail is just remarkable, when you consider it’s only made up of about 10,000 people. What a team can do with a hard work ethic and team play and pride and confidence.” The accomplishments are considerable, considering that many of the Trail players were Cominco employees with families, who played senior hockey more for enjoyment than a grasp at fame or fortune. “That compounds it, they worked a whole shift at Cominco which wouldn’t be easy, and then go and practice,” said D’Arcangelo. “And in the case of Bobby Kromm, I was around in those days watching their practices, he worked them diligently. He worked them into great condition and Normy (Lenardon) told me in the final game against the Russians going into that third period they felt confident they could hold on and win because they were in great shape.” The additional interviews are many and varied, and include talking to ‘61 Smoke Eater goalie Seth Martin’s wife Bev, who offered an insightful perspective from the spouses. Barrett also had the pleasure of interviewing Olympian Gordie Robertson before he passed, former Trail Times editors Bruce Hovel and Murray Grieg, and Trail native and former NHLer Cesare Maniago. “It’s a very much Canadian story,” said Barrett. “The ‘39 and ‘61 Smokies are our two pillar pieces within it. All the other pieces will get woven into the historical winds, adventures, and journeys.” The documentary is expected to be completed next year, with hopes of playing at the Toronto International Film Festival. “I think it’s one of the most amazing stories in Canada.”
Nardone Excited To Join Grizzlies:
In a little over a year, Vincent Nardone has gone from living in Montreal, Flin Flon, Man., Penticton and now Victoria. But he wouldn’t have it any other way, as long has he has a hockey stick in hand. And he’ll now be putting his hockey stick to use with the Victoria Grizzlies, after the B.C. Hockey League club traded for the speedy and skilled centre on Tuesday, sending 19-year-old Darwin Lakoduk to the Penticton Vees in exchange for Nardone, who just turned 19 on Halloween. Nardone leaves a Vees team that is tied for first in the Interior Division and joins a Grizzlies team whose 7-18 record has them in last place in the Island Division. “To tell you the truth, when I heard of the trade on Tuesday, I was in my house and started jumping up and down because I’m super happy to be coming to Victoria,” said Nardone, who had four goals and five assists in 22 games with a loaded Vees team that has 16 players committed to NCAA schools. “Penticton is just stacked with a lot of the same type of highly skilled players so I wasn’t getting as much playing time as I was hoping for.” Nardone came across on the ferry Wednesday night and will be in the Victoria lineup tonight when the Grizzlies host the division-leading Nanaimo Clippers (16-6-1-1) at The Q Centre. It’s his second trip on B.C. Ferries in about 10 days as the Vees were at The Q Centre on Nov. 2, beating the Grizzlies 4-1 with the help of a Nardone goal. “When I played against the Grizzlies a couple of weeks ago, I really liked the way they played. They were fast, with really skilled forwards and that suits my game, so I’m really excited to join the team.” Grizzlies head coach Craig Didmon expects the 5-foot-10, 160-pound Nardone to step right in on one of the Grizzlies’ top two lines. “He’s skilled, skates well and has a nose for the net so we’re going to let him do what he does best,” said Didmon, whose club will be facing the Clippers for the third straight game, and then will welcome the Merritt Centennials (5-14-1-0) to town on Saturday night. Nardone, whose family resides in the Montreal suburb of Rosemère, was a high-scoring player in midget before him and a friend were recruited by Flin Flon to play in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. After a strong rookie season with the Bombers, where he racked up 39 points in 55 games, Nardone accepted an NCAA Div. 1 scholarship offer to the University of Nebraska-Omaha for the fall of 2021. Then the perennial powerhouse Vees came calling that summer and he made the move to the Okanagan. “I really liked my time in Flin Flon,” Nardone said. “It’s a small town but all they talk about is hockey so it’s a fun place to play. “And Penticton is a great city and a great arena so I liked living there, too.” But now his focus is on getting the Grizzlies, who have lost seven straight games, back on track. “I played against the Grizzlies and don’t be fooled by their record,” he added. “I know they have a lot of injuries right now, especially on defence, and their captain [Marty Westhaver] is just coming back from injury, so I think once we get these guys back in the next little while we’ll be able to make a real run in the second half and surprise some people.” LOOSE PUCKS: The injured Grizzlies include veteran defencemen Brady MacDonald and Reid Lindsay, 19-year-old winger Eddie Yan and rookie forward Connor Eddy. None are expected back tonight. Twenty-year-old netminder Liam Souliere, who is bound for Penn State of the NCAA in the fall, has yet to play this season due to a lower body injury but could return next month.
Two Year Anniversary For Clippers Ownership:
November 14, 2019 is an important day for the Nanaimo Clippers. It marks the two-year anniversary of the new ownership group. On November 14, 2017, Wes and Penny Mussio took over the ownership of the Nanaimo Clippers Junior A hockey team. Mr. Mussio remarked “as part of our family’s long term goal of giving back to hockey in British Columbia, Penny and I wanted to move up from Junior B hockey as owners to Junior A. We saw a great opportunity in Nanaimo and although we were really looking to purchase a team after our son was finished his Junior A career, the opportunity was too good to turn down. With that in mind, we purchased the Clippers and have been extremely happy ever since.” There’s no question that owning a Junior A hockey team has been a challenge from day one for the Mussio’s. The Clippers had lost touch with the community somewhat and the necessary excitement surrounding the team had fizzled in Nanaimo. Over the last two years, the Mussio’s have worked hard to find the perfect coaching mix with the additions of Darren Naylor, Colin Birkas and Ken McPhalen. Off ice, the hiring of Tali Campbell, long-term resident of Nanaimo, as the Manager of Business Operations in December 2018 further solidified the Clippers’ movement towards being one of the best Junior A hockey programs in the country. Wes Mussio commented on the future, “I’m looking forward to the next two years of our family’s ownership of the Clippers. I just see a ton of upside potential with the program, enough to buy a home here so I can call Nanaimo my residence. When I first arrived in Nanaimo, the Clippers did not seem that important to the community whereas now, you walk around the city and see the Clippers’ presence everywhere.” Over the next two years, the Mussio’s plan to add a video replay screen and fund other improvements to the Frank Crane arena. With a strong group of scouts across North America, scouting will remain a critically important piece of the off-ice work of the Clippers’ staff throughout the year ensuring that top-end players choose the Clippers as a destination for Junior A hockey. In the meantime, the Clippers will continue to push to host the national championship and are currently looking to host other specialty events such as the BCHL Showcase in 2020. Mr. Mussio summarized: “some critics have said that this is a short-term venture for the family which is definitely far from the truth. We’ve invested a tremendous amount of money into the arena and purchased a family home in Nanaimo as we plan to be here for many years to come. You can be rest assured that the necessary financial support will be behind the Clippers to help the hockey team continue to excel on and off the ice. With the current staff at the Clippers, I’m very optimistic about the future.”
Surrey-Calgary Trade:
The Surrey Eagles continue to be busy on the trade front, and the team has acquired 2001 born forward Hassan Akl from the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Calgary Canucks in exchange for 2000 born forward Jesse Carr and the CJHL playing rights of Liam Freeborn. In Akl, the Eagles are receiving a skilled forward to play in the team’s top 6 for the foreseeable future. The 5’11, 155lb forward led the Calgary Canucks in scoring, scoring 5 goals and 10 assists for 15 points in just 17 games. This follows a better start to his season in which he put up 9 points in 9 games playing with the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons for a combined 2019 20 season total of 7 goals, 17 assists for 24 points in 26 games. Jesse Carr played 18 games, and scored 1 goal, and 3 points in his first B.C Hockey League season with the Eagles. We’d like to thank Jesse for his contributions to the team this year. Welcome to the flock Hassan!
Orchard Joins Centennials:
The Merritt Centennials have acquired Jerzy Orchard (01) from the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. Orchard joins the Cents once again after his first stint with the team resulted in a bus ride down to Coquitlam, but he never would dress for the game. Orchard’s WHL rights were dealt from the Kamloops Blazers to the Saskatoon Blades on the trip, and he was held out of action. The Delisle, Saskatoon native appeared in 41 games for the Kamloops Blazers last season registering a goal and 2 assists, and also appeared in 5 playoff games where he recorded one assist. Used in primarily an energy role he also tallied an assist in 11 games with the Saskatoon Blades this season. Director of Hockey Operations John Stuart says that Orchard is a player he’s excited to add. “Jerzy is a player I have followed for two years in Kamloops. He brings the things we want in a Centennials player: he’s extremely hard working, has a high hockey IQ, and plays with a little sandpaper. He has a great attitude, has leadership qualities, and is a team first player. The team is very excited to have him.” Orchard will get his first chance to play in a Cents uniform, again, this weekend against the Spruce Kings and Wild.
Salmon Arm-Wenatchee Trade:
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks have traded 20-year-old defenceman Noah Lugli to the Wenatchee Wild in exchange for future considerations. The 6-foot-5 veteran tallied six assists in 25 games this season for the Backs after playing in 93 games the past two seasons between the Bonnyville Pontiacs (AJHL), Wellington Duckes (OJHL) and Minnesota Magicians (NAHL). “It was a tough decision to move on from Noah, but with Devan Newhook coming off IR, we had to free up a roster spot,” Silverbacks assistant coach and assistant general manager Tanner Cochrane said. “Wenatchee was very interested in Lugli, so we felt we could put in a good spot to have success.” The Silverbacks would like to thank Lugli for his dedication to the Silverbacks and wish him well with the Wild.
Warriors Bring Back "Happy Hour"
The West Kelowna Warriors Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club are excited to bring “Happy Hour” one hour before the national anthem at every home game. Happy Hour at Royal LePage Place will include half price on beer and wine before the anthem starting this Friday when the Warriors host the Wenatchee Wild. “We want to reward fans for coming early as the players will be hyped by more bodies in the building as they hit the ice”, stated Warriors new President Chris Laurie. “Beyond that, our concession food is excellent and we welcome fans to come early for dinner and a drink at an affordable price”.
Centennials Sign Clark:
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