Future and Former Smokies in the KIJHL

Some good news for a few former Trail Smoke Eaters in the KIJHL this week. Firstly, congratulations to Miles Houston and Connor Gregory for getting named to the Neil Murdoch Conference All-Star team. Houston has been terrific for the Leafs since being returned to Junior B. It's no co-incidence that the Leafs have been the best team in the league since Houston and Brock Monroe returned to their line-up after starting the season in Trail. If you look at the scoring on Nelson you can see that they're a team with outstanding scoring depth. Adding Houston and Monroe allows Coach Simon Wheeldon the freedom to play with four lines that can score. Before their arrival he wasn't getting that scoring depth he wanted and the team was a little more inconsistent. I'm not suggesting Houston and Monroe are the only reason why things have come along so well in Nelson lately - far from it - but I do think they are a big part of that success and Houston earned a well deserved place on the All-Star team.

For Connor Gregory it's a nice honour after what has been a frustrating couple of years for him. I'm really glad to see that the season has been a success for him personally thus far. Could he earn a trip back to Junior A hockey thanks to this result? I guess we'll find out soon enough.

A couple of Nitehawks that were AP players with Trail also got All-Star nods. Steve Koshey will play on D for the Neil Murdoch Conference. Layne Stopanski gets a nod up front. You can also see Justin Brown playing in the prospect game earlier in the day. On another note, Wade Waters will be one of the goaltenders on the Neil Murdoch team and that's a nice recognition of the year he's had since performing well at Trail's training camp. Congrats to all those who qualifed for the teams. There are representatives from all the Kootenay Boundary teams and you can get the full list over at the KIJHL website. The games themselves will be played in Creston this Saturday. You could catch the prospect game at 3:30 before returning in time for the Smokies hosting the Vipers on Saturday night.

Another former Smoke Eater found his way to Beaver Valley this week. Goaltender Devan Hartigan has been making a lot of moves so far this year. Hopefully he's found a steady home now with the Nitehawks. First Hartigan moved from Trail to Prince George. After a few games there he ended up in the KIJHL with Fernie. Devan decided to take another shot at Junior A hockey by going to Ontario, but after that didn't really work out how he wanted he's back in the KIJHL. Hartigan apparently had his choice of several different interested teams, but he wanted to be back in this region and to have a chance on a successful organization like the Nitehawks. I imagine a goaltender of his skill, work ethic and experience could be quite a boost for Beaver Valley. They're certainly not out of the race for first place in their division yet, and Hartigan could be that extra piece of the puzzle.

With that move the Nitehawks traded goaltender Sean Muller to Creston. Muller was with Trail the weekend that Paul Barclay was away and seemed like a good guy. He'll get a chance to play behind Wade Waters in Creston and I hope all goes well for him there.

Don't forget the Smoke Eaters take on the Salmon Arm Silverbacks tomorrow night live from Salmon Arm. We'll have the game for you on Mountain FM with AM Ford Trail Smoke Eaters hockey. The pre-game show gets underway at 7:15. Friday it's off to Vernon for another road game. On Saturday the Smokies are back in town for one of only 3 home games this month. They could really use a big crowd out there for that one to help lift the team while they go on their toughest run of the year. Plus you'll have a chance at some round trip tickets from Pacific Coastal Airlines. They're doing a plane toss on Saturday night and it should be a lot of fun... especially for the winner.

Not to mention the fact that the games against Vernon this year have all been classics. Two out of three have gone to double overtime between these very evenly matched teams. Don't want to miss that one.

Now since we're getting near the trade deadline and rumours are swirling, it's time for me to "work the phones."