Shawn Mullin's Trail Smoke Eaters Blog

2010-09-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE FOR JON ZACKS' NEW SMOKE EATERS BLOG

CLICK HERE FOR SHAWN MULLIN'S NEW SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS BLOG

Thanks for stopping by over the last 3 years. It's been fun.

Goodbye

2010-09-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

After that puppy picture I think I lost some street cred. This one should toughen the blog up on my final post. Really glad to see the big win by Trail yesterday by the way. A terrific start to Matt Larose's career in the BCHL. Is Sam Mellor on fire or what? 6 goals in 5 games on pace for a mere 72!

Well I made it to Swift Current. Now I start to build new relationships with a new team, a new station and a new community of fans. I'm very excited about the opportunity, but it's also bittersweet. It's tough to say goodbye to all the people I've had the privilege of getting to know in the last four years. Here comes the rambling sentimental part...

I came to Trail from Ontario knowing very little about the Smoke Eaters and the BCHL. All I knew was that it was a chance to call hockey games for a living and nothing else mattered. That has been my dream since I was 5 years old watching Hockey Night in Canada with my dad in the living room. I never really wanted to be a player, I wanted to be the guy telling the story of the game.

I quickly realized what kind of amazing hockey history and legacy Trail has. It is a legacy we celebrate this year on the 50th anniversary of the 1961 World Champions. It is a legacy that makes the Smoke Eater name, logo and players famous from BC to Europe. It is a legacy that helped motivate some great athletes who have come from the Kootenays and gone on to great things. It is a legacy the current Smoke Eaters are carrying on today.

We justifiably talk a lot about the 39 team, the 61 team and all those great legends. They're great guys too. I count people like Norm Lenardon as friends I am very proud to have met and gotten to know. However, sometimes what is lost in all that talk of the past is how much goes into making the current Smoke Eaters tick. It's true we haven't seen any Royal Bank Cups in Trail yet, but just operating and advancing young players in one of the league's smallest and most remote markets is an accomplishment. I know when I first heard the concept of community ownership I really didn't think about the kind of commitment that those involved have to make for the non-profit society to survive.

After my time as the Smokies broadcaster and the last 6 months as the Smokies marketing/sales guy I have really come to appreciate what those involved as volunteer directors with the team have to do. I talked to Tom Gawryletz this spring and summer more than anyone but my own girlfriend as we went through the sales and marketing process. He doesn't want any recognition I'm sure, but I just have to mention how much of his personal time he gives to make BCHL hockey happen in Trail. You know the kinds of things that some teams hire 2 to 6 office people to take care of? That falls on Tom's desk. He is essentially working two full time jobs as he runs his own business and stays on as President of the Smoke Eaters. I don't know how he does it. Passion for hockey I guess.

That's the same thing that drives the other members of the board of directors. They give their time for bi-weekly meetings, fundraising events and as part of the arena staff for every single Smokies game. Those men and women selling the 50/50 and running the Sud Shack? Volunteers who barely get to watch the games they're at every weekend. That's true also for any number of other volunteers who give their time before, during and after games. They are the reason the BCHL franchise is now playing a 16th season in the league. It just shows you how much this club means to the most die hard supporters. Next time you see a member of the board or a volunteer why not say thanks for what they do. This team wouldn't be here without them.

Heck instead of saying thanks why not volunteer yourself? When people ask me why the team doesn't do more promotional activities or events in the arena the bottom line is that there is only so much man power. If there was a larger army of people willing to help make things tick there is a lot more they could accomplish.

Trail's attendance is never going to be at the top of the league, but their fans are some of the most loyal There are hundreds of faces that you can count on seeing at every game no matter when they are or what else is going on in town. They're some of the most informed fans I've ever met who always want to talk hockey. They're also some of the most gracious fans. Ever since the news got out that I was moving on to the WHL I've had so many of them stop me at the rink or on the street to congratulate me and compliment my work. It has been overwhelming. The way those fans treated me it was as if I had been here for 30 years and was moving on. I'm so lucky I've been able to work with and for people with that much passion and respect.

Now I hope that you'll (and I'm sure you will) offer that same level of support to Jon Zacks. He's a talented professional who is way ahead of where I was when I started in Trail. I'm sure three years from now he'll be ahead of where I am now too. You're in for a treat with Jon at the helm.

More even than the fans and the hockey I'm going to miss my friends. When you go on the road with a hockey team you spend so much time with each other it's impossible not to become friends. For me that was especially true with the coaching staff. We ride together, eat together, sleep in the same rooms and experience the ups and downs of every season's roller coaster ride. I know the most important thing for fans is generally winning, but I can tell you without question that the most valuable quality of Trail's coaching staff is the quality of their character. I couldn't think of a single bad thing to say about any of them.

I know in talking to people around the league that Jim Ingram's quality of character is well known. I don't know if there is a better man in hockey. As a broadcaster you couldn't ask for anyone more accommodating. I must have called him up randomly a hundred times and he always set aside whatever he was doing to help me do my job. I'm very thankful for the support Jim, Barry, Brian and now Bill have given me. They're always available to talk, give their insight, answer questions and anything else I might need. Younger even pulled a bit of a fast one on Laura and I to help set us up. Two years later we're still together and I don't think anyone has ever done me a bigger favour. I'll miss those guys.

That includes my roommate and Smokies Trainer Steve Mears who I'm sure is happy to know that there won't be a computer light on in his room now until god knows when. Another great guy. Thanks for being so patient!

Travelling with the players you also get to know them and I know more than hoping they win games I'm always cheering for them to get what they want out of the sport. It is so rewarding to see someone like Nick Sandor chase that Division 1 college dream and see it come true. However, it is clear that those accomplishments are just a piece of what these guys get out of junior hockey. I watch those friendships build and you know that those bonds will last a life time. These young men are getting an experience they'll take with them forever. The guys I've seen come through Trail are of the absolute highest quality. Some I've come to know better than others, but I'm proud to have covered them.

I want to also say a quick special thanks to Randy Emery. If you don't know what he does with the club he takes all the pictures used on my blog and the official website/facebook page. He sifts through hundreds of pictures to find the best ones for the team and the players themselves. Randy finalizes game sheets and is very dedicated to making sure any errors are corrected. He also keeps detailed statistical records on the team's history that have been a fantastic resource for a young broadcaster walking into the middle of a team's history. I've spent many an hour chatting hockey will him and I'll miss it. I hope to god there are some Randy Emery types here in Swift!

I don't mean to single anyone out. Everyone there has been so amazing to me. From Daryl in the video booth to Ike on the arena staff I've had so much support in Trail I've been spoiled.

The quality of the Smokies organization extends throughout the entire league as well. The coaches, players, executives, volunteers and league staff have always been fantastic to deal with. How about the quality of broadcasters in the BCHL? I had no idea how professional the people in this league would be. There are guys in the league who call a better game than some of the play by play people in the NHL. Enjoy them while you can! The BCHL is churning out the future of the sport in more ways than just on the ice. It also has some very talented people covering it in print media like Trail's own Guy Bertrand who has proven to be a very good radio guest on top of a quality reporter.

Want to say a quick word about the radio station as well. I've heard from time to time people say to me or to other people I know that they were surprised the Smoke Eaters were on the "Castlegar" station. Some have even said they wished the games were on "Trail's station" instead. I'm not going to comment on anyone else's work, but all I'll say is that ever since I came to Mountain FM we have been busting our butts to make sure that the people in Trail and each of our other communities realize that the station is for the whole West Kootenay Boundary. In my opinion we covered Trail sports, news and community events quicker and better than anyone. What is more important... the location of an office or the content and commitment to the community?

Mountain FM gave me the opportunity to live out my dream. I will forever be grateful to them for that. I learned so much from those I worked for and with there. How can you not learn when your news director used to read the national news in South Africa or your two program directors have worked at what must be a combined 20 stations across multiple countries? The same way Smokies players are bonded for life after their experience together is the way that people who work together to make a small market radio station work come together. My friends there are some of the best I've had and that will never change.

The Smoke Eaters and Mountain FM are both great organizations that survive because the people involved give everything they can to make them work. I couldn't tell you how many hours a Smokies coach or a Mountain FM staffer works. I promise you it is no where close to 40 a week. They're both classy organizations with hard working people who deserve your support. I was just a small part of both of them for a brief time, but I will always remember my time here fondly. I'll miss it.

They say once you've been a Smoke Eater you're a Smoke Eater for life. I never wore the jersey but I know I'll always care about the team. I'm no longer the broadcaster but today I become a fan.

I can only hope my experience in beautiful Swift Current is just as rewarding. May the Smokies and Broncos both play well into the spring! If you want to follow my coverage of the Broncos check out my new blog by clicking on this link. It is a major work in progress as I get settled here in Swift Current. I hope I can do the team and fans justice. I'll also post a link on this blog once Jon has his new Smokies blog up and running.

Lastly if anyone wants to stay in touch with me feel free to e-mail me at smullin@gmail.com. I'd be glad to hear from any of you.

Friday Audio

2010-09-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

New Smokies Broadcaster Jon Zacks on Mountain FM's Overtime

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Smokies Coach Jim Ingram

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New Smoke Eater Matthew Laboucane

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Smokies Captain Paul Mailey

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Smokies Forward Cullen Bradshaw

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Trail hosts Westside tonight in a 2009 and 2010 playoff re-match. It should be a good test for the Smokies against a perennial contender. Westside will be playing desperate after going winless in their first two games of the season, but the Smokies don't want to lose at home when they've got a 6 game road trip staring them in the face.

Make sure there is a bigger crowd there tonight and please welcome new broadcaster Jon Zacks as he checks out his first Smoke Eaters game. Also tonight it'll be my final episode of Mountain FM's Overtime so check that out from 6pm to 8pm on Mountain FM and The Bridge.

New Smokies Radio Voice

2010-09-13T23:39:00.001-07:00

The question I've been asked most since announcing my departure (outside of whether or not I bought a winter jacket yet) is who would be replacing me. We now have an answer.

Here is the press release from Mountain FM:

"We are pleased to announce the appointment of Jon Zacks to the positions of BCHL Smoke Eaters Play by Play Announcer, Sports Director & Overtime Host.

He replaces Shawn Mullin who is off to Swift Current’s The Eagle to do mornings & be the play by play voice for the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL.

Jon joins us from Moose FM in Fort St. John BC, and spells his first name weird. Jon has 3 years play by play experience calling junior & senior hockey.

He will join the team in the next couple of weeks, and will be made to use an H."

I didn't think spelling Jon like that was all that strange...

I personally got the chance to listen to some of Jon's work and talk to him for a while on the phone. He's talented, enthusiastic, experienced and ready to jump right in as soon as he can get here from his other job. He is also coming from the same place that groomed Ryan Pinder for the great job he does in Penticton. For all of those who had such kind things to say to me over the weekend I appreciate it, but the coverage of the Smokies will not suffer. Jon is going to be his own guy, he'll do a terrific job and Trail fans won't miss a thing.

Congrats Jon and I'll be listening as a fan to your broadcasts this year.

As for the blog, Jon will be starting his own blog with his own look. I felt selfishly that I'd like to keep this blog as is for an archive of my experience in Trail. Call me sentimental (I'm guilty of that) but I'd like to be able to look back on it years from now and sort of relive these days. A new blog also gives Jon a chance to forge his own identity with Smokies fans online. As soon as he gets it started I'll post a permanent link to it and my new Swift Current Broncos blog at the top of this page.

Again thanks to everyone for the kind words over the past couple of weeks. It has been overwhelming. Jon is in for a real treat working with a world class radio station, hockey club and fan base.

Home Opener Video & Highlights

2010-09-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Game 2: Trail 6 Merritt 4

2010-09-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

TRAIL, BC - The top line struck again for the Smokies in a 6-4 victory against the Merritt Centennials. Each of Scott Jacklin, Sam Mellor and Travis St. Denis scored and the line combined for 6 points. The three players are now tied for the BCHL scoring lead after the first weekend of the season.

Trail was also lifted by the first multi-point effort of Cullen Bradshaw's BCHL career. The 20 year old former leading scorer of the AJHL's Brooks Bandits put up 2 goals and an assist in his second game with the Smokies.

This victory over Merritt wasn't nearly as convincing as the first. It was apparent early the Centennials were a different club on the night as they got out to an early shot advantage and wouldn't go away all game.

Trail got the only goal of the first when the top line connected on Sam Mellor's second of the season. Merritt actually out shot Trail in the period 11-8, but the Smokies were able to kill off a 5 on 3 to keep the Cents off the board.

The teams traded goals in the second period with Bradshaw and St. Denis striking for Trail while Jeff Jones and Dustin Johnson answered for Merritt. It was a much more inspired effort from Merritt's top gunners in this game as they were united on a line rather than playing on separate units.

Trail appeared to put the game away in the third as Jacklin and Paul Mailey scored 1:39 seconds apart to extend Trail's lead to 5-2. However, the Cents wouldn't go quietly into the night as Johnson took advantage of a 5-3 to cut into the lead and Regan Soquilla scored a late short handed marker to get the hearts at the Cominco Arena racing a little faster.

The Smokies held on in the end as Bradshaw chipped his second of the game into the empty net to wrap up the victory.

Kiefer Smiley made 22 saves to pick up his second win of the season for Trail while Tyler Steel stopped 24 pucks in his first career BCHL start.

It wasn't as pretty as Friday, but the Smokies finished the weekend with 4 big points and 14 goals over 2 games. Their next action will be a home and home with Westside starting at the Cominco Arena on Friday.

ON THE TRAIL: The top line is a big part of the story early but 5 other Smokies also finished the weekend with at least a point per game ... Trail better enjoy home ice while they can because after Friday's game against Westside they play six straight games on the road ... Smokies fans can again catch their road games on Mountain FM this season at 104.1 FM in Trail. The games will be brought to you this year by the Arlington.

Home Opener: Trail 8 Merritt 2

2010-09-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

TRAIL, BC - Trail got goals from 7 different players and points from 14 different players in an 8-2 opening night win over Merritt. The line of Travis St. Denis, Sam Mellor and Scott Jacklin did the most damage with a combined 9 points. St. Denis scored twice with Mellor had a goal and 3 assists and Jacklin contributed a goal and 2 assists.

Trail fans also got introduced to new members of the club as 7 of them picked up their first points as Smoke Eaters. Adam Boytink and Logan Proulx scored their first BCHL goals on the night as well.

It was a dominant display by the Smokies with scoring from all four lines. They also out shot the Centennials 43-20. Merritt will look to bounce back when the two teams meet again at the Cominco Arena on Saturday night.

Trail opened the scoring when Steve Koshey's point shot was tipped in by St. Denis for his first of the season. Curtis Tonello struck next on a point shot blast set up by rookie Dylan Tappe.

Merritt got one back when goaltender Kiefer Smiley misplayed the puck leading to Max Vallis scoring for the Cents. Smiley rebounded with a solid 18 save performance in picking up the win.

The Smokies added another marker at the end of the first period as Boytink knocked in the rebound of Jacklin and Mailey's shots.

Trail put the game away early in the second period as they scored twice in 41 seconds. Jacklin put in his first of the year from Mellor and Graeme Strukoff blasted a wrist shot top corner to make it 5-1 only 15 seconds later.

Goals from Proulx, Mellor and St. Denis would put the game further out of reach.

The play got chippy in the third period perhaps setting the stage for a physical affair when Merritt comes back to the Cominco Arena for a second game on Saturday night.

ON THE TRAIL: Members of the 1961 World Champion Trail Smoke Eaters signed new anniversary merchansie throughout the game. This season Trail is marking the 50th anniversary of that club with numerous celebrations. The captain of that team Cal Hockley dropped the puck in a ceremonial face off tonight ... Paul Mailey enters his fifth season with the Smokies and second as captain. As long as he stays healthy he'll become the all time leader in games played for the BCHL version of the Smokies. The other players wearing letters were Scott Jacklin, Graeme Strukoff and Logan Proulx. One of the letters will likely rotate though ... The game marked the 15th birthday of the BCHL Smoke Eaters who first dropped the puck at the Cominco Arena in September of 1995.

Proulx after dominant opening win over Merritt

2010-09-11T00:56:00.000-07:00

Home Opener Game Day: Merritt at Trail

2010-09-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Merritt Centennials Coach Luke Pierce on Mountain FM

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Smokies Coach Jim Ingram on 2010-11 Roster

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2009-2010 SEASON SERIES

September 11: Trail 2 at Merritt 4
October 6: Trail 3 at Merritt 8
October 24: Trail 5 at Merritt 8
December 11: Merritt 3 at Trail 2
December 30: Merritt 4 at Trail 3 (OT)
January 9: Merritt 2 at Trail 5
February 20: Trail 6 at Merritt 3

POWER PLAY

Trail: 4/30 (13%)
Merritt: 5/27 (18%)

TRAIL TOP SCORERS

1. F Scott Jacklin (5-7-12)
2. F Nick Sandor (3-7-10)
3. F Sam Mellor (5-4-9)

MERRITT TOP SCORERS

1. F Derek Hills (5-6-11)
2. F Duston Johnson (5-6-11)
3. F Jeff Jones (3-6-9)

ROSTER

Trail

Merritt

BROADCAST

Smokies home games are not available on the radio, but Mountain FM will again cover their road games. You can watch the game from the Cominco Arena on BCHL PPV. It will be my final Smokies broadcast before leaving for Swift Current.

61 Celebration Kick Off, 15th Birthday

2010-09-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

Betty Ann Marino of the Trail Promotions Committee

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This spring is the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Trail Smoke Eaters winning the World Championship. It is an accomplishment that fans across the hockey world still talk about today. As a result of that lasting legacy, the City of Trail is planning a number of different ways to celebrate the anniversary. That will start with a presentation at the Trail Memorial Center before the BCHL game today at 6:30pm. Click here for more details. It is also a chance for you to meet and get autographs from members of that historic club. You can also get a free insert on the 1961 team from the Trail Historical Society with the purchase of a Smokies program today. The Smokies program even got into the act with a special collectors edition featuring articles from the Trail Times in 1961.

Join the Smokies Facebook page to be part of the virtual reunion. Hope to see you at the game tonight as we start the celebration and kick off the 16th season of the BCHL Smoke Eaters. By the way, that also makes today the 15th birthday of this version of the club. One year at a time the volunteers that run this club are proving what is possible with the hockey spirit in this community. I hope to see even more support from the fans this year to reward all that hard work from the volunteers, the coaching staff and the players. Happy Birthday Smokies!

New Smokies: Ingram, Baker and Boytink Interviews

2010-09-09T23:51:00.000-07:00

The Smokies open the regular season on Friday against the Merritt Centennials. It's the first of back to back games against the Cents at the Cominco Arena. After a very intense season series between the two teams last year I expect to see more of the same when the puck drops.

I told you already who would make up the 22 men on Trail's initial roster this year. Now we can get to know them a little bit. I had a chat with Coach Ingram about the Mountain FM Ashes and their new faces. I also caught up with a couple of those new additions in Adam Boytink and Joey Baker on Overtime.

Smokies Coach Jim Ingram on 2010-11 Roster

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New Smokies Forward Adam Boytink

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New Smokies Forward Joey Baker

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The home opener will also be (likely) my last game as the Trail Smoke Eaters broadcaster. I intend to enjoy Saturday's game from the stands with my girlfriend Laura. Friday will be a chance to kick the season off and say goodbye at the same time. I've been talking about the building of this team all summer so I thought it would be fun to at least call them in action once. As always we don't do the home games on Mountain FM but it will be available to out of town fans and parents on BCHL PPV. If you live in the area I hope to see you there.

I also wanted to quickly mention that the Smokies have shipped defenceman Cole Gelley to Cowichan Valley for future considerations. Gelley came to Trail in a deal with Surrey and decided life as a Smoke Eater wasn't for him. He went home after the first day of camp and is now headed to Duncan. The Smokies meanwhile are quite happy with the seven veteran defencemen who make up their back end this season.

Mountain FM looking for new Smokies Play by Play Broadcaster

2010-09-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

With my departure to Swift Current on the 17th, Mountain FM is looking for a replacement. The job as it is (and it may change) is Sports Director at both Mountain FM in Castlegar/Trail/Grand Forks and The Bridge in Nelson. I'm responsible for providing the sports content for the newscasts throughout the day as well as producing a nightly sports show called "Overtime" on both radio stations.

I also help out in the news room creating stories, attending council meetings and reading newscasts. Having a knowledge of news and an understanding of covering local news on the radio is a major asset for anyone interested in the job. If you're interested in spoken word radio our news director here is a pleasure to work for and has a wealth of experience for you to learn from.

Of course the other major component of the work is play by play for the Trail Smoke Eaters. It is an amazing place to work and the people here are second to none. I can't tell you how much I've learned since moving here in 2007. This is a job for an aspiring play by play broadcaster who is ready and willing to wear many hats and work hard. Mountain FM has given me a tremendous opportunity to learn so many aspects of the radio business. The Smoke Eaters, their staff and their fans couldn't have been better partners in that process. It's been a life changing experience here for me and I am sure the person who takes over will feel the same way.

Send your audio and CV to our news director Glenn Hicks at ghicks@mountainfm.net and good luck.

The 2010-2011 Trail Smoke Eaters

2010-09-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Logan Proulx (pictured) is one of several new faces on this season's Smokies roster. There are 10 returning players, 5 new additions with junior experience and 7 rookies. Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram faced a lot of very tough decisions this weekend as the Mountain FM Ashes tournament wrapped up their exhibition season. There were only a few cuts to make, but they were likely the toughest.

With so much talent at this year's camp and only a few spots available, a couple of players from last year's roster ended up on the outside looking in. I'm sure knowing the quality of both of those young men that was the most difficult part of this process for the coaching staff. Thomas Abenante and Josh McEwan are both talented and hard working enough to be BCHL players. I wish them both the best as they weight their options.

That being said, this is as deep a team as I've ever seen in my time in Trail. There is also room for an addition from those who were cut or some opportunities for APs as Trail is going with a 22 man roster. There is a lot to be excited about.

FORWARDS

F Paul Mailey (90) - 5th BCHL season in Trail
F Travis St. Denis (92) - 3rd BCHL season in Trail
F Scott Jacklin (90) - 4th BCHL season, 3rd in Trail
F Sam Mellor (92) - 2nd BCHL season in Trail
F Logan Proulx (91) - 1rst BCHL season, played 3 seasons for Edmonton in the WHL
F Cullen Bradshaw (90) 1rst BCHL season, played 2 seasons for Brooks in the AJHL
F Brett Slobozian (90) 1rst BCHL season, played 2 seasons for Lloydminster in the AJHL
F Matthew Laboucane (91) - 1rst BCHL season, played 2 seasons for Cold Lake in the NEAJBHL
F Dylan Tappe (92) - 1rst BCHL season, played 2 seasons for Spokane in the KIJHL
F Adam Boytink (92) - 1rst BCHL season, played 2 seasons for Grand Prairie AAA Midget
F Beau Blanaru (92) - 1rst BCHL season, played 2 seasons for North Island in BC Major Midget
F Joey Baker (93) - 1rst BCHL season, played 1 season for Beaver Valley in the KIJHL
F Keanan Patershuk (93) - 1rst BCHL season, played 1 season for Fernie in the KIJHL

DEFENCEMEN

D Steve Koshey (91) - 3rd BCHL season in Trail
D Graeme Strukoff (91) - 3rd BCHL season in Trail
D Curtis Tonello (90) - 3rd BCHL season, 2nd in Trail
D Ben Matthews (91) - 2nd BCHL season in Trail
D Eric Walker (93) - 2nd BCHL season in Trail
D Rajan Sidhu (91) - 2nd BCHL season, 1rst in Trail
D Clayton McEwan (91) - 2nd BCHL season, 1rst in Trail

GOALTENDERS

G Kiefer Smiley (90) - 4th BCHL season, 2nd in Trail
G Matt Larose (92) - 1rst BCHL season, played 1 season for Nelson in the KIJHL

There are your 2010-2011 Trail Smoke Eaters. Obviously this roster isn't set until after January's trade deadline, but that is the group that will start the season. The one thing that really stands out is that there isn't a single rookie on the blue line. That should make for a much quicker start to the season than we saw last fall. Fans will likely have a lot of questions about all the rookies we have yet to profile. I'll try and take care of that this week with stories about all the new guys.

The season and home opener is Friday against Merritt. If you don't have your season tickets yet head to Re/Max in Trail and get on that. This is going to be as exciting and competitive a team as they've had in quite some time.

Mountain FM Ashes: Penticton 5 Trail 4

2010-09-06T01:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting this but I went right from the final game of the Ashes to a the car for a quick trip to Spokane with Laura. Precious moments ahead of my move in a couple of weeks!

As for the game, I thought it was terrific. Ultimately not the result the Smokies wanted, but it had a little bit of everything. The first period was so chippy that the coaches made a deal to cut the crap. How often do you see that? After that the violence settled down somewhat and the goal scorers took over.

Trail were in a huge hole as Polk, O'Donnell and Laleggia put the Vees up 3-0. Penticton's power play is always a force and Saturday was no different as the Vees scored 2 out of those 3 goals on the man advantage. However, the Smokies weren't ready to lay down just yet. Scott Jacklin continued his tournament MVP-like performance with a huge slapper to the top corner for his 5th goal in 3 games. That gave Trail some life and Matthew Laboucane cut the lead to only one in the final minute on his tip of a huge Logan Proulx slap shot.

Laboucane struck again early in the third to complete the come back. There is a reason he has been one of the most talked about players at camp. The 1991 born forward who played for Cold Lake in Alberta Junior B last season battles hard every shift. He wins battles, throws huge checks, does the little things right and goes to the net. He was rewarded a second time off a Curtis Tonello point shot with Proulx getting another assist as well. Then with time running down in the game Adam Boytink stole the puck for Trail and roofed a short handed marker to give the Smokies a 4-3 lead. It looked line the home club was headed for victory at the Mountaini FM Ashes.

The Vees put a kibosh on that with 2 quick goals from Joey Holka. Ryan Pinder calls it "Holka-Mania" and that was running wild at the end of the game. Holka's first came after a ridiculous dangle by Garrett Milan on Clayton McEwan. The second was just a big shot from the slot. Holka saved the Ashes for the Vees who have yet to lose a single game in two seasons at Trail's exhibition tournament.

It wasn't the ending Trail fans wanted, but ultimately this event wasn't about winning. Each staff had a chance to get to look at their veteran rosters and in that environment they were able to evaluate their bubble guys. It was also a terrific way to get players exposure to NCAA scouts early in the season. All in all I'd say it was a success. Certainly on the ice you would have a hard time convincing me this isn't the most talented Smokies team I've ever seen since moving here. They should have three lines of scoring.

Thanks to the teams, volunteers and fans who made the Mountain FM Ashes possible. I hope it'll become an annual tradition. Now BCHL fans turn their attention to the start of the regular season with Trail hosting Merritt on Friday. Hope to see you all there!

Mountain FM Ashes Final Live Blog

2010-09-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Pre-Season: Vees vs. Smokies

Jacklin and Birks Interviews

2010-09-04T00:53:00.000-07:00

Smokies Forward Scott Jacklin

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Jacklin was fantastic last night with a hat trick and a terrific assist in a 4-2 win over Powell River. How good has the Jacklin/Mellor/St. Denis line looked thus far? They could be the top line in the league this season before it is all said and done. Both Trail and Penticton are 2-0 heading into their match up at 1pm today. The winning team is the first Mountain FM Ashes champion. Penticton went 3-0 at the tournament last year before it was sponsored by the radio station.

Here are some comments from Smokies Assistant Coach Bill Birks:

Come check it out today at 1pm when we had out the Mountain FM Ashes to the winner. I also wanted to say thanks for all the kind words today it has been overwhelming. I'm so honoured to have been a small part of this area's amazing sports tradition. See you at the rink!

Mountain FM Ashes: Trail 4 Powell River 2

2010-09-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

Mountain FM Ashes: Trail Smoke Eaters 4 Powell River Kings 2

First Period

1) Powell River [2:31] Cohen Adair (Unassisted)

Second Period

2) Trail [1:30] Scott Jacklin (Adam Boytink, Graeme Strukoff)

3) Trail [6:35] Scott Jacklin (Sam Mellor)

4) Powell River [10:08] Daniel Schuler (Brenden Forbes)

Third Period

5) Trail [11:44] Travis St. Denis (Scott Jacklin, Sam Mellor)

6) Trail [] Scott Jacklin (EN)

Power Play

Trail: 0/4
Powell River: 0/6

Goalies

Matt Larose stopped 16 of 17 shots he faced in half the game. Zach Perehudoff also only allowed one goal, but I don't have the shot totals for him. Garteig allowed 3 goals in the Powell River net.

Mountain FM Ashes Schedule

Thursday, September 2nd
4:30pm Penticton 3 Powell River 2 (OT)
7:30pm Trail 6 Brooks 2

Friday, September 3rd
4:30pm Penticton 6 Brooks 2
7:30pm Trail 4 Powell River 2

Saturday, September 4th
10:30am Powell River vs Brooks
1pm Penticton vs Trail

Tickets are available at the door or you can purchase a 6 game pack for $20 at Remax All Pro-Realty in Trail.

Powell River at Trail Live Blog

2010-09-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Mountain FM Ashes Cup Day 2

Smokies/Kings Live Blog

2010-09-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'll be jumping on to Fraser Rodgers' live blog of tonight's Mountain FM Ashes game between Trail and Powell River. I don't know how to get it to stick it on my blog right now while I'm at work but check it out by clicking here. Ultimately I'd much rather just see you at the rink with us! Game time 7:30pm.

Cullen Bradshaw Interview, Swift Current

2010-09-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

Don't forget tonight there is more Mountain FM Ashes Tournament action at the Cominco Arena. At 4:30pm it's Penticton vs. Brooks and at 7:30pm it's Trail vs. Powell River.

A quick note, I know word has spread pretty quickly that I've accepted the job at The Eagle in Swift Current as the new play by play guy for the WHL's Broncos. I'll have more to say in the next couple of weeks as I wrap up my time in Trail, but for now I do want to concentrate on the team as they prepare for the start of the BCHL season. Thank you to all those who have passed on their kind words to me over the last few days. It's been a pleasure getting to know all of you and I hope we'll remain friends for a long time.

The first question everyone has is about who is replacing me. That's an easy answer for now as I have no idea. This is a process that Mountain FM will go through to make sure they get the best possible guy for the job so be patient. I have 100% faith in those responsible for the hire that they'll get it right. If you're interested in the gig you can certainly inquire to ghicks@mountainfm.net but it isn't clear as of yet exactly what direction the station is going in for the job. I should mention that anyone hoping to work in our newsroom should be prepared to wear many hats and should have a background in both news and sports.

Mountain FM Ashes: Trail 6 Brooks 2

2010-09-03T01:09:00.000-07:00

Mountain FM Ashes: Trail Smoke Eaters 6 Brooks Bandits 2

First Period

1) Trail [3:34] Logan Proulx (Cullen Bradshaw)

2) Brooks [10:08] Matt Wilkins (Brett Howe)

3) Trail [13:07] Travis St. Denis (Scott Jacklin, Dylan Tappe)

4) Brooks [14:17] Devin Mitzner (Riley Simpson)

Second Period

5) Trail [6:12] Adam Boytink (Brett Slobodzian)

6) Trail [18:15] Beau Blanaru (Rajan Sidhu)

Third Period

7) Trail [] Eric Walker (Unassisted)

8) Trail [] Travis St. Denis (Sam Mellor, Scott Jacklin)

Goalies

Trail: Kiefer Smiley (26/28)
Brooks: Jan Obernesser (32/38)

Mountain FM Ashes Schedule

Thursday, September 2nd
4:30pm Penticton 3 Powell River 2 (OT)
7:30pm Trail 6 Brooks 2

Friday, September 3rd
4:30pm Brooks vs Penticton
7:30pm Powell River vs Trail

Saturday, September 4th
10:30am Powell River vs Brooks
1pm Penticton vs Trail

For more pictures from the game visit the Trail Smoke Eaters on Facebook.

Mountain FM Ashes Audio Preview

2010-09-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

The Mountain FM Ashes Trail Smoke Eaters Exhibition Tournament gets started today. Penticton and Powell River face off at 4:30pm while Trail plays Brooks at 7:30pm. It'll be Matt Wilkins and Mitch Kaufmann of the Bandits facing their former team in their former home rink. Cullen Bradshaw of the Smokies will play his first game in the orange and black against his old team as well. Should be interesting.

For live coverage of the Penticton game check out Ryan Pinder's Vees Blog for a live blog of all the action. I'll be trying to get something similar up and running here on this blog tonight. However, I'll be distracted a bit at first by doing the big ashes ceremony to start the game. For now here are some interviews I've done with three of the coaches and Pinder to preview the tournament. Check it out for $5 a game and $20 for the tournament.

Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram

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Penticton Vees Coach and GM Fred Harbinson

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Powell River Coach and GM Kent Lewis

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Penticton Vees Broadcaster Ryan Pinder

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The Mountain FM Ashes will be held in...

2010-08-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

That is Mountain FM's Drex and myself (in a horribly wrinkled shirt...) holding the new container for The Ashes. What the heck is that you ask? How about we take a closer look.

I know it's not fancy, but that is part of the point. What is important is what is inside of the the pipe bom---er canister. I actually think that having a pipe like that is kind of a fun representation of the blue collar attitude that makes Trail the proud community it is. We'll play with it a bit to make it look a little more regal before the tournament itself. That being said, I like that it isn't just some traditional urn or trophy. You can't argue that it isn't unique.

Who will win the Mountain FM Ashes? Head to the official website and vote in our poll. Check out Overtime tomorrow night for interviews with Kent Lewis of the Powell River Kings and Penticton play by play man Ryan Pinder. Tonight we talk Nelson Leafs training camp and the Grand Forks International.

Ingram discusses the Vernon games

2010-08-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram on Mountain FM's Overtime

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Exhibition Game 2: Vernon 4 Trail 3

2010-08-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

We saw some scoring out of the Smokies prospects tonight as they fell 4-3 against Vernon in Chase. After getting shut out 4-0 on Friday, Dylan Tappe (92 from the Spokane Braves - pictured from camp), Adam Boytink (92 from Grande Prairie AAA Midget) and Chris Derochie (92 from the Beaver Valley Nitehawks) scored for Trail tonight.

This time around it was Matt Larose and Zach Perehudoff in goal for the Smokies. Again reports indicate they both played well in a losing cause. I don't think the decision on the back-up goaltender got that much easier this weekend. All four goaltenders have made a strong case for themselves. What is going to help one of these goalies separate themselves from the pack?

Losing both games isn't really relevant in this case. The main point of this trip again was for the Smokies staff to get a look at how their young guys can stand up to some legit competition. Now I imagine they'll have a lot to consider as they get set for the pre-season tournament this week. Who will still be on the Smokies roster for the Mountain FM Ashes? At that point we'll start to see some of the veterans come back in to the line-up. That means there is only room for so many prospects come Thursday. That will mean some decisions for the coaches coming up soon.

As for the Vipers, I don't know their goal scorers or anything as I wasn't at the game. That said, reports indicate that the young core for this year's Vipers will be very talented as usual. There is a lot of very good talent on that club again this year. The big question mark will be whether or not they can match the historic runs their last two teams have had.

Thanks to Chase for hosting the Smokies for these exhibition games this weekend. Hopefully it was a nice treat for fans in the area after they lost their KIJHL team this spring. They should be getting another franchise next fall.

Exhibition Game 1: Vernon 4 Trail 0

2010-08-28T17:57:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately due to work commitments I was unable to attend the two exhibition games in Chase this weekend. As such my access to details of the games has been somewhat limited. The BCHL doesn't require box scores for exhibition either.

I was able to talk to a couple of people and rustled up some very minor details. For one, Matthew Laboucane was again impressive for Trail in the game. You can see him here in a photo from the inter-squad game throwing a huge hit next to the bench. Laboucane is an energy guy with a lot of jam and pretty good touch as well. In the same game as he threw a couple of huge hits I also saw him win a tenacious battle for the puck and make a pass from his knees to set up a scoring chance. This is a player to watch.

He played last season for the Cold Lake Ice in Alberta Junior B. He is sure making a case for himself so far.

Goaltenders Andrew Walton (91 from the Castlegar Rebels) and Mike Vlanich (92 from the Beaver Valley Nitehawks) shared duties last night. I hear they both played well and I would think that will continue to keep things interesting in the battle for the back-up spot. I am under the impression that we'll see two other goaltenders today. That would likely mean Matt Larose (92 from the Nelson Leafs) and Zach Perehudoff (93 from the Okanagan Hockey Academy) in goal tonight.

Again it is worth mentioning that the Smokies left almost all their returning vets at home this weekend. These games are a test to see how the young prospects will do in a competitive environment. It's more about player evaluation than team results. We'll see I think a more game ready Smokies squad at the Mountain FM Ashes tournament starting Thursday.

By the way if you want some more pictures from training camp check out the Trail Smoke Eaters Facebook page and click on photos. I want to see that page get over 200 "likes" before the start of the regular season!

Also I just wanted to mention I was reading reports from the Spokane Chiefs camp full of praise and admiration for the courage and toughness of Josh "Mad Dog" McEwan. They don't know the half of it yet! It wouldn't surprise anyone here to know that Josh isn't backing down from anyone at camp and won't stop throwing punches until he is physicall pulled away from the battle. That's the McEwan we know and will miss if he makes Spokane.

Prospect Weekend in Chase

2010-08-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

This picture is of 16 year old Dallas Calvin trying to catch up with veteran Travis St. Denis. That's what this weekend in Chase is all about. Prospects trying to show they belong with the vets.

From quickly communicating with a couple of people this week it was obvious that the games tonight and tomorrow against Vernon are all about evaluating prospects. Both the Vipers and Smoke Eaters are leaving most of their veterans at home while they take a close look at which young guys might be ready to make the jump.

So this weekend will be the BCHL version of an NHL prospect tournament. It will be an opportunity for the young guys to shine when going head to head with one another. Only the truly hungry players will survive and make the impression they need to make.

For the Smokies the focus remains primarily on filling out their forward unit. It'll be harder for any rookies to break through on the back end (that's not a given mind you), but there is room for between 5 and 7 rookie forwards depending on how things shape up. Some guys may think they're locks or sure things, but if you get out played in these games by the other hungry prospects suddenly you can find yourself on the outside looking in. As much as the games don't mean anything for the standings they mean a whole heck of a lot in determining the look of both clubs.

While Trail does have a large returning core, Vernon has had a big turnover after back to back national championships. The Smokies will get a first hand perspective on the future core of the always powerful Vipers. It will be good to see how their young prospects will match up with the Vernon recruits.

Can one of the 16 year olds break through this weekend? Will a defenceman show enough that Coach Ingram has to reconsider keeping all his veterans? With Kiefer Smiley staying at home for the Chase trip which goaltender will emerge as the favourite for the back-up spot this season?

There are a lot of questions to answer. I'm not in Chase due to work commitments but I'll do my best to let you know what went down tonight and tomorrow. I think we'll see a much trimmer and more veteran heavy roster when it comes time for the Mountain FM Ashes pre-season tournament next weekend. Should be fun.

The Mountain FM Ashes (Exhibition Tournament)

2010-08-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

TRAIL, BC – The Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey Club is proud to announce that Mountain FM has come on board as the title sponsor for the Smokies annual exhibition tournament. The event is now known as the Mountain FM Ashes and takes place from September 2nd-4th.

The concept is based on a cricket series between England and Australia dating back to 1882. The winner of the series is awarded an urn carrying ashes of some form of burned cricket equipment. Mountain FM and the Smoke Eaters are now bringing a form of that tradition to the BCHL pre-season event.

During the tournament there will be a symbolic burning to create the ashes that will be awarded to the tournament winner. Since it is only a round robin event the winner will be decided by team records and a list of tie breakers.

“The team at Mountain FM is super excited about presenting the first annual Mountain FM Ashes,” says station program director and morning show host Drex. “It's a great concept for the Smokies and their pre-season tournament.”

“We hope the Smokies can bring it home.”

In addition to sponsoring the tournament, Mountain FM is also entering their 6th season as the radio home of the Smoke Eaters. The station broadcasts every Smokies road game at 104.1 FM in Trail and covers the team extensively on their nightly sports show “Overtime.”

Last year's event was the first of it's kind in Trail and drew over a dozen NCAA schools.

The tournament will include the Smoke Eaters, Penticton Vees, Powell River Kings and Brooks Bandits.

Powell River is the two-time defending BCHL Coastal Conference Champion. They were one game away from representing the BCHL in the 2010 Royal Bank Cup.

Penticton was the third place team in the final CJHL regular season national rankings. 18 Vees on last season's roster earned commitments from NCAA schools.

Brooks brings representation from the AJHL. They finished fifth in the South Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2009-10.

Here is the schedule for the event:

Thursday, September 2nd
4:30pm Penticton vs Powell River
7:30pm Brooks vs Trail

Friday, September 3rd
4:30pm Brooks vs Penticton
7:30pm Powell River vs Trail

Saturday, September 4th
10:30am Powell River vs Brooks
1pm Penticton vs Trail

Tickets are available at the door or you can purchase a 6 game pack for $20 at Remax All Pro-Realty in Trail.

###

For more information on the 2010 Mountain FM Ashes Trail Smoke Eaters exhibition tournament, visit http://www.trailsmokeeaters.com/ or http://www.mountainfm.net/

Training Camp Day 3: Inter-Squad Game

2010-08-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Today the Smokies wrapped up training camp with the annual inter-squad game. It is sometimes called the black and orange game or the black and white or orange and white... in this case they wore blue and white so we'll just call it the inter-squad game. The coaching staff told me the 60+ person roster was cut down by 10-15 players heading into the game, but there are still a lot of decisions to make. This wasn't close to the final roster we'll see come September 10th as there were still eight 16 year olds with the club as of game time. There is a very impressive group of 94s and 95s out of the West Kootenay. 15 year old Dryden Hunt has been drawing all kinds of raves this week for his play. He'll be a future star for this team after spending this season playing for Simon Wheeldon and Brent Heaven's Major Midget club.

The game started well, but you could see once they hit the third period that the guys had run out of gas. They all played this morning and had been on the ice consistently throughout the last three days. It showed in the later part of this game. We also didn't see a few of the veteran players like Kiefer Smiley, Paul Mailey, Steve Koshey, Sam Mellor and Brett Slobodzian. Here is the summary:

FIRST PERIOD

1. [17:01] Team Whtie - Cullen Bradshaw (Penalty Shot)

SECOND PERIOD

2. [0:54] Team Blue - Logan Proulx (Travis St. Denis, Dylan Tappe)
*Nice passing play*

3. [3:33] Team Blue - Keanan Patershuk
*Puck hit the back boards and went off the back of the goalie*

4. [9:12] Team White - Curtis Tonello (Cullen Bradshaw, Rajan Sidhu) PP
*Tonello knocks in the rebound of Bradshaw's shot*

THIRD PERIOD

No Scoring

OVERTIME

5. [3:56] Team White - Dallas Calvin (Ben Matthews, Jesse Knowler)
*See the video on top of this post*

GOALTENDERS

No shot totals but Matt LaRose and Andrew Walton each allowed 2 goals in their half. Mike Vlanich allowed only the OT winner in his half. Zach Perehudoff had a shut out.

TEAM BLUE ROSTER

G Matt LaRose (92)
G Mike Vlanich (92)

D Graeme Strukoff (91)
D L. Koentges (92)
D Eric Walker (93)
D Ryan Dixon (94)
D Walker Sidoni (94)
D Easton Bodeux (94)

F Thomas Abenante (90)
F Travis St. Denis (92)
F Logan Proulx (91)
F Jamie Vlanich (93)
F Keanan Patershuk (93)
F B. McDonald (93)
F Tanner Burns (93)
F Ben Greenaway (93)
F Scott Morriseau (91)
F Dylan Tappe (92)
F K. Petit (92)

TEAM WHITE ROSTER

G Andrew Walton (91)
G Zach Perehudoff (93)

D Curtis Tonello (90)
D Rajan Sidhu (91)
D Clayton McEwan (91)
D Braden Hikichi (92)
D Ben Matthews (91)
D M. Carr (94)

F Matt Laboucaine (91)
F D. Lynum (93)
F Cullen Bradshaw (90)
F Dallas Calvin (94)
F Joey Baker (93)
F Adam Wheeldon (94)
F Jesse Knowler (94)
F Dryden Hunt (95)
F Beau Blanaru (92)
F Diego Bartlett (94)
F Adam Boytinck (92)

GELLEY GONE

Just quickly wanted to mention that recently acquired defenecman Cole Gelley has left the Smokies. Jim Ingram confirmed today that Gelley felt that "Trail isn't his place" and he went back home to the lower mainland. I don't know Gelley from a hole in the wall outside of one interview where he seemed very enthusiastic about the opportunity. Based on that conversation I was very surprised to hear Gelley took off so quickly, but I suppose we can't judge without walking a mile in another man's shoes. I'm sure he wants to be traded back home but if he is narrowing his choices down to teams in that region he certainly is lowering the chances that a move can be made.

Ultimately the Smoke Eaters were going to have to relieve themselves of at least one veteran defenceman as they had eight of them coming into camp. This departure just opens the door even further for a guy like Clayton McEwan to bring his year of BCHL experience into Trail's line-up. This team is deep enough that it certainly doesn't have to beg anyone to play here.

Training Camp Day 2: Bill Birks Interview, Camp Thoughts

2010-08-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

I caught up with new Smokies Assistant Coach Bill Birks at Day 2 of training camp. Bill is obviously beyond pumped to be back in a coaching role in the BCHL and that kind of enthusiasm is contagious. Again for the second straight day I heard a lot of comments around the Cominco Arena about how talented and skilled the 60 players at this camp looked. You've got to be excited about the possibilities.

Everyone has their own opinion about what potential rookies are making an early impression. We've seen in previous seasons what a big push in camp can do. Travis St. Denis and Grame Strukoff were set to start the 2008-2009 season in Beaver Valley and Nelson respectively until they came to camp and proved they belonged in Trail. Eric Walker walked into Smokies camp last season as a 16 year old and was a no doubt selection from basically day one. This year a number of 16 year olds like Dallas Calvin and Ryan Dixon are doing everything they can to make a case for themselves.

It is always an up hill climb for a 16 year old to show they belong in the league. Even if they can handle some minutes in the BCHL you have to ask whether or not those 94s would be better off getting serious minutes on one of the local KIJHL teams or on the Major Midget team with new coaches Simon Wheeldon and Brent Heaven. Ultimately with players of that age it's a marathon not a sprint. As much as you want to have all the good young talents locked up and secured, the Smokies will do what they think is best for those players and hope that pays off for both parties down the line.

THE ROSTER

For those wondering what spots are open I figured I'd take a look at where returning veterans and announced commitments are slotted in. Now that doesn't mean that those veterans can't be pushed. We've talked a lot about how many veteran defencemen there are at camp, but a rookie can force their way onto the team by out working and out playing one or more of those vets. Here is how things stand (random lines here) with the returning players:

(92) Travis St. Denis (90) Scott Jacklin (92) Sam Mellor
(90) Brett Slobodzian (90) Cullen Bradshaw (90) Paul Mailey
(91) Logan Proulx (90) Thomas Abenante (91) Josh McEwan
(92) Dylan Tappe

(91) Steve Koshey (91) Ben Matthews
(91) Grame Strukoff (90) Curtis Tonello
(93) Eric Walker (91) Rajan Sidhu
(91) Cole Gelley

(90) Kiefer Smiley

A couple of quick notes to mention. You heard Bill Birks say in the interview that Clayton McEwan is also in camp. Josh's cousin played a strong rookie season in Prince George and Williams Lake last season. He was a free agent due to the Timberwolves folding and is going to push for a spot on the veteran Smokies blue line.

Josh McEwan is headed to the Spokane Chiefs camp. He'll join another Smokies property in Mike Betz at that camp. Best of luck to both guys in making the club there. Betz has a ton of skill and if he can put it all together he could be dominant offensively, but nobody works harder and has more heart than McEwan. That mad dog will fight anyone... as long as they're bigger than him. Players at that camp would do well not to underestimate him.

One of the questions Smokies staff will have to answer before the puck drops on the regular season is what to do about the 20 year old situation. There are too many 1990s on the roster as it is and one will have to be moved or released. As Birks says, it is better to have tough decisions than easy ones. I suspect there will still be a lot to decide by the time we get to the exhibition games in Chase and the pre-season tournament here in Trail.

The final day of camp goes tomorrow with games at 9:15am, 10:30am and the Orange/Black game at 2pm.

Training Camp Day 1: Ingram Interview

2010-08-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

This is a bit of an experiment with the iPhone video to see how well it works. The audio levels are not remotely balanced I'll have to work on how to get the subject to sound better. I know it's a little shaky, but what do you think? Just a test run for now.

Join us on Facebook & Twitter

2010-08-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

The Trail Smoke Eaters now have official Facebook and Twitter pages. We'll be posting event details and up to date information on the page. It is also going to be an opportunity for discussion. We want your feedback on things like music you like to hear at games or promotional activities you'd like to see at the Cominco Arena this season. Come and join the page... invite your friends too!

Don't forget to check out the training camp games tonight at 5pm and 6:30pm at the Cominco Arena. Hockey season is here!

Training Camp Audio and Schedule

2010-08-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

Smokies training camp opens up on Monday morning at 8:30am with registration. There will be 60 players vying for 23 roster spots. They've been split into four teams that will start with practices on Monday and then play a series of inter-squad games. This should be an interesting camp as there are more veteran players here than there have been at least since Coach Ingram's first camp.

That being said, the scouting network has been scouring Western Canada for top young players and hidden gems. Just because a player was on a BCHL roster last year it doesn't guarantee them anything. The message of my recent chat with Coach Ingram is that everyone is going to have to earn a spot on this club. That may sound like a cliche, but with Trail's potential depth this season there is no room for passengers.

I had the chance to catch up wtih the coach, one of the new faces and a returning Alaskan Elk this week on Overtime.

Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram

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Smoke Eaters Forward Brett Slobodzian

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Smoke Eaters Defenceman Ben Matthews

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TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE

Monday, August 23rd

10:00-11:00am- Practice Team Red

11:30-12:30pm- Practice Team White

1:00-2:00pm- Practice Team Yellow

2:30-3:30pm- Practice Team Blue

5:00-6:15pm- Game #1 Red vs White

6:45-8:00pm- Game #2 Yellow vs Blue

Tuesday, August 24th

9:00am-10:15am- White vs Yellow

10:45-12:00- Blue vs Red

1:00pm-2:00pm- Goalie Session

4:00pm-5:15pm- White vs Blue

6:00pm-7:15pm- Yellow vs Red

Wednesday, August 25th

9:15-10:15am- 3 vs 4

10:30-11:30am- 1 vs 2

2:00pm-4:00pm Smokie Inter-Squad Game

Sidhu Interview

2010-08-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

New Smoke Eaters Defenceman Rajan Sidhu

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Kehler and Williams Interviews, Fight Rules

2010-08-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a summer of change for Tim Kehler. The WHL's Swift Current Broncos didn't renew his contract as assistant coach after three seasons in Saskatchewan. However, it didn't take long for the former Smokies Coach to find a new home. Kehler is back in the BCHL with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. I had the chance recently to chat with him about returning to the Junior A ranks, his time in Trail, how he changed as a coach in the WHL and how much control he'll have over hockey ops in Salmon Arm. I also caught up with Silverbacks owner Randy Williams to discuss why Kehler is the right guy and general operations in Salmon Arm.

Salmon Arm Coach and GM Tim Kehler

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Salmon Arm Owner Randy Williams

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FIGHT RULES

I told you a couple of months back on this blog about the new fight rules in the BCHL. The league has now released details of their agreement with other Junior A leagues and Hockey Canada. I continue to have a problem with the term "bullying" as I frankly don't think that suits much of what we ever see in the BCHL. I applaud the leauges in doing what they can to limit dangerous hits. However, I am not sure the six fight limit is in the best interests of the game. It's better than Hockey Canada imposing much stricter rules, but I don't see the change as an overall positive.

We'll have an interview with Rajan Sidhu and a training camp preview coming up on the blog before the end of the weekend. You can check out the training camp schedule by clicking here.

Cowichan trades Sidhu to Trail

2010-08-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

The Trail Smoke Eaters have continued to add to their veteran depth on the blue line with the addition of Rajan Sidhu from the Cowichan Valley Capitals today. The deal is for future considerations and is also part of clearing up any futures Cowichan owed Trail in a complicated arrangement dating back to the Colin Lidster for Mitch Kaufmann trade to Alberta. The bottom line is Sidhu for futures.

In Sidhu the Smokies get another potential hidden gem of an offensive defenceman. He put up 3 goals and 15 assists in only 43 games for Cowichan last season. Take those numbers and project them for a full season, and we're talking about 25 points. With the Smokies last season that would've been enough to finish second among defencemen. As a rookie on a struggling team you can't complain about that kind of production.

Sidhu also has good size at 6'3 and 190lbs. He was also a scoring force in Junior B. He scored 21 points in 37 games as a 16 year old before following that up with 32 points in 36 games as a 17 year old. In his second season he had started the year with Penticton before going back to Richmond. I'm sure in the end he didn't mind as the Sockeyes went on to not only win the PIJHL Championship, but the Cyclone Taylor (over Nelson) and Keystone Cups as well. He put up 15 points in 24 playoff games over two seasons in Richmond as well.

As you can see from his profile on the PIJHL website he is also an academic achiever who was the MVP of the Mission Super Series Tournament at 10 years of age. He also enjoys playing golf and basketball. I'm sure if that's the case he won't mind the beautiful courses we have out here.

I'll try to get Rajan on the phone tomorrow and we'll see if we can get him on Overtime.

This certainly makes training camp even more interesting on the back end. This move and the Cole Gelley addition recently brings the number of defencemen with at least one year of BCHL experience up to 7. There might even be more than that depending on who we see at camp. Could we see the Smoke Eaters keep 8 defencemen out of camp like they did two years ago? If not there are going to be some very tough decisions for the coaching staff. The vets better come to camp with their working boots on.

The players are already starting to make that trip in to Trail with camp set to go on Monday. I had the chance to catch up with Ben Matthews and Brett Slobodzian so far this week. I'll have that for you on the blog shortly. That and those promised interviews with Tim Kehler and Randy Williams. I've been a bit distracted but we're back on course heading into Monday.

Gelley, Smokies Camp, Tournament Schedule, KIJHL roster news

2010-08-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Cole Gelley defending Graeme Strukoff last season at the Cominco Arena. Thanks to Randy Emery for that. As noted in Guy Bertrand's Trail Times article, Gelley and Strukoff were drafted one spot away from each other in the WHL Bantam draft several years back. Now they'll find themselves playing together. Here is the press release I wrote up for the Smokies website:

TRAIL, BC - Trail Smoke Eaters Coach and GM Jim Ingram announced today that the Smokies have acquired defenceman Cole Gelley and future considerations from the Surrey Eagles in exchange for defenceman Wade Bennett and forward Robert Lindores.
"Cole is a real good skating, puck moving defenceman that can quarterback a power play," said Ingram. "I think that's something we wanted to make sure we had (enough of) in the line-up."
Gelly, 19, recorded one goal, 19 assists (1-19-20) and 26 penalty minutes in 58 games with the Eagles last season. Gelley made his BCHL debut as an AP in 2007-08 and has played 101 career regular season games with the Eagles. Prior to that he played 75 games in Major Midget, recording 27 points (6-19-27) and 66 penalty minutes for the Vancouver North West Giants.

"It's a good opportunity and I'm excited to come up there," said Gelley. "I don't think my point totals really represent how much of an offensive player I am."
"I feel I have way more in the tank than that."
The move was partly necessitated by the number of returning 20 year old players on Trail's roster.
"There's no secret that we were top heavy with 1990 birth years," said Ingram.

This deal combined with the recent trade of Garrett Beckwith to Drumheller in the AJHL and the departure of Tom Rizzardo to Bizmark of the NAHL, trims Trail's number of 1990 born players from 10 to 7 before training camp. BCHL teams can only carry 6 of them once the puck drops for the regular season.

Bennett, 20, scored 3 goals and 19 assists (3-19-22) as a forward and defenceman with the Smoke Eaters last season. Lindores, 19, has scored 6 goals and 9 assists (6-9-15) over 89 career games with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. He became Trail property as the future considerations in the Tye Lewis for Curtis Tonello trade.

As noted in the press release, the 20 year old log jam was reduced further as Tom Rizzardo has opted to play for Bizmark in the North American Hockey League. Tommy is a classy young man who has a lot of offensive talent. He proved that with Nelson during their KIJHL championship run in 2009. I hope he is able to translate that to the Junior A level with Bizmark.

That leaves Trail with seven 1990 born players in training camp. There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition among veterans to make sure these guys aren't taking their spots for granted. We know camp is always competitive among rookies trying to make the club. This situation should make sure the vets are fighting for their jobs too.

The addition of Gelley ensures that barring any other moves the Smokies are going to have a veteran defensive unit this season. Gelley, Steve Koshey, Graeme Strukoff and Curtis Tonello are entering their third BCHL seasons while it will be the second for Eric Walker and Ben Matthews. There is room for one or two rookies to make the roster and learn with that group. However, that is a big step up from last September when the club was throwing 4 or 5 rookies over the boards every night. I'm sure goaltender Kiefer Smiley is thanking his lucky stars there will be some veteran help early on this year.

Training camp gets started on August 23rd with registration at 8:30am. The camp will run for three days and then the Smokies have a couple of exhibition games in Chase against Vernon.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The second annual Smokies pre-season tournament will run from Thursday, September 2nd to Saturday, September 4th. Here is the schedule:

Thursday, September 2nd
4:30pm Penticton vs Powell River
7:30pm Brooks vs Trail

Friday, September 3rd
4:30pm Brooks vs Penticton
7:30pm Powell River vs Trail

Saturday, September 4th
10:30am Powell River vs Brooks
1pm Penticton vs Trail

I'll do my best to get the arena as much as possible for the games. You can also likely count on some live coverage of the games on Ryan Pinder's Vees Blog. He did some live blogging from it lats year.

KIJHL ROSTER MOVES

A couple of moves in the KIJHL last week. First a trade that saw Grand Forks send PIM king Jacob Halderman to Columbia Valley for defencemen Zack MacLellan and Jordan Groenheyde. MacLellan was Columbia Valley's All-Star game rep. Both teams finished last in their division last season and are hoping for bounce back seasons. Can't hurt the Border Bruins to get a couple of young d-men with experience in the league. They finished well last year and I'm really hoping to see them continue to push forward. The community will really get behind them if they continue making progress. Check out the Off the Wahl blog for more.

New Nelson Leafs Coach and GM Chris Shaw announced this week that they've received a commitment from four of last year's veterans to return in September. F Gavin Currie, F Cody Abbey, D Tyler Parfeniuk and D Taylor O'Neil will all be back in Nelson. O'Neil and Currie both played as APs for Trail last season. Taylor is the Leafs Captain while Currie was their top forward in 2009-10. They should form a very strong core for Shaw to build around.

New Castlegar Coach and GM Steve Junker also announced that they'll be getting a couple of veteran talents back this season. Tough forward Taylor Anderson and top defenceman Darren Tarasoff have committed to return to the Rebels. Anderson was third in the KIJHL in penalty minutes while Tarasoff spent most of last season with Williams Lake in the BCHL. They should both be leaders on Junker's first squad.

Both the Leafs and Rebels will likely get more of last year's players back, but as with all KIJHL teams it is a waiting game until BCHL camps are complete. I've yet to hear much about who is or isn't expected back in Beaver Valley, but I do know they're excited about a lot of the young local talent that will be a part of their club this season.

Mountain FM is the official media partner of the KIJHL and we will continue to be the primary source for KIJHL coverage in the Kootenay-Boundary. If anything our coverage will expand and evolve this season. I'm looking forward to it.

More to come on the blog this week including and interview with former Smokies Coach Tim Kehler on taking over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks this season.

Gelley Interview

2010-08-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Cole Gelley Interview

Click here to download

Jim Ingram Interview on Gelley

Click here to download

(Thanks to the Surrey Eagles for the photo of Gelley)

Smokies trade Bennett and Lindores for Gelley

2010-08-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Breaking news this afternoon that the Smoke Eaters have traded 1990 born defenceman/forward Wade Bennett and 1991 born forward Robert Lindores to Surrey for 1991 born defenceman Cole Gelley.

This is another move to help clear the log jam of 1990s on Trail's roster. I'm glad to see someone as classy and hard working as Bennett will stay in the BCHL and have a real opportunity to show what he is capable of doing at this level. It is also a good more for Lindores as he has a connection to the Eagles organization. Lindores was the future considerations in the Tye Lewis deal from Alberni Valley and never played a game as a Smoke Eater.

Gelley is a good skater who has the potential to be an offensive catalyst and power play quarterback from the blue line. In Surrey he went from having 6 points as a rookie to 20 points last season with limited ice in offensive situations. He is a guy that the Smoke Eaters feel will come in and challenge for top minutes on the man advantage.

I'll have more this weekend on Gelley and his background with the Eagles and the Major Midget Vancouver Northwest Giants. Tune in to Mountain FM's Overtime tonight for interviews with Gelley and Smokies Coach Jim Ingram.

Season Ticket Drive

2010-07-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

Click here for your Smokies Season Ticket Application.

Trail Smoke Eaters season tickets for the 2010/2011 season are now on sale.

Adult Season Ticket: $295 ($325 after July 31)
Senior Season Ticket: $265 ($295 after July 31)
Student (13-18): $209 ($229 after July 31)
Youth (6-12): $169 ($189 after July 31)
Child (5-under): FREE
Family (2 Adults & 2 Student/Youth): $800 ($900 after July 31)

You can also purchase a 15 game Flex Pack for use at any games you chose. Those start at $159 for Adults, $149 for Seniors, $109 for Students and $89 for Youth.

Support your home team and become part of 100 years of hockey tradition by buying your season ticket package. Fill out the application and you can either bring it to Re/Max in Trail or send it to:

Trail Smoke Eaters
P.O. Box 313
Trail, British Columbia
V1R 4L6

Beckwith Traded, Wheeldon Returns

2010-07-29T16:15:00.001-07:00

The Trail Smoke Eaters have sent 20 year old goaltender Garrett Beckwith to the AJHL's Drumheller Dragons in a future considerations deal. The other shoe had to drop here. There was no way the Smokies were going to bring two 1990 born goaltenders into camp in September. A choice had to be made and the Smokies are going with Kiefer Smiley.

In this case I'd say that decision was made when Kiefer played lights out hockey in the last two months of the season. He was especially good in the playoffs and gave the injury-plagued Smokies a real chance in all the games against Westside. I'm sure Smoke Eaters fans are hoping what we saw of Smiley at the end of the season was a return to the form we saw from him as an outstanding rookie with the Cowichan Valley Capitals. If he is able to build on that Trail will have a very talented veteran to lean on this season.

As for Beckwith, I'm sure he's hoping that last season was just a slight bump in the road of what has been an impressive young career. I heard rumblings of some people wondering if he would go back to the KIJHL's Nelson Leafs, but what does he have left to prove there? It'd be near impossible to top a 2008-09 season in which he lost twice all year and took his team to a championship.

Garrett will get a chance in Drumheller to prove himself at the Junior A level. We saw some signs of that last year. However, what could any goaltender do with the kind of mistakes we were seeing on the ice early last season? After a rough start to the year confidence was likely a factor for both netminders. Garrett is a very talented and athletic goaltender. You can see it in the video I made for him to help with college recruitment. It's just a matter of putting it together with consistency. If he does, the Dragons will be very pleased with the deal they just made. Doesn't hurt that he's a quality young man as well.

Good luck to Garrett this year and I'm sure fans in Nelson and Trail will be watching the box scores.

WHEELDON TO THE ICE

Just when he thought he was out... they pulled him back in.

Former Nelson Leafs Coach and GM Simon Wheeldon has signed on as the Coach of the Major Midget Kootenay Ice. Chris Wahl has some details here. I was away yesterday but you can hear Chris' interview with Simon on Overtime tonight.

I'm sure most people thought that if Simon were going to take another coaching gig it would be with a BCHL or WHL team rather than midget. So what happened? Wheeldon resigned as Nelson's coach because he wanted to spend more time with his family. He has another full time job and was being stretched quite thin. However, the Major Midget program in the Kootenays was in real trouble. We were getting down to the final hour basically. If Wheeldon hadn't stepped up the program may have died. Once it was gone it would've been very tough to get it back.

It is still a huge time commitment, but I think it'll probably be a little less taxing. Most of the players are living with their parents. There is no trading involved here. I don't think the job is quite as complex. That being said, if Simon commits to doing something he is going to do it at 100%.

The realities of Major Midget in this area is that we don't have as much of a population base to draw from as some major markets. We are also far more spread out so it's hard to get some of the best talent from the East Kootenay to come play here. Is the team from this area ever to likely win a championship? Probably not, but they can compete. Brent Petrick had them playing .500 hockey in the second half of the season with a commitment to hard work and team play. Wheeldon has a terrific record behind the bench and should be able to build on Petrick's work with the program.

Simon is used to winning, but that is not the primary role of a coach in Major Midget. His job is to get these local young talents ready for Junior B, Junior A and Major Junior. Given the great work he has done with the Leafs I suspect the program couldn't ask for a better hire. The only question is how long is he prepared to do the job and will this program survive if they are desperately searching for a coach every summer?

KROMM DAY

Lastly I just wanted to say kudos to those who organized Bobby Kromm day at the Cominco Arena. I couldn't make it but apparently there were quite a number of people there to show their respect to the legendary coach. Look out for more planned tributes to the 1961 Smoke Eaters this year! Join our facebook group (link on the left side of the page) to stay on top of it all.

Bobby Kromm Day

2010-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Trail has declared July 28th, 2010 as Bobby Kromm Day. There will be a gathering of friends, family and fans at the Cominco Arena at 2pm this afternoon. This is a chance to celebrate Kromm's life and share stories about the local hockey legend and former NHL Coach of the Year.

I talked on Mountain FM's Overtime last night with Norm Lenardon about what to expect today. I'll also re-post the tribute we did for Kromm on Overtime last month.

Norm Lenardon on Bobby Kromm Day

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Overtime's Tribute to Bobby Kromm

Click here to download

Summer Classic Audio: Drake, Quinn, Pogge, Mikkelson, Bennett

2010-07-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Rossland's Dallas Drake that I took at the Stanley Cup Celebration for him back in the summer of 2008. Drake was inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in Penticton on the weekend. I had the chance to chat with him before and after the induction. I also was lucky enough to help broadcast the Penticton Summer Classic charity hockey game on Saturday. The game included the likes of Drake, Dany Heatley, Duncan Keith and Trail Smoke Eater Wade Bennett. Wade looked good out there and even stopped Heatley on the door step. Thanks to Ryan Pinder and everyone at the event for inviting me for a second straight year. I had a blast.

Here is some audio I got from the game:

Dallas Drake on Friday

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Dallas Drake on Saturday

Click here to download

Pat Quinn

Click here to download

Justin Pogge

Click here to download

Meaghan Mikkelson

Click here to download

Wade Bennett

Click here to download

Here are a couple of photos of Wade from the game. Thanks to Beth Harding for sending them!

Smokies in Sweden

2010-07-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

(Scott Jacklin and Graeme Strukoff in Sweden)

My apologies again for the lack of updates lately. With my additional responsibilities as Smoke Eaters marketing director and my full time job at Mountain FM it's been hard to find free time for the blog. I'll try to get back in the grove as I have a lot of stuff to cover that I missed.

I did want to say a special thank you to everyone who came out to the Smokies Alumni Banquet and Golf Tournament this year. We raised a lot of money for the club and the ALS Society. Norm Lenardon and all the Smokies volunteers worked so hard to make the event come together. Thanks also to the sponsors and the specials guests for making the night what it was.

Also I wanted to mention season tickets are now on sale and there are details on the official team website. There's a strong push this summer to really increase the number of season tickets. Encourage your friends to get in on it early!

One example of the many things I wanted to blog about is the experience Graeme Strukoff, Scott Jacklin and Sam Mellor had in Sweden. The Smoke Eaters veterans got a chance to participate in a series of exhibition games with the Swedish 17U and 16U teams... in Sweden. I caught up with each of them for a quick chat on Overtime.

Graeme Strukoff

Click here to download

Scott Jacklin

Click here to download

Sam Mellor

Click here to download

Great to see Strukoff, Jacklin and Mellor representing the Smokies, the BCHL and Canada in general over in Sweden. It sounds like it was quite an experience and they learned a lot over there. It also sounds like all three are excited about the prospects for this year's Smokies club.

That is just the first of what should be several posts coming up talking about a few of the items I've missed over the last month. Stay with us!

Also I'm going to be joining Penticton broadcaster Ryan Pinder at the South Okanagan Events Center this weekend for their Summer Classic. It's always a lot of fun. Check out the website here. Maybe we'll see a few of you in the Okanagan on Saturday. You should also check out Ryan's interview with Paul Kelly on his blog. Just a little plug to make sure he puts the beer on ice this Saturday!

Holiday Back-Up

2010-07-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

Just got back from holidays this week. A lot of Smokies related stuff has happened and I have a big back up of news and audio to get put up on the blog. However, I've had a lot to catch up on at work as well so my apologies for the lack of updates these past two weeks. We'll have something up here soon enough I promise. For now I hope to see lots of you at the Alumni Banquet and Golf Tournament this weekend!

Sandor to AIC

2010-06-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is heading out to AM Ford Plus at the Waneta Mall in Trail today to "Drive one for the Smokies." It's a terrific way to raise some money for the club and I thank Ford Canada and AM Ford for getting behind it.

Some terrific and long overdue news to pass on today as well. I did up a press release to announce Nick Sandor's commitment to AIC. He'll be playing NCAA Division I hockey for the Yellow Jackets next season.

After the way Nick has played over his two seasons in Trail you had to think it was only a matter of time before he got his opportunity. Sandor is a hard working and classy young man who earned everything he now has.

You only have to look back to his rookie season struggles to see how far he has come. Sandor battled injuries as an 18 year old with Alberni Valley and ended up with 3 points in 32 games. Did he give up on his dream? Far from it. Nick earned a new opportunity in Trail and leaped into a top 6 role with the club almost right away. He got Coach Ingram's attention with his play in practice and then made it count when Ingram gave him a chance on a line with Chad Gehon and Andrew Pickering.

It's one thing to expect opportunity to come your way and another thing to not only earn it, but make it stick. That's why Nick always found himself among the top forwards on the team for ice time over his two seasons in Trail.

Sandor produced as well as almost anyone in the BCHL last year whether it was on a line with Scott Jacklin and Sam Mellor or when he spent time with Michael Betz and Travis St. Denis. His hockey sense translated well to both of those lines because he just has a nose for the puck and the net. I'm sure he'll have a ton of success with the Yellow Jackets starting this fall.

Congrats Nick, it's well earned!

TRAIL, BC - The British Columbia Hockey League’s Trail Smoke Eaters are proud to announce that graduating forward Nick Sandor has committed to attend American International College. He will suit up for the NCAA Division I Yellow Jackets starting in the 2010/11 season.

Sandor joined the Smoke Eaters in the fall of 2008 after an injury plagued rookie season with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. He immediately earned an opportunity with Trail’s top line and never looked back.

“We gave him that ice time and he grabbed the ball and ran with it,” said Smokies Coach Jim Ingram. “That was the result of his hard work. (Sandor) brought a very complete game to the rink every night.”

The North Vancouver native scored 106 points in 104 regular season games with the Smoke Eaters. He put up 30 goals last season to lead the team.

“I think I really started to come into my own in Trail because of the environment that surrounded me,” said Sandor. “I grew a great amount of confidence playing there because it was for me a perfect combination of trust and belief in the players; but at the same time a level of accountability that pushed you to play like you should.”

The Okanagan Hockey Academy graduate took his time picking the right spot for his post-secondary career.

“I had several different looks as to what next year was going look like,” Sandor said. “But after dealing with everything and going down there the choice was easy. I feel like it's a place I can definitely succeed in both athletically and academically.”

Sandor certainly abides by the motto that states once you’ve played for the Smokies
you’re a Smoke Eater for life.

“My time in Trail meant everything to me,” he said. “It was a great experience that I give mass amounts of credit to. From all the staff around the team to all the guys on the team, Trail was full of good people that really made me enjoy the two seasons I spent there.”

“I hope for great success for the Smokies in years to come.”

###

For more information contact Smoke Eaters Coach and General Manager Jim Ingram at 250-364-9994 or visit http://www.trailsmokeaters.com/

Again congratulations to Nick and his family for what is I'm sure a dream come true. I'm looking forward to seeing his name on the box score next year.

Here's a video of Sandor highlights I made up in December...

Drive one for the Smokies

2010-06-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 9:00am, AM Ford will be hosting the "Drive One for the Smokies" Test Drive Event at A.M. Plus by the Waneta Plaza.

Every test drive will result in a $20.00 donation from Ford Motor Company to the Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey Club.

Ford Motor Company is committed to 300 test drives which will result in a $6000.00 donation to the Trail Smoke Eaters.

Players, Coaches and Executive members will be on site to assist the staff at A.M. Ford to ensure the success of this event. Come out and show your community spirit and come out and test drive some of the best product on the market today that A.M. Ford has to offer.

There will be a barbecue and refreshments available.

Come and meet some of the Smoke Eater players and coaching staff. One test drive will be offered per household so tell your neighbors and your friends to come to A.M. Plus on Saturday, June 19th at 9:00AM.

We will be offering test drives until we reach our goal of 300 test drives.

Dan Ashman - President A.M. Ford Sales Ltd.

Tom Gawryletz - President Trail Smoke Eaters

BC Sports Hall of Fame Community Experience partners with Smokies Alumni Weekend

2010-06-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Click here for details on the Smokes Alumni Banquet and Golf Tournament

VANCOUVER, BC (June 17, 2010): The installation of the new roof at BC Place provides the BC Sports Hall of Fame with a tremendous opportunity to showcase the stories of BC’s incredible sporting accomplishments spanning over 100 years-including the inspiring 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Trail, British Columbia is the first stop outside the Lower Mainland for the BC Sports Hall of Fame Community Experience and is coming up this July 9^th and 10^th. This Community Experience would not be possible without a partnership with the Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey Team.

Final decisions and plans are still underway, but a few highlights from the items to be displayed include:

Olympic torches from 2010, 2006, 2002, 1988 and 1976;
2010 Olympic and Paralympic artifacts;
Interactive Games; and
Artifacts representing the sporting careers of the BC Sports Hall of Famers from Trail and the surrounding area.

“The BC Sports Hall of Fame Community Experience is the ideal way for us to continue our vision of Honouring the Past and Inspiring the Future during this unique time” shares President and CEO Sue Griffin, “British Columbians have been visiting the BC Sports Hall of Fame for decades, now it is our turn to visit the great communities of BC.” The BC Sports Hall of Fame is excited about this opportunity to share the exceptional sport stories of BC Sports Hall of Famers outside the Lower Mainland and looks forward to our upcoming visit to Trail, British Columbia.

About the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

The BC Sports Hall of Fame, a non-profit society, is the ‘go to’ organization for BC sport heritage. For over 40 years, we have honoured BC’s teams, builders, athletes, pioneers, and media through the annual induction ceremony, The Banquet of Champions. To date 310 individuals and 52 teams have been inducted onto the BC Sports Hall of Fame. The collection of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum includes over 25,000 artifacts and 20,000 archival documents representing 100 years of sporting accomplishments in British Columbia. In everything it does, the BC Sports Hall of Fame honours, educates, and inspires through the Hero In You^© educational program.

-30-

Media contacts:

Allison Mailer
Director of Operations
BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
Direct 604-647-6447
Cellular 778-839-8576

Smokies trades bring veteran scoring punch

2010-06-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

TRAIL, BC – The Trail Smoke Eaters have acquired two leading scorers from the Alberta Junior Hockey League in exchange for three players from last season's roster.

Trail sent F Matt Wilkins (91), F Darnell Dyck (91) and D Mitch Kaufmann (91) to the Brooks Bandits for F Cullen Bradshaw (90) and F Steve Dobbin (90). The Smokies then flipped Dobbin to Lloydminster for F Bret Slobodzian (90).

“If there's a message to be sent here it's that we want to be competitive right out of training camp,”said Ingram. “I'm extremely optimistic, but we have to form together as a group and as a team.”

Both players are expected to put up points and earn lots of ice time, but that's not the only reason club management is excited about them.

“They're very skilled and they put numbers up,” said Smokies Head Scout Brad Fox. “But more importantly these are very strong character kids.”

Before joining the Bandits, Bradshaw made some noise by scoring 51 points in 66 games over two seasons with the Midget AAA Medicine Hat Tigers. He led the team in scoring during his second season.

Bradshaw then made the jump to the AJHL where he put up 32 points in his first year. After getting used to the level of play in Junior A he came back to lead the Bandits with 28 goals and 65 points as a 19 year old. Bradshaw also clicked on the power play with 11 goals.

“I love it all,” said Bradshaw when asked about his thoughts on Trail after last season's exhibition tournament.

The Medicine Hat native was impressed by the facilities and the hockey history BC's Number One Sports Townhad to offer. He is also optimistic the roster the Smokies have coming back for next season can be competitive.

“Hopefully we can mesh together and bring a championship back to Trail.”

The other new Smoke Eater knows a thing or two about winning championships. Brett Slobodzian helped the Midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos win the second of back to back Telus Cups in 2008. He scored 46 points in 42 games for the Mintos.

Slobodzian then made the jump to Lloydminster in the AJHL where he put up 83 points in 108 games over two seasons. He had 13 multi-point games for the Bobcats as their leading scorer last season, but doesn't seem himself as one dimensional.

“I think I'm almost better defensively.”

As for coming to Trail, the Saskatoon native wasn't that familiar with the area.

“I had to Google it.”

However, Slobodzian is excited about the opportunity to play with all the talent on the Smokies roster. He is also looking forward to what he feels will be a better opportunity to get noticed by playing in the BCHL.

Adding Slobodzian and Bradshaw came at a price.

“To bring in players of this impact we had to give up very good hockey players,” said Ingram.

Wilkins, Dyck and Kaufmann combined for 71 points in 128 games as 18 year olds. The Smokies organization thanks them for their contributions and wishes them well in the next steps of their career.

For more information contact Smoke Eaters Coach and GM Jim Ingram at 250-364-9994.

Trade Audio (Ingram, Bradshaw, Slobodzian)

2010-06-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram

Click here to download

Cullen Bradshaw

Click here to download

Brett Slobodzian

Click here to download

Kromm Tribute Audio

2010-06-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

Overtime's Tribute to Bobby Kromm (Norm Lenardon, Seth Martin and Cal Hockley)

Click here to download

Thanks for those who have passed on kind words after listening to the tribute show on Friday. It's always a pleasure to talk to class acts like Norm, Seth and Cal. Especially when they get to talk about someone who meant so much to the hockey community here. Check out Guy Bertrand's article on Kromm here.

(A note on the Smoke Eaters trade as mentioned on my Twitter and the Smokies Facebook, Trail flipped newsly acquired F Steve Dobbin to Lloydminster for their leading scorer F Brett Slobodzian. More on that deal tonight on Overtime and later on the blog.)

Bobby Kromm Dies

2010-06-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Legendary Trail Smoke Eaters Player/Coach Bobby Kromm passed away on Wednesday -- the day after his 82nd birthday.

Kromm took the Smokies to the 1961 World Championship, 1963 Allan Cup and an Allan Cup final in 1960. He also took the Nelson Maple Leafs to the Allan Cup final in 1965.

As a player he was one of the all-time Western International Hockey League scorers with 783 points. Kromm was known more as a set-up man as he piled up 524 assists over his long career. He was also known as a very tough customer as both a player and a coach.

Anyone I've talked to about Bobby has told me he would accept nothing less but the best from his players. He was a hard man to play for, but he got results.

In some ways the more I read about Kromm's commitment to conditioning it seems like he was ahead of his time. That has become such a big part of the game these days. Coaches like Kromm proved how making sure you team was in top shape could give you an edge. Now proper fitness is a key aspect of how all the best coaches approach the game.

Kromm went from his time in senior hockey to the professional ranks. He won three Central Hockey League championships with the Dallas Black Hawks, an Avco Cup with the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets and the 1977 NHL Coach of the Year Award as the bench boss of the Detroit Red Wings.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Kromm at the Smoke Eaters Alumni Banquet last summer. Even while going thruogh a long battle with colon cancer Kromm made time to return to his adopted home for a couple of good causes. As we approach the 50th anniversary of that 1961 World Championship team I'm honoured that I got to introduce and shake hands with one of the men most responsible for that moment of hockey history.

I'm sure the whole community here thanks Bobby for his contributions to Trail hockey and will remember him fondly.

We'll have a special edition of Mountain FM's Overtime tonight in tribute of Bobby Kromm. I already know Seth Martin will join us on the show and I hope to line some more guests up throughout the afternoon. Join us from 6pm to 10pm at 104.1FM in Trail and at http://www.mountainfm.net/

Smokies 2010-2011 Schedule Released

2010-06-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

It all gets started with a double header in Trail on September 10th and 11th against Merritt. It ends February 19th in Merritt. It seems like we're in Merritt at the end of the season every year! The Smokies will play the Centennials 8 times, every other Interior team 6 times and every Coastal team twice. Click here for the full schedule.

Smokies make five player trade

2010-06-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Trail Smoke Eaters made a major five player deal today with the AJHL's Brooks Bandits. Matt Wilkins, Darnell Dyck and Mitch Kaufmann are headed to Brooks for Cullen Bradshaw and Steve Dobbin.

Bradshaw was Brooks' top scorer with 65 points while Dobbin was third on the team with 46 points. Dyck scored 29 for Trail while Wilkins had 25 in 37 games and Kaufmann added 17 in 32 games. Everybody in the deal can make a major contribution to their team.

It's a clear signal from the Smokies that they're looking to be competitive next season. Bradshaw and Dobbin are both entering their 20 year old seasons and expected to play at their highest level. Given that they were top scorers on their team in their 19 year old seasons one would expect they have the ability to be go to guys for the Smokies as well. Add them to a core of returning players that already includes several top 6 forwards and there's lots of reason for optimism.

As for the guys heading the other way... it's always disappointing to see promising and talented guys who want to be here move on. That's the reality of trying to make your team better. You have to give up something of real value to try to push to that next level. I'm sure that trading away Wilkins, Dyck and Kaufmann was far from easy for Coach Ingram. I know the team will miss what those guys brought to the table.

Darnell was probably the biggest character on the team who knows how to get under the opponent's skin better than anyone in the league. He also proved last year that he can be an offensive player as he increased his production from 11 points with Surrey to 29 with Trail. With some great moves and a very good shot he could take his game to an even higher level with the Bandits.

Wilkins had a rookie season unfortunately interrupted by a broken jaw in the fall. Up to that point he was hovering at a point per game pace, but it took him a little bit to get back to that when he returned. Matt also admitted to me that earlier in the season he deferred a little too much to the veterans and didn't take his shots. When he started to later in the year and especially in the playoffs... boy he was dangerous. Matt was the top goals per game scorer in the KIJHL as a 17 year old so the sky is the limit in Brooks.

Kaufmann heads back to the AJHL after he won a championship in that league two years ago. He brought a steady all-around game to the Smokies and has a bullet of a shot on the one timer. I think Kaufmann is a guy who with the experience he has gained is going to be able to run a power play in Alberta.

Brooks is lucky to have them.

But as I said you have to give something to get something. Bradshaw's point totals with the Bandits last season would have had him third on the Smokies in scoring behind Jacklin and Sandor. He fits right into that top group of forwards who would make a difference both at even strength and on the power play. He wasn't just a set up guy either as he put 28 goals home last year.

Dobbin also played at a high level with a point total that would have had him tied with St. Denis for 4th on the Smokies if he had been here last season. Obviously there are some questions about how the guys will adapt to the BCHL and a new team, but I'm looking forward to seeing both in Smokies colours.

This move gives Trail the kind of depth at the top of their line-up that would allow them to role out 3 very strong scoring lines. Depth wins championships whether you're Vernon or Chicago. Add that to all the new recruits that are going to be coming to camp and there's a lot to look forward to.

I'll have comments from Coach Ingram on this tomorrow night on Overtime. I'll also have an interview with Bradshaw on coming to Trail. We'll eventually get that audio on the blog as well.

Best of luck to Darnell, Matt and Mitch. You were all class acts and will be terrific in Brooks. Looking forward to seeing you again at the exhibition tournament in September.

New rules on fighting in the BCHL

2010-06-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

The photo above is Josh McEwan in action against Merritt last year. His ability to stand up against some of the biggest guys in the league while more than holding his own is part of why he quickly became a fan favourite. However, under new league rules you're not likely to see Josh drop the gloves quite so often.

Several weeks ago we heard rumblings that Hockey Canada was looking into stricter rules on fighting. It's what they called a study into bullying and intimidation in hockey that included fighting. The result of their study was undetermined but there were rumours they would impose a game misconduct for every fight and suspensions as of a player's second fight. That was never confirmed.

However, the Junior A leagues in BC, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan didn't want to wait for Hockey Canada to impose restrictions on them. Instead, they knew they'd have to come up with some kind of plan that would satisfy the governing body while maybe not going quite as far. They've come up with a pilot project that has been approved by Hockey Canada for a two year trial.

I don't see the document anywhere online but I'll give a brief run down of some key points:

All fighting majors will be tracked and once a player receives his 6th major he'll be suspended for 1 game and the team will get fined. That suspension and fine will increase with each subsequent fight. 7th fight wll be 2 games, 8th fight will be 4 games and 9th fight will be 8 games. After that point the league will review an appropriate suspension and fine on top of what has been handed out.
The same sort of rule applies in a stricter way to those who receive instigator penalties. Once a player has a 3rd instigator he'll receive a 1 game suspension. The same sort of escalation follows.
The new rules will attempt to remove "staged" fights from the game by automatically suspending the participants for 3 games. If there's an instigator penalty for the staged fight (how would there be?) the offending team will see their coach ejected and the team fined. I would think there won't be any planned or staged fights anymore based on this rule. That or players will try very hard to mask it.

There is also a tweaking in the rules when there is more than one fight after a whistle and when goalies get involve. The whole plan includes stricter punishments for heads to the head, accumulated non-fighting majors and game misconducts as well.

I imagine these rules will end up posted on the league sites for the BCHL and the other participants. If that doesn't happen I'll be glad to try to fill in some of the gaps if any of you are curious about something.

I'm of the opinion that this wasn't a necessary change. That being said, if the leagues were facing a stricter change from Hockey Canada they didn't have much of a choice. I applaud the leagues for having the initiative to take some kind of action to avoid the complete elimination of fighting from the game. I also agree with a point made in their document that the "one fight rule" could serve as a way for teams to target certain players to get them out of the game. I'm glad they've avoided that.

I guess the question is why Hockey Canada feels the need to rock the boat on this one at all. Have we seen a rash of "bullying" or "intimidating" from fighting? Have we seen a number of dangerous injuries from fighting at this level? I've only been around for a few years but I have not seen anything of that nature. This seems like a knee-jerk reaction to a problem that didn't exist. The "gong show" brawls of the past are not a problem in the BCHL. Generally I think most fights in this league are just two guys standing up for their team to send a message in a clean way. Clearly someone up high disagreed.

You will not see changes like this in major junior I'll guarantee that.

I think it's safe to say with automatic suspensions for a player's 6th fighting major we've seen the end of the tough guy or "goon" that some teams bring in. It also means we won't get to see guys like Jadon Porterfield and Sean Nugent a couple of years ago drop the gloves nearly 20 times each. If anyone gets to even half that number they'll likely be gone from the league.

Is that good or bad? I'll leave that up to you to decide. All I know is that the following youtube clip is easily the most viewed clip on my channel. I wonder why?

Ferster Steps Down

2010-06-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

Word today out of Salmon Arm that Coach/GM Rylan Ferster has stepped down. The former Smokies assistant was in his second term with the Silverbacks. He's had a lot of success there and will be difficult to replace. One can only assume from the press release that Ferster has found some kind of work at a higher level. What about a couple of the vacant WHL coaching jobs? The Kootenay Ice have had success with BCHL coaches before. We'll see where he lands. Good luck to Rylan who was always a class act and easy to deal with. Even when he was giving me a quick shove during my broadcast lats year!

Big turn over with Salmon Arm this year as they fired Coach Matt Hughes after the season and now need to replace their GM as well. It'll be interesting to see what names become available. There was speculation a few months ago that former Vipers Coach Troy Mick might be the name to slide in there. However, Mick has since moved from Revelstoke to a position with Pursuit of Excellence. I would think that takes him out of the running.

A couple of names that pop into my head as possibilities include Vipers assistant Jason Williamson. Hard not to be interested in a guy who was a big part of back to back national champions. What about a top KIJHL coach like Will Verner in in Fernie who has BCHL experience as well? I wonder if former Smoke Eaters Coach Tim Kehler is interested in getting back into the BCHL after being let go in Swift Current. I'm sure there will be applications coming in from all over the hockey world.

Most fans seem to want to talk about Salmon Arm's goaltending situation. I wonder if that will be an issue for any new coach lining up to take over the job. No matter what they won't be short in applicants as they've been a very successful team in a strong market. Good luck to them in their search.

Stay tuned to the blog as today or tomorrow I want to get in to the details of some pretty significant rule changes in the BCHL.

Healing Anaya

2010-06-04T00:08:00.000-07:00

This isn't typical content for this blog but I felt the need to pass it on. My friend is helping organize an event for a family in Nelson that could use some community support. If you'd like to attend or could donate to the cause I'm sure it'd be appreciated. Here is the information...

On June 11, 2010 there will be a Fundraiser Gala Dinner and Dance at the Prestige Inn to support baby Anaya and her family and to raise money for Krabbe Leukodystrophy research.

Anaya Cassin-Potts is a local 8 month old baby recently diagnosed with infantile Krabbe Leukodystrophy. This terrible disease causes demyelination in the brain leading to loss of motor function, loss of speech, blindness, deafness, and often death before age two.

INTERVENTION

Anaya’s family has been doing their best to help her heal utilizing alternative therapies as there are no conventional medical treatments for this disease once symptoms appear. Her mother stays by her side day in and day out to ensure her comfort and enjoyment of life. She receives daily physiotherapy exercise and has shown some improvement. Read her blog at www.healinganaya.blogspot.com

Having a child that is medically fragile puts extra strain on her young family. In order to meet their financial needs during this time it is necessary to fundraise to ensure their quality of life and lessen financial stress. The family also wishes to raise funds for the Hunters Hope Foundation which conducts Krabbe Leukodystrophy research and provides family supports.

COMMUNITY HELPS

We are looking to the community to support this event by contributing to the silent auction or attending the event. If you wish to contribute please contact Julia 250.551.4185 at , or Tom at 250.505.0275. Tickets to the Gala available at the Prestige. For ticket delivery call Julia or Tom. Gala info call 250.505.0275.

Ticket includes Wine with Dinner and Live Music, $50.

Smokes Announce Exhibition Tournament

2010-06-01T00:46:00.000-07:00

Trail, BC -- The Trail Smoke Eaters announced today plans for a second annual exhibition tournament at the Cominco Arena. The event will take place from Thursday, September 2nd through Saturday, September 4th.

Once again a trio of British Columbia Hockey League teams will be joined by an Alberta opponent. The tournament will include the Smoke Eaters, Penticton Vees, Powell River Kings and Brooks Bandits.

Last year's event was the first of it's kind in Trail and drew over a dozen NCAA schools.

"We want to see that number increase this year," says Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram. "We think we have a great young talent base with the three teams that are coming in here."

One change this year saw the tournament moved from the final weekend in August to the first in September.

"A lot cuts will have been made and that gives the schools a chance to see what the teams will actually look like."

Ingram doesn't just see it as a chance to showcase players to scouts.

"It's a great opportunity for us to showcase Trail," he says. "The teams last year absolutely loved it so we're happy to do it again."

Ingram notes there has been interest from other teams willing to participate in the tournament. For now the Smokies will keep it to four clubs, but the possibility is open for expanding the event in the future.

The Smoke Eaters will be showing off a large crop of returning players including three who were at a point per game scoring pace in the 2009-10 season. While players like Travis St. Denis (Quinnipiac), Sam Mellor (Alaksa-Anchorage) and Eric Walker (Northern Michigan) are already committed to NCAA schools; there are several other current Smokies and recruits who will attract attention from scouts.

The Powell River Kings are the two-time defending BCHL Coastal Conference Champions. They were one game away from representing the BCHL in the 2010 Royal Bank Cup.

Penticton was the third place team in the final CJHL regular season national rankings. 18 Vees on last season's roster earned commitments from NCAA schools.

Brooks brings representation from the AJHL. They finished fifth in the South Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2009-10.

For more information on the 2010 Trail Smoke Eaters exhibition tournament, visit www.trailsmokeeaters.com or www.bchl.ca.

Sign up for Alumni Golf Tournament and Banquet

2010-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Click here to register for the golf tournament or sign up for a corporate package.

Thursday Notes (Brown, Lindores, Marketing)

2010-05-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

A couple pieces of Smokies news to report today. First of all I'm disappointed to report that Justin Brown will be leaving the Smoke Eaters to start his education at UBC. I'm not disappointed in Justin or anything, just disappointed that we won't get to see him fully achieve his potential as a BCHL player. However, it is easy to understand his decision.

Anyone who knows Justin knows that he's an extremely sharp guy with a great future ahead of him. As much as hockey is a passion at some point we all have to set our priorities. For someone who is that good of a student it's hard to just sit back for 3 full years after graduation. On top of that Justin has been cursed by one injury after another during his 2 seasons of BCHL hockey. That includes a lingering concussion at the end of this season. I can totally understand his desire to start the next stage of his life.

Just like it was with CJ Legassic last year this is an amicable departure. Both guys are all class and simply doing what they felt was best for their future.

You can tell from the interview I did with Justin that it was a really tough decision. He specifically notes how well everyone in the room gets along and the potential for the Smokies to be very competitive in the Interior this season. I know it'll be tough for Brown to not be a part of that.

As for that potential I mentioned you only have to look to one point at the end of the season when Brown put up 8 points over 7 games. He was always a guy Coach Ingram looked to for leadership, hard work and two-way play. Brown never ran from that role... he embraced it. However, in that stretch Justin proved he could bring an impressive offensive game to the table as well. If he came back and was able to stay healthy there's no reason to think he couldn't be a consistent scoring threat.

Unfortunately this is the end of the road for Brown as an active member of the Smokies roster. As he says in his interview he has many fond memories from that time and will always be proud of wearing a letter with his home town team. I hope once he settles in at UBC we may see him again one day lacing up the skates for the Thunderbirds. Either way the bottom line is that he's going to be a success at whatever it is he does and the whole organization wishes him well.

Here's the interview...

Justin Brown on Mountain FM's Overtime

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LINDORES TO TRAIL

One of the seemingly worst kept secrets around these parts has now officially come to light. I knew for a while that Robert Lindores was the "future considerations" in the Tye Lewis for Curtis Tonello deal between Trail and Alberni Valley. I didn't tell anyone but somehow it seems like a number of fans knew about it. Despite that, these things can often take a while to become official at the end of a BCHL season.

We haven't heard anything officially from the Smokies on the matter, but the Bulldogs put out a press release announcing the completion of the deal. I haven't talked to Robert so I don't have a tremendous amount to add to that. I will say that this is a player that I believe has more to offer than what we've seen from him in the BCHL so far. In his two seasons he has primarily been a third/fourth line guy who brings a physical and gritty game to his team. I've also heard that Lindores has a heck of a shot that he could use to become more of a goal scorer if given the opportunity.

The 6'1, 198lbs Port Alberni native will have to leave his home club after two seasons. That's not always a bad thing. There can be some pressures, spotlight and expectations that comes with playing in front of friends and family. Perhaps this will be the chance he needs to "bloom" as a player at this level. I think most would agree the potential is there. He only has 15 career BCHL points, but Lindores was a scorer in Major Midget. He was the top goal scorer and point getter on the North Island Silvertips (13-17-30 in 37 games) during the 2007-08 season. This is a guy who can bring more offence to the table if he's given the opportunity.

In the end you have to like the Lewis deal from Trail's perspective. Tye is a very talented player, but things just weren't working for the Smokies at the time of the trade. It made sense for them to move a couple of their vets to try and get a couple of assets for this season. Tonello made an immediate impact as a calming influence on the back end with untapped offensive ability. He'll be a huge player for Trail this year.

Lindores could easily do the same type of thing as a physical force up front with untapped offensive pressure. Both guys are the types of players who will help a deep roster of returning players compete harder in close games.

Meanwhile, Lewis helped push the Bulldogs to top spot in the Coast during the regular season and a great series against the Kings in the conference finals. It was a deal that appears to have worked for both sides.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

I won't get into details of the AGM too much on here. We talked about it a bunch on Overtime as it is. I did want to mention though that one thing that was apparent from the meeting is that we need to get more people into the building next year. Trail's core fans are as dedicated and reliable as any... there just aren't quite enough of them.

Trail's average attendance of 912 people basically tied them with Prince George for 5th in the Interior and 11th in the BCHL. That's not actively bad or anything, but it's not good enough. The Smokies face additional travel expenses thanks to our location here all by ourselves without a BCHL neighbour. If this team is going to go toe to toe with teams in the Okanagan the attendance has to be in the same league as those teams. There is no reason a city full of passionate hockey fans can't at least equal the 1047 fans they average in West Kelowna or the 1008 they average in Salmon Arm.

So how do we do that? I've taken on some additional responsibility with the club this year as the Marketing Director. That means I'll be working on corporate sponsorship and developing some marketing strategies for the club during the off season. That in addition with my full time gig at Mountain FM makes me a pretty busy man.

In this new role I'm constantly talking to different people brainstorming ideas to get the community more excited about the hockey club. The easy answer for better attendance is a winning product. I believe we'll have that this year. That being said, we can't count on that to change things alone. We're going to be doing some new things to especially try and bring more kids and young families to the rink.

Any ideas? I hope I have some, but I clearly don't have all the answers. If anyone out there has some suggestions for what they think we should do to fill those orange seats at the Cominco Arena feel free to let me know. I should note though that many of these ideas require more "people power" than we have so as much as I'd appreciate ideas I'd also love to see more people volunteer their time. That's what makes this team tick.

Also, if you're thinking about getting involved with the club as a corporate sponsor you can get that information by clicking here.

Plus you can support the Smokies by coming out to this year's Alumni Golf Tournament and Banquet. Details are available on the official website.

As is our new videos page.

While I'm busy linking to things I might as well also note that there's a ton of BCHL news up on the league website right now. New hires, contract extensions, promotions, scholarships, etc. Just enough to wet the hockey fan appetite for a while here in the off season.

OK that'll do it for today. Go Lakers!

Smokies AGM Tonight

2010-05-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

The Trail Smoke Eaters are holding their annual general meeting tonight at 7pm at the MacIntyre room of the Trail Memorial Center. It's a public meeting and the club is looking for anyone with new ideas and time to volunteer. Come be a part of one of the last remaining community owned Junior A teams left in the BCHL.

Chris Shaw Audio and Reaction

2010-05-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

New Nelson Leafs Coach and GM Chris Shaw

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Former Penticton Lakers Coach and NHLer Alan Kerr

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Okanagan Hockey Academy President Andy Oakes

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Williams Lake Governor speaks out on suspension

2010-05-20T00:03:00.001-07:00

Timberwolves Governor and Minority Shareholder Richard Kohlen

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It looks like there is more to this story than we're hearing so far. I just feel bad that Timberwolves fans had to pay the price for a problem that occurred within the ownership structure of the team. When Kohlen says that it was not an "open" process you have to wonder what he means by that. Does he feel like he was deceived in some way? I'm curious to see how much more of these details we'll end up hearing. If I were in the Williams Lake media I'd be digging deeper. This is only one side of the issue, but I appreciate him at least being willing to get deeper into this story than anyone else has yet.

NOTES

...Congrats to former Smoke Eater Andrew Pickering for getting the NCAA opportunity he has been working so hard for over the past few years. I know this has been at the front of his mind for a long time so I'm really happy to see it happen for him. In addition I'd also like to congratulate former Smoke Eater Braden Kinnebrew for committing to play for an NCAA Division III school in Vermont. Best of luck to both guys.

...There is a pretty cool story on the Puck Daddy from a man who knew Duncan Keith back in his BCHL days and has followed his meteoric rise to NHL stardom. If I were starting a franchise from scratch I think Drew Doughty is the only defenceman I would pick ahead of Keith. The Norris nominee may soon add a cup ring to that remarkable journey to the top.

...My Mountain FM colleague Chris Wahl has a story on his blog about Castlegar sustaining an $11,000 loss this year. The Fernie Ghostriders blog also had a story on that team losing money this year. They are only a couple of teams that were hit hard by the economic downturn and the loss of gaming grants in the same year. I imagine there will be quite a few teams trying to figure out how to get out of the red after the 2009-2010 season. Community support is going to be more important than ever for the survival of junior hockey.

...Wahl also has a note on his blog and I mentioned it on my twitter earlier today that the USHL is after some BCHL players again this year. However, it appears the Alberni Valley Bulldogs were the only target of their Entry Draft this time around. Lincon drafted both Bulldogs defenceman Nick Cecere and forward Mark MacMillan. Chicago drafted Bulldogs defenceman and Castlegar native Ryan Renz. Intersting for the Steel to dip back into the BCHL pond after they took Patrick Raley from Trail (and traded him to the NAHL) and Sahir Gill from Vernon (and he left the team in December) without much success last year. It appears the USHL thinks the Bulldogs are susceptible to a raiding with the loss of Coach and GM Nolan Graham. I hope Alberni Valley doesn't suffer the same fate that Trail did from this type of thing last season.

Timberwolves players are free agents

2010-05-19T16:21:00.001-07:00

One of the big questions to emerge from the Williams Lake franchise being suspended for the 2010-11 season is what will happen to their players. The last time the Timberwolves went bust (after the 2006-07 season) their players were distributed around the BCHL in a dispersal draft. This time around they'll be free agents.

I haven't heard from the league why the board decided to go in a different direction this time. Some I'm sure will be upset because traditionally a dispersal draft gives an opportunity to the league's "weaker sisters" from last season to get a bit of a boost. Perhaps they didn't go that way because the team wasn't as well established and a number of the players hadn't even been with the organization for half the season. Perhaps it's because they felt there wouldn't be enough players of interest to get through a full draft. Ultimately I think it just came down to allowing those players who had chosen to go to Williams Lake to now get an opportunity to decide their next move.

One of the casualties of the Timberwolves suspension is that there will be 23 fewer jobs for players in the league. Some will say that is a victory for the depth of the talent pool and the quality of the rosters. However, it is unfortunate that 23 kids won't get an opportunity to suit up in this league again next season.

As for players who could be of interest, one of them is Castlegar native Anthony DeLong (pictured) who scored 23 points as a rookie with the Wolves. It's worth noting that the majority of those points came as he made a surge with more ice time in the second half. A player like DeLong can now not only explore options in the BCHL but any other Junior A league in Canada. He could also decide to return home and play for new Rebels Coach Steve Junker in the KIJHL. The point is that his future is in his hands.

Anyone interested in taking a look at what the Williams Lake roster has to offer can do so by clicking here. I would have to think that guys like Trent Murdoch and 2009-10 All-Star Justin Bardarson will get a look for sure. What other players could find themselves on BCHL rosters and where... that's anybody's guess. Good luck to all of them as they try to figure out the next step in their hockey journey.

As for the Timberwolves, I'll have an interview with Governor and minority shareholder Richard Kohler on Mountain FM's Overtime tonight. I'll get that posted to the blog soon. He has some interesting things to say.

Timberwolves go back into hibernation

2010-05-17T17:05:00.001-07:00

There have been a lot of rumblings over the last month as to the future of the Williams Lake Timberwolves after their first season back in the league. I can tell you today I've heard from league sources that the Williams Lake franchise has been suspended for the 2010-2011 BCHL season.

What that means for the long term future of that team in Williams Lake I can't say. However, given that this is a second suspension in less than a decade, I would say that things don't look good for them ever getting back in the league. That's just speculation on my part.

Details of the suspension have not yet been released. I don't yet know how their current players will be handled. When the team was last suspended after the 2006-07 season the league held a dispersal draft for the remaining talent on the roster. However, it is not set in stone that they'll go this way again.

My sympathies certainly go out to hockey fans in Williams Lake. There were a lot of passionate people putting their hard work into making a go of it with the Timberwolves. Unfortunately it didn't work out. Why it didn't work out is something we'll have to take a closer look at in the days and weeks to come. You would hope any new ownership group coming into the league would have strong enough footing to last longer than one season... so what happened?

I guess we'll found out soon enough. I expect official comment from the league soon. That's when we can start truly doing a "post mortem" on the latest version of the Wolves.

EDIT: It's official with a media release from the league, but very few details have come out as of yet.

Nelson hires Chris Shaw

2010-05-17T15:16:00.001-07:00

The KIJHL's Nelson Leafs have hired a new Coach and GM. I received the following press release from the club today:

"The Nelson Leafs Hockey Society is pleased to announce that Chris Shaw of Penticton BC has accepted the position of Head Coach and General Manager of the Nelson Leafs Hockey Club.

Chris brings experience as a player, coach and a scout within the KIJHL, BCHL and other junior leagues across North America. His strengths include player recruitment, player development and community liaison.

Within the next few weeks Chris will begin transition from his current duties with the Okanagan Hockey School and the Penticton Lakers Hockey Club to his new assignment with the Nelson Leafs.

Congratulations Chris and welcome to Nelson."

Shaw is a former Assistant Coach with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL and the Penticton Lakers of the KIJHL. Both those teams are owned and operated by the Okanagan Hockey Academy.

You can read some more on Chris by clicking here for the announcement of his hiring with the Lakers last year. I have yet to talk with anyone from Nelson about the hiring or to Shaw himself, but I'll have more on this hire tonight on Mountain FM's Overtime.

EDIT: I found out from talking to Chris that he's a former Smoke Eater. He had a brief stint in Trail as a 15 year old back in 1996. I'll have that interview on Overtime tomorrow. You can also check out the Nelson Daily News article on the hiring by clicking here and an article on Shaw when he was with the Bulldogs here.

Gawryletz talks AHL contract

2010-05-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

Former Smoke Eater Travis Gawryletz on his new AHL deal

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Birks and Junker Audio

2010-05-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of new coaches in the West Kootenay. Bill Birks is a new assistant with the Smokies while Steve Junker is taking over as the bench boss and GM with the KIJHL's Castlegar Rebels. I had a chance to chat with both on Mountain FM's Overtime to get some insight as to what they bring to their respective teams. Both guys have a lot of passion and insight. I think each will be happy with the hire they made.

New Smoke Eaters Assistant Coach Bill Birks

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New Castlegar Rebels Coach Steve Junker

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Coming up on the blog I've got some audio with Mark Ferner and Connor Jones of the Vipers. I'll also put up an interview I did with former Smoke Eater Travis Gawryletz on his new AHL contract with Lake Erie.

I'm also expecting to hear about something of interest before the weekend so stay tuned.