Smokies in Sweden

(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

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Scott Jacklin

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Sam Mellor

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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!

New rules on fighting in the BCHL

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?

Williams Lake Governor speaks out on suspension

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

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

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.

Smokies part company with Youngson

Word today that the Trail Smoke Eaters have not renewed the contract of Assistant Coach Brian Youngson. I was able to confirm that Brian would indeed not be back with the club. However, the Smokies didn't make an official statement on the matter.

As for Brian, I know he has been pursuing full time work opportunities in the community. He's a family man who welcomed a young son to the Youngson clan last summer. It strikes me that at this point that family is Brian's top priority. As much as hockey is a passion for him I think practical interests come into play as well. I know we all have those thoughts sometimes! Either way he'll be successful at whatever it is he does.

I know I'll miss having him around. Over the past 3 years I've certainly come to consider Brian a friend. I also owe him big because he introduced me to my girlfriend. That's a debt I can never repay. He's a great guy with a hell of a sense of humour who it is always fun to talk hockey with. I know he was always very accommodating to me whenever I needed something and I look forward to continuing that friendship away from the bus and the rink.

Youngson joined the Smoke Eaters for the 2006-07 season under Tim Kehler. The team had a very good season finishing 3rd and winning a playoff round. He's been with the club now for four seasons and has become ingrained in the community. I've always known Brian to have a good relationship with the players, but he won't pull any punches either. He's got a good eye for the game and I've learned a lot from our conversations. No one can say he didn't make a very solid contribution over his tenure with the team.

Youngson started his coaching career as an assistant with Fernie in the KIJHL. That's a team that Brian has been proudly associated with as a player and a coach. He had a good junior career and has proved to be a capable and personable coach as well. That booming voice alone can make an impression.

For whatever reason at this time both the team and Brian needed a change. Sometimes the same situation can get stale. I think it'll end up being good for all involved. I'm certainly curious to see what Coach Ingram and the club do in terms of filling that void.

For now I just wanted to say thanks for Brian for everything he's done for me and for the Smoke Eaters. I'm sure a lot of people in and out of the organization feel the same way.

Betz and Sandor honourable mentions

Trail Smoke Eaters forwards Mike Betz and Nick Sandor received honourable mentions when the BCHL announced their Player of the Week award today. It was won by Wetside's Trevor Bailey. Betz and Sandor actually out scored Bailey. The Warriors forward had 6 points in 3 games while Betz collected 8 points and Sandor had 7. They also both had hat tricks in Trail's 9-6 win over Williams Lake.

Scott Jacklin was also a big scorer for Trail on the trip as he had 2 goals and 8 points over the 3 games. You can vote for Jacklin in a poll on the BCHL website asking fans which BCHL player has had the most impressive offensive breakout as the season's midway point nears. Jacklin has 33 points in 29 games -- 10 more than he had all of last season. Congrats to all of them for their big weeks.

I'll have audio highlights from the weekend as well as interviews with Sandor and Betz on Overtime tonight and later on the blog.

What is the rule?

I am getting beyond confused about the way that imports work in BC Hockey. First of all check out the Hayden Trupp situation on Ryan Pinder's Vees Blog. It seems unfair that a Penticton born player is being considered an import. However, if he is considered an import, how can he play in the KIJHL or with the Vees as an AP if Hayden was born in 1992? Spokane Braves forward Dylan Tappe played as and AP for Westside on the weekend. He is also a 1992 born player from the US who would be designated as an import if he played in Canada. There is a special rule in the KIJHL that allows Spokane to use 16 and 17 year old American players, but the same deal does not apply to the rest of the league. So how can he play for Westside?

I'm asking this question not because I am trying to stir things up. Tappe and Trupp are not going to be the difference between either Penticton or Westside winning or losing games. Certainly no one should suggest Trupp being in the Vees line-up really had anything to do with their record so far. He's a young player getting his feet wet at this level whose impact days are ahead of him. Tappe again is just a young AP filling a hole with some key guys out of Westside's line-up. Both are going to be impact players in either Junior A or Major Junior as early as next season. The issue for me is that either I don't understand the rule or it is not being properly applied.

Here is what the Hockey Canada regulations say about imports in section K.6(a):

No player of Midget eligibility or under (refer to Hockey Canada B.1) may be transferred from Branch to Branch, or from USA Hockey to Hockey Canada, or from any other IIHF Federation to play other than Major Junior Hockey unless such player comes under Regulation H. 8 (b). There is an exception for those Midget players in their last year of Midget eligibility, when there is no Junior A hockey in their home Branch.

So what does Regulation B.1 say?

d) Midget Male and Female Open to players seventeen (17) years of age and younger in the current playing season.

So basically a Midget aged player can't be an import in Junior A or Junior B. As far as I know the Midget age is the same in the US as it is in Canada isn't it? There is Junior A hockey in the United States so there's no exception there, and there was nothing in Regulation H. 8 (b) that explained this. I looked in the section (E) that discusses affiliate players and it said nothing about special exceptions allowing import players to be APs at a younger age than they would normally be allowed to play in the league. That being said, it also doesn't say that they can't be APs. Still, I would think that if you are not allowed to be a full time member of a team... why are you allowed to be a part time member of that team?

Is this just a way around the import rule? If you AP a 17 year old American or even Albertan can you then use that player for up to 10 games and as long as you want once his lower level team is done playing? Or is this just a special exception for US teams that are playing in Canadian leagues like Spokane in the KIJHL? That would explain Tappe but not Trupp.

Again I don't think anyone is intentionally breaking rules nor do I even know for sure if rules are being broken. I'm just confused. Does anyone have a better explanation of the rules than what I can find in the maze of the Hockey Canada regulations?

Penticton didn't declare Trupp and import... BC Hockey did from what I understand. Westside didn't sneak an unapproved AP into their line-up. From what I can see Tappe was approved again by BC Hockey. I'm not calling out the Warriors, Vees, Braves or Penticton Lakers here. I think it is BC Hockey who may have made a mistake or I've misunderstood the rules.

What is your take?

Provincial Cuts Hit Smokies

The Trail Smoke Eaters got some bad financial news from the province yesterday. Their annual BC gaming grant was slashed from $25,000 last season to only $7,500 this season. They at one time got as much as $40,000 from the province. Only community owned teams can apply for the funding, but Smokies President Tom Gawryletz couldn't tell me if the cuts had impacted the other three community owned clubs in the BCHL. As for Trail, after two straight seasons with losses over $20,000 (including $34,000 last season) there is now some urgency to find more revenue. They certainly can't afford to mirror last season's numbers but with an additional $17,500 added to their losses. Gawryletz says they could surely break even if they put 100 to 150 more fans every game into the Cominco Arena. What is it going to take to do that? Surely some marketing could play a part in it (anyone have any brilliant ideas?) but the key is probably winning.

No pressure!

It's up to the community. The BCHL financial landscape is what it is. Trail has the toughest travel schedule of any team in the league, and they don't have a wealthy private owner to absorb any losses. This is what it's going to cost to run a BCHL club. If 950 fans a game isn't going to cut it, the people of Trail are going to either have to get their butts into the rink or accept a ticket back to the KIJHL. Some clubs could thrive on Trail's hardcore 900+ fan base. I think Merritt would probably kill for those kinds of numbers on a regular basis. However, Trail's bills are higher and that's just the way it is. I'm not saying the executive is on the cusp of puling the plug. I get no sense of that at all. I'm just saying you can't take blood from a stone. If losses pile up in that range every season eventually the money is going to run out.

I'm not going to get into the political side of this. It's unfortunate the Campbell government waited until what seems like the very last minute to let some of these organizations know the hole they're going to be in. However, times are tough. If it comes down to cutting a nurse or cutting a grant to a hockey team... well make your own call. I just don't like the way that these cuts have really caught so many organizations off guard. Whether it's a charity or sports or anything else there are people who rely on those organizations for the services they provide or just to make a living as an employee. If you'd like to see them supported you now have to vote with your wallet.

Here's Tom...

Smokies President Tom Gawryletz

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24

As stated earlier this week in Jim Ingram's interview on Mountain FM's Overtime, the Trail Smoke Eaters roster is now down to 24 players. That's one more than they'll be allowed to have when the puck drops on the regular season next Friday in Merritt. The Smokies also still have the rights of Adam Gummer and Chris Stew to deal with at some point as well. Nothing is set in stone in junior hockey, but I figured we'd take brief look at who is left standing after what was a taxing training camp. I'll also take a look at the pre-season scoring leaders.

FORWARDS

(Riley Loyst had a strong camp - Photo Randy Emery)

• Paul Mailey (90) - fourth year as a Smoke Eater, Smokies Captain, Trail native
• Sean Nugent (89) - second year as a Smoke Eater, Alternate Captain, former Cowichan Valley Capital, played for Jim Ingram in the VIJHL
• Justin Brown (91) - second year as a Smoke Eater, Alternate Captain, former Beaver Valley Nitehawk in the KIJHL, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, Trail native
• Nick Sandor (89) - second year as a Smoke Eater, former Alberni Valley Bulldog
• Riley Loyst (89) - second year as a Smoke Eater, former Merritt Centennial, former Nelson Leaf in the KIJHL
• Scott Jacklin (90) - second year as a Smoke Eater, former Cowichan Valley Capital, former Columbia Valley Rockie in the KIJHL
  
• Travis St. Denis (92) - second year as a Smoke Eater, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, Trail native, nominated for BCHL Rookie of the Year in 2008-09, committed to Quinnipiac in the NCAA
  
• Colin Lidster (89) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Salmon Arm Silverback, son of former NHLer Doug Lidster
• Darnell Dyck (91) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Surrey Eagle, played for Fraser Valley Major Midget
• Tye Lewis (89) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Omaha Lancer in the USHL, also played in the NAHL
  
• Thomas Abenante (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Beaver Valley Nitehawk in the KIJHL, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, Trail native
• Sam Olson (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Grand Forks Border Bruin in the KIJHL
• Matthew Malenstyn (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played for Aldergrove, Delta and Squamish in the PIJHL
• Matt Wilkins (91) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Kimberley Dynamiter in the KIJHL
• Sam Mellor (92) - first year as a Smoke Eeater, former Kimberley Dynamiter in the KIJHL, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, committed to Alaska-Anchorage in the NCAA
  

DEFENCEMEN


(Steve Koshey against the Vees - Photo Randy Emery)

• Steve Koshey (91) - second year as a Smoke Eater, former Beaver Valley Nitehawk in the KIJHL, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, Trail native
• Graeme Strukoff (91) - second year as a Smoke Eater, played for the Major Midget Fraser Valley Bruins
• David Piccard (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Nelson Leaf in the KIJHL
  
• Wade Bennett (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played with the Midget LA Junior Kings
• Kodi Sawka (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played with the AJHL's St. Albert Steel, played with the NEAJBHL and Alberta Junior B champion Lloydminster Bandits
  
• Ben Matthews (91) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played with the Alaska All Stars
• Eric Walker (93) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played with the Major Midget Okanagan Hockey Academy team, nephew of former NHLer Gord Walker, Castlegar native
  

GOALTENDERS


(Devon Murtagh against Powell River - Photo Randy Emery)

• Devon Murtagh (89) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Westside Warrior, former Nelson Leaf in the KIJHL
• Garrett Beckwith (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Westside Warrior, former Nelson Leaf in the KIJHL

PRE SEASON SCORING

• Loyst (3G, 1A)
• Lidster (2G, 2A)
• Dyck (0G, 4A)
• Jacklin (0G, 3A)
• Lewis (0G, 3A)
• Sandor (2G, 0A)
• Malenstyn (1G, 1A)
• Mellor (1G, 1A)
• Piccard (0G, 2A)
• Abenante (1G, 0A)
• Koshey (0G, 1A)
• Walker (0G, 1A)
• Mailey (0G, 1A)
• Strukoff (0G, 1A)
• Nugent (0G, 1A)
• Matthews (0G, 1A)

Remember not everyone played all three games. This just gives you an idea of who was hot during the exhibition tournament. All these numbers get erased next Friday in Merritt. Tune in to Mountain FM for every road broadcast all season long.

Bouchard Quits

Ryan Pinder and Brian Wiebe have the word that Joey Bouchard has resigned from his job with Merritt before he coached even a single game for the team. Wiebe sites personal reasons (differences with the executive) and says there's a new Coach and GM locked up. I'm on vacation (missing training camp for my friend's wedding) so I don't have a lot of time to discuss this further. However, if I were a betting man I would think this has something to do with budget. Bouchard came into town under the assumption that his friends and Junior B bosses from Alberta were going to buy the team. Brent Stark was apparently going to pump some serious money into the team and their budget to try and jump start the Merritt operation and put a successful product on the ice. When Stark's purchase of the team fell through at the last minute I'm sure that budget changed. Private owners can take risks that community owned teams can't. Especially community owned teams coming off massive losses.

Bouchard at the time didn't know the deal was going to fall apart and said he was sticking with the team. Only a couple of weeks later he's gone. What does this mean for players he recruited or players he was trying to recruit? Guys who came to Merritt expecting a certain coach and new ownership who will now get there and find a completely different story... how will they react?

Do I know for a fact this was about budget? Absolutely not. Let us not forget that Bouchard was expecting to work with Stark and suddenly the whole picture changed. Whatever his reasons for leaving you would have to think that ultimately it comes down to the sale falling through. So what now? Keep an eye on Brian's blog for the latest.

Is this another black eye for a Merritt franchise that has been taking blow after blow the last two seasons? Perhaps, but if Bouchard and more importantly Stark can break commitments so quickly and at such dramatic times... then maybe it's better it happened now. Imagine it were instead five months from now with no community ownership to pick up the pieces. Merritt is left with questions now instead of answers, but at least the franchise is in the hands of people who care about the team and the city. Whatever they do will be with an eye to saving hockey in Merritt. I certainly wish them luck.

We'll get a look at the Cents in Merritt for the first Smoke Eaters regular season game on September 11th. If there was ever a time and a reason for the community to rally around there team it would be now. Hopefully the fans will pack that old barn and we can open the season with a bang. Either way you'll be hearing it all live on Mountain FM!

I'll have an interview with Jim Ingram on training camp within the next couple of days. After that I'll have a very special guest on the blog for training camp and the exhibition tournament. I won't be there but he blog will go on! Can't wait to get home and get started on another season.

Grisdale on All-Star Game, Big Smokies News

There's been lots of talk about the BCHL's new All-Star Game format. I figured why not go right to the top again to get the league's perspective on why they've changed from an Interior vs. Coastal game to a defending BCHL Champion vs. All-Star Game. Here's the commish from last night's Mountain FM Overtime show...

John Grisdale on the All-Star Game

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That's the view from the BCHL head office. I suppose we'll see how well this move works when they try it out this winter in Nanaimo. I really do hope they can arrange the AJHL vs. BCHL game for the following season though.

As for the Smoke Eaters, Coach and GM Jim Ingram will announce this year's Captain and two of the alternates tonight on Mountain FM's Overtime. Tune in just after the 6 o'clock news tonight on 104.1 FM in Trail. I'll have that news on the blog eventually but you've got to tune into Overtime tonight if you want to know before anyone else! Also you should scroll down the page a little bit for some good news on a former Smokies alternate captain...

EDIT: Does anyone who understands blogger or webpages better than I do know how to change it so my photos have a border around them?

All-Star Format Change

The BCHL has changed the All-Star Game format for next season. Click here to read the full news release from the BCHL website. The defending champion Vernon Vipers will play the BCHL All-Stars in Nanaimo. I have a couple of questions about the change. For one, will every team be represented as they have been before? If so that means there will be 16 players nearly filling the roster to just make sure all the teams have a player in the game. That means there could be some very deserving guys left off the team because they happen to play for the same team.

I'm also curious about what happened to the prospects game we heard a lot of talk about. There were rumours about the BCHL playing the AJHL in a game designed to attract scouts to watch the best unsigned talent in the league. Even if that wasn't going to happen I would think a prospects game is still the best way to go for a league that is trying to secure scholarships for their talent. Either way this certainly is a unique format that will hopefully be a little more interesting than last year's game. It certainly brings back memories of the old NHL All-Star games in the original six era. We'll have to wait and see how well it turns out.

Merritt Sale Falls Apart: Grisdale

Rumour spread this morning that the sale of the Merritt Centennials to Brent Stark and a group from Whitecourt, Alberta has fallen apart. Stark owns the Junior B team in Whitecourt and new Cents Coach and GM Joey Bouchard was his coach. I reported on this blog on June 25th that there was officially an application to buy the team. It was widely assumed Stark's approval as the new owner was merely a formality. Now that he has walked away from the deal the re-organized Merritt society is left holding the bag. What does that mean for the future of Merritt hockey? Here's BCHL Commissioner John Grisdale:

John Grisdale on Merritt Sale

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Grisdale plays it cool and positive, but you have to think some of the investments made in the Merritt society this spring were made under the assumption that the private ownership was coming. How long can they hold things together? Is there another white knight on the way? Keep an eye on Brian's Making Cents blog as I'm sure he'll have an update soon.

A really promising situation in Merritt just took a huge hit... and so far we don't know why.

EDIT: Here's Brian's update with Cents Governor and Director of Hockey Operations Brian Barrett. Sounds like this was an absolutely last second move by the Stark group.

EDIT: Think there's a lack of interest in the Cents or the BCHL? Yesterday was the biggest day in my blog's history. I've never had more traffic.

Banquet Brings House Down

What a night it was on Friday for the Home of Champions Hockey Alumni Banquet in Trail. Nearly 200 people helped contribute to the ALS Society in the name of the late Gene Lenardon and to the BCHL hockey club. Last year the banquet was the single biggest ALS fundraiser in BC. Norm Lenardon deserves a ton of credit for making that happen. As does Smokies President Tom Garwyletz and the whole executive.

Of course most of the credit for how fun the night was goes to the guest speakers. From insightful commentary to hilarious stories from the road we got it all from Tom McVie, Ray Ferraro, Cesare Maniago and Bobby Kromm. McVie calls himself the Rodney Dangerfield of hockey and there's no question in my mind he could have made a career for himself as a comedian. He tore the house down. If you ever get a chance to hear him speak don't miss out. It's amazing to me that all four of the men on stage had a connection to Trail and three of them were actually born here. The class and talent on that head table was incredible. If we had more time for the question and answer it could have gone on for an entire evening.

Thanks to the Smokies for allowing me to be a part of it as MC. I had a great time. I also think it's important to remember those who suffer from ALS. We may have spent one night talking about it and raising money for it, but those who suffer from it have to live with it 365 days a year. Learn more by checking out the ALS society's website.

We also heard our guests talk about how important the BCHL Smokies are to the community. I hope the fans don't forget that with season tickets now available. Support the hockey club to make sure they can continue to provide the best quality hockey action in all of the West Kootenay.

Here are some audio highlights of the banquet on Friday. Unfortunately my recording of Bobby Kromm and the Q&A didn't really turn out, but here are some of the highlights of the other speeches. After attending the last three of these events I can say that you're absolutely crazy if you miss out next year!

Audio Highlights from the Home of Champions Banquet

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NOTES

...Some major coaching changes recently in the BCHL. First of all the Westside Warriors have their man. They hired Darren Yopyk as their new Head Coach to replace the departing Mark Howell who will be the new bench boss for the University of Calgary. Yopyk has a masters in psychology and spent the last six years coaching as an assistant for two different US schools. He's a former AJHL player and spent four years playing for Princeton. Sounds like a man who has earned an opportunity to run his own ship.

As for Howell, a story from Kelowna Rockets broadcaster Regan Bartel on AM 1150 out of Kelowna suggested he may have been black listed by WHL teams. Howell wouldn't say he was black listed but did admit there's friction with WHL teams because of players going back and fourth. He also says it's probably easier for him to go from coaching Canadian University to the WHL. That seems a little ridiculous to me. Haven't we seen a lot of coaches go from the CJHL to the CHL? Mark Holick for example just recently went from Vernon to Cranbrook. Nelson's Bruno Campese is another somewhat recent example. If a coach does a good job somewhere I can't imagine CHL teams will hold a grudge if they think that person is the right man for their opening.

...The Salmon Arm Silverbacks also made some changes to their hockey operations. Rylan Ferster is moving upstairs to take on General Manager duties on a full time basis. Matt Hughes will take over as the Head Coach. This move comes only a week or so after Ferster was named the Head Coach for Team Canada West heading into this year's World Junior A Challenge. Even if the move had nothing to do with Ferster's appointment to Team Canada it certainly helps Salmon Arm to have some consistency behind the bench instead of seeing their coach take off for a few weeks in the middle of the season. This move also frees Ferster up to work full time on player moves and recruitment. I know from watching Jim Ingram how hard the dual role guys work. If a team can afford to pay two people to do the jobs I would think that would certainly be an advantage. Of course if Hughes doesn't have the kind of record the Silverbacks expect by say Christmas the fact that Ferster will still be around and available could lead to quick speculation about his future.

...Those two moves leave us with some significant changes to the Interior Conference coaching ranks. There are new Head Coaches in Quesnel, Williams Lake, Merritt, Westside and Salmon Arm. That could certainly shake things up for next season. Merritt has also hired some new assistants and you should check out Brian's Making Cents blog for more on those moves.

OJHL Showcase Idea Worth Stealing

I used to work for Bayshore Broadcasting in Ontario so the other day when looking through their website I noticed an article on Collingwood hosting the OJHL NCAA Showcase Weekend. 15 OJHL teams will be coming to Collingwood in January to play 2 games each in front of a ton of college and pro scouts. That way the players will be in mid-season form and playing in their usual environment.

I think it's a fantastic idea.

I know the BCHL and AJHL are putting together a prospects game that will be a terrific way to showcase the top unsigned talent in the league. That being said, shouldn't the league be doing everything it can to showcase every available player? Post-BCHL opportunities don't exist for just the top talent on each team. However, sometimes it's harder for certain players to get seen or get noticed unless a scout is specifically coming out to look at them.

Why can't the BCHL put on say two showcase events like this every year? One for the coast and one for the interior. I'm not sure about putting them on the weekend though. I don't think any team wants to give up potential home games in one weekend so perhaps instead it's something that runs for three days in the middle of the week.

The other key for me would be that the league should extend their regular season schedule by two games and count these games as a part of that schedule. That way the showcase isn't' just an exhibition. They're games that count and teams will be giving everything they have to win.

Sometimes prospects games or all star type games can turn into too much of an individual showcase. It also doesn't put players in their familiar setting where they are playing with established teammates in an established system. That's the best way to showcase a player. This way every single player in the BCHL could get exposure to what I would think would be a good number of scouts. Especially if they knew they could see that many players in one spot.

You could try to put all 17 BCHL teams in one city over 4 days instead, but I think it's better to split things up and limit every one's travel. The two events would also give everyone an opportunity to get together in the same place and build on that BCHL family. I think it would be a blast. I'm already thinking about how difficult it would be to get a word in if all of our broadcasters got together for a drink in the same place.

What do you think? To me it's a no brainer and an opportunity the league should consider as soon as possible.

Merritt Sale Application Being Considered

Just finished a long and informative interview with BCHL Commissioner John Grisdale. I still had ten questions I could have asked but it was already over half an hour. I'll be airing a portion of it tonight on Mountain FM's Overtime where we'll discuss the USHL raid of BCHL rosters this summer. However, at the end of our interview he mentioned the league is currently considering an application to buy the Merritt Centennials. Grisdale told me the sale would move the Cents from being a society into private ownership.

On May 12th Brian over at the Making Cents blog posted about how Brent Stark may be looking to buy the Merritt franchise. Stark owns the Whitecourt Wolverines Junior B team in Alberta. That's the team new Merritt Coach Joey Bouchard worked for before coming to the Cents. While Grisdale didn't say that Stark was the one making the application to buy the Cents it seems pretty obvious.

It sounds like great news for Merritt. It appears Stark and company are ready and willing to invest in making the franchise work there. Grisdale says this is the best condition he's seen the Merritt franchise in since he started working for the BCHL. However, this is also probably their last chance. If they can't make it work in Merritt with private ownership now in place then their new ownership likely wouldn't hesitate to move. Moving from a society to private ownership makes some things easier but it also means the commitment to the community basically depends on one man.

I'll keep my eyes on this one and I'm sure Brian will have all the news as it happens. I'm hoping this is a good development. Just think it was only a few months ago we thought the Cents were done in Merritt. They've come a long way from rumours the team would be headed for Kamloops or worse. Stark, Bouchard and company sure seem to be giving Merritt a second life.

Schedule Released, Raley Gone

The BCHL schedule is available here. As I said before it is going to be a busy fall for the Smokies bus driver. 2/3 of the road schedule will be done before we hit December. That's not as balanced as anyone would like, but I can see the positives.

Since the Smokies do have to deal with more travel than most teams it'll be good to get it over with early. With fresh legs and new enthusiasm perhaps the road grind won't be as tough as it might have been in January or February after months of hockey. It will also mean they are more likely to battle injury troubles at the start of the season as opposed to the end. The road trips in December/January/February in the past two seasons seemed to contribute to having an injury riddled squad come playoff time and two extended losing streaks. Maybe by being at home more often in that period they can be healthier when it really matters.

As for the financial aspect, isn't it better to have more hockey games at home during the winter months than during the summer? That's something Trail Times Sports Editor Guy Bertrand brought up to me on Overtime last week. Early in the season it's still warm outside and tougher to get people into a hockey rink. More games the later months of the season could make it easier to attract fans and build momentum. That is if the team is able to survive the early road schedule with a reasonable record!

What do you think?

The regular season starts where it ended last season... in Merritt. I'm glad to see some new enthusiasm and passion among Cents fans. The last time we were there I thought it might be for the last time. What better way for them to start fresh than against the team some thought might be their last opponent? The first home game will be against Montrose's Jones twins and the defending RBC Cup champion Vernon Vipers.

I can't wait.

RALEY TO THE USHL

As you may have heard elsewhere at the VDHF blog or the BCHL message board, Patrick Raley is also leaving the Trail Smoke Eaters for the USHL. Raley informed me of his decision on Friday and I have to admit I kind of held off discussing it for a few days because Danny DeKeyser's defection was still fresh. Raley is a terrific young man who is from Chicago and will be playing for his home team in the USHL. He informed me that he's very thankful for the opportunities he was given in Trail and the terrific treatment he got from Coach Jim Ingram to his billets and the fans. It's just hard for a Chicago boy to say no to a chance to play at home in a league that scouts consider as good or better than the BCHL.

You can check out the Chicago roster here.

Raley came to Trail from Vernon for future considerations at the 2008 trade deadline. He was good for the Smokies down the stretch, but he made a much bigger contribution last season. Raley came into camp in much better shape. He was stronger, faster and much improved by the time the 2008-09 season came to a close. I would say both Raley and DeKeyser can point to their time in Trail as significant steps in their hockey careers. They worked hard to improve while here and obviously the coaching staff played a big part in that as well.

With word that Sahir Gill may leave the Vipers for Chicago and a number of other players could be defecting from the BCHL to the USHL... this is turning into a significant issue for our league. I'm planning to have a chat with Commissioner John Grisdale today or tomorrow to see where the BCHL stands on what has been happening this off season. Given the fact that USHL players are still NCAA eligible and they are much closer to NCAA schools they are a significant threat to the BCHL's talent pool. Especially if they decide to expand the number of imports on their rosters.

I certainly wish DeKeyser and Raley all the best. This just may force the Smokies to look into making a move or two for veterans before the season or early in the fall. It'll also put some more work on the shoulders of returning defencemen Graeme Strukoff and Steve Koshey. Thank goodness there are quite a few quality young defenceman coming to camp. We'll have more details on those guys in the coming weeks and months. There's still lots of reason for optimism.