Sunday News

VIPERS WIN ROYAL BANK CUP

Congratulations are in order to the Vernon Vipers for winning a second straight Royal Bank Cup. The road to the RBC is a long and tough one. It's pretty incredible for one franchise to do it in back to back seasons. We all said at the beginning of the year that the Vipers had to be the favourites with so many returning players. However, they also lost some key pieces from last year's team like their Captain Chris Crowell, the twin towers of Cam Brodie and Mike Leidle on the blue line, and their goaltender Andrew Hammond.

The road to the national championship wasn't quite as smooth this time around. Last year they didn't lose a game outside of the BCHL playoffs, but this year thee Vipers had to deal with very serious tests in every round of the playoffs. That started with a surprising push from Quesnel, a battle of titans with Penticton, seven game wars against Powell River and Spruce Grove, and the pressure of the single elimination Royal Bank Cup tournament. While it was a bumpy ride and players like goaltender Graeme Gordon came under some fire along the way, perhaps that makes it a little bit sweeter for Vernon as they taste champagne tonight.

People in the BCHL like to say we're involved in the best Junior A league in Canada. The Vipers helped prove that over the past couple of years. I would say this Vipers team stacks up with the best Junior A teams of all time. I'd be shocked if coaches Mark Ferner and Jason Williamson didn't get the opportunity to further advance their coaching career as a result.

I also want to make special note of another clutch performance by Montrose's Jones Twins. Kellen came up with 2 goals and an assist in the 8-1 victory over Dauphin in the RBC final. He finished the tournament tied for the scoring lead. Meanwhile, Connor returned from injury with key contributions in both the semi-finals and finals. I'm not sure if the Jones' have ever come up short in a big game environment.

What a junior career for them too. BCHL finals appearances in 3 out of 4 years to go along with back to back Royal Bank Cup wins. A combined 371 points in 317 games while being on the top power play and penalty kill units. They also took a ton of punishment and knew how to get the little things done. What more could you ask for from these two? I know a number of Trail fans are not huge on the Jones' because they chose to go to Vernon rather than stay home. However, the story is never as simple as it seems, and you can't discount their contributions to Trail baseball. They're still very hard working young men from this area whose accomplishments are worth celebrating. The other thing worth celebrating? They won't be in Vernon anymore! There is no question in my mind they were the biggest reason for the back to back national championships and that won't be easy for the Vipers to replace.

GAWRYLETZ SIGNS AHL DEAL

Trail native and former Smoke Eater Travis Gawryletz has signed a one year deal with Lake Erie of the American Hockey League. Travis got called up from Elmira of the ECHL and scored 12 points in 51 AHL games this past season. He played well enough to earn a contract for the second half of the season and now to get signed up again for next year.

Gawryletz may not score a ton, but he is the type of defenseman that any coach would love. He plays a relatively mistake free game and immediately earned the confidence of the staff in Lake Erie. This contract will likely give Travis a chance to go to training camp with the Coloroado Avalanche as well. Hopefully he can make a strong impression there with his work ethic, good skating and smart play.



RALEY TO ST. LAWRENCE

Former Smoke Eater defenseman Patrick Raley is headed to St. Lawrence University in the NCAA next season. Not only will Raley be following in his brother Matt's footsteps there, but he'll also get a chance to play with him. That'll make it easier for the Raley family to follow their boys!

Raley made huge strides from his first year in the BCHL to his next. As a rookie he was in and out of the Vernon line-up before his trade to the Smokies. However, he put in a ton of work in the off season and came back a much more physically ready player. Raley deserved the increased ice time he earned and would've been one of the top guys on the Smokies in his third year if he hadn't left for the USHL. He made huge strides in his Trail career and I would think that played a big part in him getting this opportunity.

Congratulations to Patrick and good luck to him in college hockey. He's a first class young man who deserves whatever success he achieves. I hope the time at St. Lawrence ends up being everything he hopes for.

REVISITING THE USHL ISSUE

It's too bad that things didn't work out for Patrick in the USHL. He left Trail so that he would have the chance to play at home in Chicago, but he got traded not only to another city but to another league when the Steel sent him to St. Louis in the North American league. Raley did thrive in St. Louis where he had 26 points in 33 games.

However, his story is just one example of how the grass is not always greener in the USHL. Sahir Gill left Vernon for Chicago and ended up coming right back to the Vipers at the trade deadline. Danny DeKeyser went to Sioux City and had 11 points in 41 games. He got the scholarship he wanted but he had only played 7 games in the league at that stage. I don't know this for a fact, but if Danny only got 11 points I would think he wasn't getting the level of ice time he deserved. In Trail he had 25 points as a rookie and earned top pairing minutes.

Carsen Chubak also went from Powell River to Tri-City in the USHL. His numbers took a big hit and the team went no where. How did the Kings do? They made another run back to the BCHL finals and took the Vipers to seven games.

These decisions are never easy. Every young man and their family is looking to do the best thing for their future. I'm not saying they all made mistakes. However, the results of the "defections" just seemed to indicate that perhaps sometimes the best move is the one you don't make.

KEHLER'S CONTRACT NOT RENEWED

The Swift Current Broncos decided not to renew the contract of former Smoke Eaters Coach Tim Kehler last week. Kehler had been an assistant with the WHL club for the past three seasons. From reading Jon Keen's blog it would appear that Coach and GM Mark Lamb just wanted to be able to bring in his own guy after taking over the team last year. That kind of thing happens in hockey all the time and isn't really a reflection of Tim's work in my view. All the comments about him seem to be really positive. It's just a matter of time before he finds work elsewhere.

CHASE AND BURNABY LOSE THEIR TEAMS

It's official, BC Hockey has approved the relocation of the KIJHL's Chase Chiefs to Rutland and the BCHL's Burnaby Express back to Coquitlam. I know there are reasons for both of these moves, but it's never a good day when a city loses their team. My sympathies to the fans in both markets. That being said, Burnaby fans won't exactly have far to go if they want to keep following the Express and Chase is expected to be up for an expansion team in the KIJHL for the 2011-2012 season.

As discussed previously, the Chase move opens up some big questions for the KIJHL. Teams around the league have been picking up players from the Kelowna market. Are all the best players from there now going to find themselves on this new Rutland club? Also, is this what the KIJHL is meant to do? I've been told by several sources that the league's mandate has been to thrive in markets that aren't touched by other junior leagues. Now they've got teams in Kelowna, Kamloops and Penticon. The league is moving away from unserviced fanbases and now instead putting themselves into bigger markets with larger player pools and more corporate money. I hope that doesn't lead to too much of a competitive imbalance. I also wonder if the ever growing group of teams in the Thompson/Okanagan are eventually going to end up forming their own league. A KIJHL split would still leave us with two leagues that are basically the same size as the VIJHL and PIJHL.

COMING UP ON OVERTIME

For those of you in the West Kootenay we've got some interesting stuff coming up on Overtime this week. I'll be chatting with new Smokies Assistant Coach Bill Birks as well as the new Castlegar Rebels Coach Steve Junker. For those our of our broadcast area stay tuned to the blog for that audio as well as an interview I did with Travis Gawryletz on Friday. You can also check out the Overtime and Sports sections of our website at http://www.mountainfm.net/.

DeKeyser and Youngson Interviews

Danny DeKeyser on his scholarship

Click here to download

Smokies Assistant Coach Brian Youngson on Vernon games

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Great to have a chance to catch up with Danny and I know everyone in the organization is really happy for him. Not my best performance in the interview as I was severely groggy this morning. Unusual for me to have trouble sleeping like I have this week. Got a big bus trip to correct that. We hit the road tomorrow morning for the second and final northern road trip of the season. After Saturday Trail will have finished 2/3 of their road schedule in only 29 games. There's a big long home stand just around the corner. Once we make it into the hotel in Quesnel I'll probably have an update tomorrow night on whether or not any extra bodies were needed and are coming on the trip. I'll also have details and audio on two pretty big stories for the KIJHL's Beaver Valley Nitehawks. 16 year old forward Aaron Hadley has been named to Team Pacific for the World Under 17 Challenge and the Nitehawks have been picked to host this year's KIJHL All-Star Game. We'll have more on that tomorrow during Mountain FM newscasts and tomorrow night on the blog.

Here's a quick look back to how Trail looked on their last and very recent northern swing...

DeKeyser to Western Michigan

Congratulations are due to former Trail Smoke Eater Danny DeKeyser who has committed to Western Michigan in the NCAA. Last season's Smokies defenceman of the year has earned that elusive Div 1 scholarship that so many terrific junior players are after. It's also a perfect fit for Danny as the school is only two and a half hours away from his family home. It couldn't happen to a more deserving young man.

DeKeyser was one of at least 10 BCHL level defencemen in Trail's training camp last season. He came from being a relative unknown in these parts to earning a spot among the eight guys who broke out of camp on the back end. Danny and the other rookies in that group each took their turns sitting out some games early. It didn't appear that he was necessarily going to emerge from the pack.

After those first few weeks of the season DeKeyser never sat again. He especially emerged as a force when an injury put Brandon Clark out of the line-up. Clark had been the obvious leader of Trail's back end early in the season and was at the time likely the team's MVP. When Clark went down a lot of ice time opened up and DeKeyser stepped up to prove he was one of the top young players in the league. He finished the year with 8 goals and 17 assists, but the majority of those points were scored as his game evolved in the second half of the year.

Danny was a pleasure to watch last season and everyone who watched him play knew it was only a matter of time before the scholarship offers came his way. DeKeyser chose to play closer to home this season in the USHL where he has 4 points in 7 games. However, I'd say his year in Trail was what woke up the hockey world to how much potential the Michigan native has. As Danny's game continues to grow this season in the USHL and he continues to mature physically, I believe he'll be a player to watch in the NCAA.

That whole back end from last season has made tremendous strides. DeKeyser is the first of the 08 rookies to line-up a scholarship, but it won't be long before guys like Koshey, Strukoff, Zmurchyk, Reardon and Smutek get those calls coming in. I also certainly expect Patrick Raley (who while technically not a rookie was like a whole new player last season compared to when we first saw him) to find his way to college opportunities. They were all part of a very exciting run to 11th spot in the national rankings last fall. It's just to bad that some key injuries pulled the rug out from under that team.

Congratulations to Danny and his family. All their hard work and dedication over the years has paid off. An opportunity like this means that no matter what happens in hockey, Danny is setting himself up for life. That's what this is all about.

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.

Legassic Interview, Ingram on DeKeyser

(Legassic)

I had the chance to chat with former Smokies forward CJ Legassic about his decision to leave Trail so he can start school. Legassic wanted to make sure the fans understood that he loved his time with the Smoke Eaters but simply could not risk missing out on the opportunity to follow his career ambitions. CJ's a class act and we'll miss him next year on the ice and off.

CJ Legassic on leaving Trail

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I also had the chance to talk to Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram on losing Danny DeKeyser to Sioux City of the USHL. Ingram was full of praise for DeKeyser's character and work ethic, but it's obvious how disappointed he was with the decision.

Ingram on DeKeyser

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You can't blame Ingram for being choked that he's losing last year's Smokies defenceman of the year award winner for absolutely nothing. This isn't the first time or the last the USHL will poach top talent from the BCHL. Last season Ryan Hill decided to stay home and play there. Two seasons ago the Smokies lost a top defenceman who had come over from Merritt. The USHL is obviously an attractive destination for Junior A players as there's more money in the league and they play closer to the NCAA schools.

I've heard some comments from fans who hope this will mean that BCHL teams stay away from American kids. If Carsen Chubak leaves Powell River for the USHL does that mean BCHL teams should stay away from prairie kids too?

It does seem like this is happening more this year than in previous season, but what can the BCHL do about it? There is a serious risk that if this pattern continues to grow people could try and label the BCHL and other Canadian Junior A leagues as developmental leagues for the USHL. Just wait for the best young talent to emerge and pluck them away after Canadian teams take them through the growing pains. Does the league have an answer for it? Is there anything they can do?

Nothing that happens in the future can help Trail. For now they'll have to hope that Ingram can land another top end defenceman in a deal, that the returning core (Koshey/Strukoff/Raley) can pick up the slack and that the new recruits are ready for prime time.

NOTES

...I was sitting up late one night in April unable to sleep and thinking about the changes the BCHL should make to their schedule. I felt they should move to a playoff system with seven teams making it from each conference (the top team gets a bye) and a best of seven in each round. In the regular season I felt they had to go back to visiting and hosting every team at least once. I also thought the northern teams should play each other ten times and the rest of the Interior four times. Great minds think alike! The BCHL governors came up with the same solution I was thinking of so obviously I approve of their decision. If only I could take credit for it! I should've blogged about it then I could claim that they stole the idea from me. Instead I think the playoff format is actually similar to what they do in the AJHL.

...All the junior leagues are following the NHL's lead when it comes to the first face off of a power play being moved to the defending team's zone. It makes sense to follow the NHL's lead when you're a developmental league. Of course that makes me wonder why the BCHL doesn't use a shoot out and why the KIJHL has now followed the BCHL's lead. 4 on 4 and 3 on 3 is great. Why not just follow that with the shoot out? If the NHL and other junior leagues are doing it the BCHL should be.

...How good was game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals? Glad to see a different result this year. I was cheering for the Wings last spring because Rossland's Dallas Drake was on the team and looking for his first cup. This time around I wanted to see someone else get to lift the history mug. It couldn't have been more dramatic. I will always dream about getting to call a game like that someday.

...I had even more fun today with game 5 of the NBA finals. As an unapologetic Lakers fan I've got a pretty damn big smile on my face tonight.

...Tune in tomorrow night on Mountain FM's Overtime (104.1 in Trail) to hear the latest player announcement from the Smokies. This 1992 born forward has something in common with the first forward we told you about this off season. Tune in to Mountain FM from 6pm to 10pm tomorrow for that news, local baseball results, rugby results and all the reaction from the NHL and NBA finals.

DeKeyser and Legassic Leave Trail

(DeKeyser in a Plymouth Whalers jersey during an OHL try out)

The Trail Smoke Eaters got some bad news today. Last year's winner of the Smokies top defenceman award, Danny DeKeyser is leaving Trail to join Sioux City of the USHL. They picked DeKeyser in the 12th round of their draft. He decided to go to their camp to check things out, and after camp made the call to play there next season.

This is obviously a huge blow to the Smokies as DeKeyser was expected to be one of their top players for the 2009-10 season. We all know Danny is a good enough player to earn an NCAA scholarship no matter where he plays, so I would suspect this will be his last year of junior hockey regardless. I will have Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram on Overtime tonight to discuss Danny's decision and what that means to Trail. Tune in to Mountain FM between 6pm and 10pm tonight. That's 104.1 FM in Trail.

Needless to say I'll be cheering for the Penguins on Friday!

DeKeyser's departure isn't the only bad news the Smokies got today. Forward CJ Legassic has decided to start school in the fall and is (from what I understand) giving up his BCHL career. It's unfortunate that we won't get to see CJ continue to evolve into a real go to guy with the Smokies. We only really got a hint of what CJ could due because his season was derailed by injuries. I know if he had come back Legassic would've been one of the most annoying guys to play against in the league. He also had the potential to put up some serious points. From my perspective the bus is losing two fun, character guys.

Sometimes we have to remember that these young men are trying to do what's best for their future. As a fan or broadcaster we're focused on the team, but guys like CJ and Danny obviously are thinking about what these decisions mean their personal lives, their future and their education. Agree or disagree we certainly can't put ourselves in their shoes, so I defer to them and hope things turn out exactly as they hope they will.

Again we'll have more about this with Jim Ingram on Overtime tonight and I'll have more to say on the USHL subject in the future. For now I just want to say thanks to Danny and CJ for what they contributed to the team and to my show/broadcasts last year. They're both classy young men and deserve all the success in the world. I know we'll all miss them.