Former Smoke Eater Travis Gawryletz on his new AHL deal
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Showing posts with label Gawryletz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gawryletz. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
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/.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Gordie Robertson Day, Friday Audio
The tickets came as a result of a total stranger who heard that Robertson felt slighted when he wasn't offered tickets or a chance to carry the torch. Both slights were rectified. You heard about it on Mountain FM and there's also a good article in The Province that spells it all out. It was a very kind gesture by Coquitlam resident Ed Rogers to invite Robertson to the game as his guest.
One interesting note from the night was that during an interview with him in the intermission he got a big ovation when they mentioned that Gordie had played for the Trail Smoke Eaters. That name still carries a lot of weight!
Robertson wasn't just a participant with the Edmonton based club that won gold for Canada in 1952. He scored 4 goals in 8 games and was a major contributor to the cause. If you want to learn more about Gordie you can check out this sports reference article or check out the article at the Trail Historical Society's website.
I've had the honour of chatting with Gordie a few times on Mountain FM's Overtime. He's always honest and entertaining. Here is a chat I had with him today on his experience at the Olympics and the honour bestowed upon him by Vancouver...
Gordie Robertson on Mountain FM's Overtime
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I guess the last question is whether or not Robertson will get a chance to attend the gold medal game. I hope Canada makes it to the game and Gordie is there to see it.
FRIDAY AUDIO
Smokies President Tom Gawryletz tonight's "Fan Appreciation Night"
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Nelson Ford Smokies Play by Play on Mountain FM: Westside 2 Trail 1 (OT)
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Smokies Assistant Coach Brian Youngson after the Westside OT loss
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Castlegar Rebels MVP Ryan Aynsley (former Merritt Centennial)
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Thursday, February 4, 2010
Gawryletz making an impression in the AHL
Former Trail Smoke Eater and Trail native Travis Gawryletz is having a break out season in professional hockey. He started the year with Elmira in the ECHL and made an impression. Travis was +15 in only 16 games while adding 6 points. His responsible and smart game was a big reason why he got the call to Lake Erie in the AHL. It's difficult for a guy without an NHL prospect contract to stick on an American Hockey League roster, but Travis was able to do it. Again he made it work by making the smart and simple play.Recently Travis signed an AHL deal to take him through the remainder of the season. He is a +9 with 5 points through 27 games with the Monsters. This is a player who doesn't put up huge flashy numbers. Instead he is making an impression by making sure he does all those small things right... those small things that win hockey games.
I had a chance to catch up with Travis while he was back home in Trail during the AHL All-Star break. It's good to see his hard work pay off. A lot of people just pay attention to a prospect's counting numbers. However, the pro scouts are also looking for guys who you can go to war with. By winning the trust of his coach and teammates Travis appears to be on his way up.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Game Day: Yopyk Interview, Free Tickets
Tonight for the first time this season the Smoke Eaters host the Westside Warriors. The last time Westside was in Trail, Trevor Bailey scored in Overtime to secure a first round playoff series win. While the Warriors swept the Smokies 3-0 in that series, Trail had leads in 2/3 of the games and sent both those games to overtime. It could have been a whole different series if just one or two extra pucks bounced in a different way.The teams have only met once so far this season with Westside blowing Trail out 9-2 at the Royal Lepage Place in West Kelowna. That was very early in the season and a totally different Smokies club than the one we've seen of late. After an overtime loss against Vernon on Saturday I expect the Trail to be ready to test Westside tonight.
How good are the Warriors this season? Certainly better than many of us expected. Despite losing their two best defenceman (Justin Schultz and Cory Pritz) and a load of talent up front (Ron Kelly, Chad Gehon, Jordon Gagne), the Warriors are still among the top teams in the BCHL. Their depth players are mostly very young, but it seems like they've been carried by super vets like Trevor Bailey, Brendan Ellis and Nashville Predators draft pick Cam Reid. There is also the red hot Kevin Jebson in goal. You can read the Warriors perspective on this game over at their website from broadcaster John Harding. Also I had a chance to chat with their coach Darren Yopyk who is making his first trip to the Cominco Arena while behind the Warriors bench.
Westside Coach Darren Yopyk
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The coolest thing about tonight's game? Kids 12 and under get in free with an adult. It's part of several Christmas themed promotions planned by Trail with 7 home games this month. Tonight's game is a Christmas present to our youngest fans. On Friday the Smokies will be hosting a Teddy Bear toss. That's just the beginning! You'll also have a chance to win a turkey from Ferraro Foods and an extra large pizza from Twisted Tomato at every home game this month. I got some more details on that and an update on a former Smoke Eater from the boss...
Smokies President Tom Gawryletz
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By the way in some other Smokies alumni news, Travis Roche has been named to Canada's Spengler Cup team. Travis is playing hockey in the Swiss league this season after a few seasons in the NHL.
Smokies and Warriors -- 7:30pm tonight!
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