Autograph

Whether it's Mr. Hockey or your favourite BCHL star, an autograph can really mean a lot to a young hockey fan. I want to first of all say thanks to the Smoke Eaters who joined us at Ferraro Foods for the Miracle Marathon on Saturday. Sam Mellor, Travis. St. Denis, Matt Wilkins, Justin Brown and Ben Matthews helped us secure a big pile of donations for the Salvation Army in Trail. Mountain FM was doing the same thing in Rossland, Castlegar, Nelson and Grand Forks. Thanks to everyone who helped out and donated.

When we told our Salvation Army rep that Matthews was coming she instantly made a call. Big Ben happens to be her granddaughter's favourite Smoke Eater. Apparently she's quite the loud and proud fan during the games. However, when she got there you could tell she was nervous. I asked her why Matthews was her favourite, but she couldn't really explain it. You could tell he was though because she turned down a chance to go get some candy in order to wait for him to get there.

Ben and Justin arrived and she hid behind her grandmother with a shy smile on her face as I introduced them. I'm not sure Ben has ever met someone who specifically identified herself as a fan of his so it was a pretty cool little moment. The big Alaskan who can be mean and fierce on the ice as a little nervous himself! She raced up to him and then backed off before he said hi and signed the autograph for her. She also asked and received the same thing from Justin Brown. You could see a smile a mile wide on her face as she left.

That's what it's all about.

Can you tell me these kids don't deserve your support? They come to events, they read with kids and are great reps for the community on the road. I hope we see some big crowds this weekend in some key games for Trail on Friday night against Nanaimo and Saturday against Victoria. This is a classy group of young men who are really on the cusp of finding their stride. Even though there have and will continue to be growing pains, one can't help but be proud to be associated with the club in a small way.

BCHL scoring leaders by age group

1989

1. Mark Zengerle 74
2. Denver Manderson 69
3. Trevor Bailey 53
4. Brooks Robinson 49
5. Mitch MacMillan 46
6. Trevor Hertz 41
7. Braden Pimm 40
8. Nick Sandor 39
9. Taylor Holst 35
10. Brendan Ellis 35
11. David Dziurzynski 35
12. Tyler Gubb 34
13. Tye Lewis 34
14. Luc Olivier Blain 34
15. Grant Toulim 34
16. Corey Chakeen 33
17. Andrew Wallace 33
18. Jordan Heywood 33
19. Alex Allan 32
20. Jonathan Milhouse 32



1990

1. Mike Collins 49
2. Colton Beck 42
3. Sam Muchalla 42
4. Mitch Krgovich 40
5. Scott Jacklin 39
6. Chad Niddery 37
7. Andrew Pettitt 36
8. Connor Jones 36
9. Kellen Jones 36
10. Alex Szczechura 34
11. Cody Bremner 33
12. Greg Noyes 33
13. Jordan Grant 32
14. Travis Statchuk 32
15. Kevin Ross 32
16. Cole Wilson 31
17. Dustin Johnson 30
18. Cory Kane
19. Brandon Fagerheim 29
20. Colton Sobchak 29



1991

1. Beau Bennett 53
2. David Killip 50
3. Cam Reid 45
4. Garrett Milan 31
5. Dustin Mowrey 30
6. Richard Vanderhoek 28
7. Trent Murdoch 27
8. Joel Lowry 27
9. Steve Koshey 27
10. Jeff Jones 25
11. Andrew Gladiuk 25
12. Tyler Krause 24
13. Jackson Garrett 23
14. Darnell Dyck 21
15. Dennis Robertson 20



1992

1. Dylan Walchuk 38
2. Sam Mellor 33
3. Travis St. Denis 33
4. Mark MacMillan 33
5. Teal Burns 30
6. Joey Laleggia 28
7. Grayson Downing 25
8. Tim Daly 17
9. Wesley Myron 16
10. Michael Betz 15



1993

1. Victor Newell 23
2. Lyndon Martel 16
3. Manraj Hayer 14
4. Colton Sissons 13
5. Spencer Graboski 11
6. Luke Fenske 11
7. Eric Walker 6
8. Sam Grist 5
9. Stefan Nicholishen 4
10. Max Fielder 4



DEFENCEMEN

1. Brendan Ellis 35
2. Greg Noyes 33
3. Jordan Heywood 33
4. Kevin Ross 32
5. Wes McLeod 29
6. Derek Hills 28
7. Joey Laleggia 28
8. Steve Koshey 27
9. Brad Pawlowski 26
10. Elliot Raible 26
11. Darcy Huisman 26
12. Victor Nowell 23
13. Josh Pineiro 23
14. Dan Nycholat 23
15. Justin Fillion 22

Thoughts? Nice to see the Smokies with at least one player among the top scorers in each age group. When you realize that only one top scorer (Sandor) on the Trail roster is a 20 year old there is a lot of hope for the core of this team. I'm not just talking about for future years either. Any good team at this level will have guys contributing in all age groups. That balance allows you to build a solid foundation year in and year out.

Post Northern Trip Audio

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Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey: Trail 1 at Williams Lake 6

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Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey: Trail 4 at Prince George 3

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Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey: Trail 8 at Quesnel 2

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Smokies Forward Travis St. Denis

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Smokies Forward Darnell Dyck

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Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram

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Post Game: Trail 8 at Quesnel 2

Quesnel, BC – Travis St. Denis wanted to get in on the fun. Out of the line-up for Saturday's win in Prince George due to a suspension, the Trail native made sure to congratulate every member of the Smoke Eaters (6-14-1-1) as they came off the ice. On Sunday in Quesnel, St. Denis made his contributions on the ice. The shifty forward scored twice and added 2 assists in an 8-2 victory over the Millionaires.

It was a successful return to Quesnel for former Millionaire Kiefer Smiley. The Smokies goaltender stopped 35 of 37 shots he faced. Goaltending was perhaps the key difference in the game as Quesnel's Taylor Pears and Luke Siemens allowed 8 goals on only 2 more shots against.

For the second consecutive time Smokies forward Nick Sandor opened the scoring in the first minute of the game. After Quesnel responded with an Eliot Raibl power play goal, Smiley shut the door for the rest of the first period. Late in the frame Darnell Dyck directed in a St. Denis pass off his skate to give Trail a 2-1 lead.

16 year old Quesnel forward Spencer Graboski tied the game in the second, but it only took 36 seconds for Trail's only 16 year old to respond. Castlegar native Eric Walker wired a slap shot by Siemens for his first career BCHL goal. It gave the Smoke Eaters a 3-2 lead and held up as the game winner.

Tye Lewis, Marc-Antoine Chaput and Darnell Dyck also had 3 point games for the Smokies. Dyck was named a star for the second straight game and appears to have arrived as a major contributor in the BCHL. Chaput followed Wade Bennett's footsteps as a Trail defenceman who has found offensive success playing as a forward. Bennett missed Sunday's game with the flu.

Affiliate player Jesse Niemi continued his successful road trip with the Smokies as he had 1 official assist but will likely also be credited with 2 others upon further review. That would leave the 20 year old forward with 5 points over his first 3 BCHL games. Niemi will now return to the KIJHL's Fernie Ghostriders bolstered by the knowledge that he can perform at the next level.

The win was a good way for the Smoke Eaters to start November. A new month also marks a far more even schedule. After playing 15 of their first 22 games on the road, Trail will have 5 home games to 6 road game this month. Their next action is at the Cominco Arena on Friday and Saturday night against Salmon Arm.

ON THE TRAIL: Ben Matthews returned to the line-up after battling the flu all weekend. A very sick Wade Bennett missed his second straight game while several other players gutted it out at less than 100%. Trail could have injured Smokies Justin Brown and Graeme Strukoff back as soon as this weekend. Matt Wilkins is still a couple of weeks away ... After only a single point in September, Darnell Dyck scored 11 in October. That was good enough for 5^th on the team behind Nick Sandor (15), Scott Jacklin (13), Tye Lewis (12) and Sam Mellor (12) ... The win evens the season series after Quesnel beat Trail 5-1 at the Cominco Arena in September ... The Smokies will be back up north soon as they make another trip to Williams Lake, Prince George and Quesnel in 3 weeks. They'll then host Quesnel and Prince George the week after that.

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Post Game Audio: Trail 5 Salmon Arm 5

(Mailey and St. Denis against SA last season - Photo Randy Emery)

Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey September 29th Highlights

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Smokies Assistant Coach Brian Youngson

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Forward Justin Brown

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Defenceman Steve Koshey

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Forward Travis St. Denis

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Trail 7 Williams Lake 2

(Sam Mellor scores his second of the game - Photo Randy Emery)

Trevor Lewis and Sam Mellor both had two goals and an assist in a 7-2 Trail win over Williams Lake today. Matt Wilkins had three asists while Travis St. Denis added two points. It was also a celebration for Eric Walker, Ben Matthews and Marc-Antoine Chaput as they each scored their first BCHL points. Mellor's first goal was his first BCHL marker. Kiefer Smiley stopped 36 of 38 shots for the win in his first start as a Smoke Eater. It was the second straight game that the Smokies put up more than 40 shots. There was lots to like about this afternoon's game, but the biggest thing is that the "monkey" is off their back. Now the team should be looser and more able to perform up to their ability. We'll have all sorts of interviews and reaction tomorrow night on Mountain FM's Overtime from 6pm to 10pm. Trail's next game is Tuesday night in Salmon Arm.

Smokies Stew, BCHL Notes

The Trail Smoke Eaters have acquired defenceman Chris Stew from Surrey to complete the Paul Barclay/Darnell Dyck deal from earlier in the summer. It's listed on the BCHL website as Stew to Trail for future considerations but Stew is in fact the future considerations. The deal ends up being Barclay to the Eagles for Dyck and Stew. Stew is listed at 6'1 and 185lbs on the BCHL website while the PIJHL website gives him an extra 5 pounds. He scored 2 points in 30 games as a BCHL rookie last season. Stew also played 24 games for Port Moody in Junior B last year and scored 17 points. He had 10 points in each of his previous two PIJHL seasons, but seemed to find his offensive stride as a veteran with the Black Panthers. Enough that he got the call to the Eageles where seemingly he played limited minutes. This is another opportunity for him to prove himself at the Junior A level.

Stew's name is now added to what should be a very competitive camp on the blue line. Only two guys are back from last year's Smokies teams with several spots up for grabs. These guys will need to convince management they can do the job or they may have to make a move or two. There is a lot of talent coming in and Smokies fans will see that when camp starts. I can't believe how soon that will be. I just wish I was going to be here for camp! Instead I'll be off at a friend's wedding in Ottawa. Don't worry, we'll keep you up to date on the blog.

NOTES

...EDIT: Tickets are in fact not on sale yet. They'll be selling them at the door. However, you can still get a full tournament pass for $15. It runs on August 28th, 29th and 30th at the Cominco Arena. Penticton, Powell River and Brooks will all take part. Each team will play each other once over the three days. It'll only cost you $15 for the entire tournament or $5 per game. To get your full tournament pass head over to Re-Max All Pro Realty. That's a hell of a deal for 6 games. These won't be easy going exhibition games either. Players will be fighting for spots and trying to impress college scouts who will come out to Trail for the tournament. Don't miss it.

...Kelowna broadcaster Regan Bartel is reporting that former Smoke Eater Lucas Bloodoff and Trail forward Travis St. Denis' brother Kyle are both getting invites to NHL training camps. The two are teammates with the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL. I talked to Kyle today and he says his invite from the Dallas Stars was set up by Rockets owner Bruce Hamilton. The former Vernon Viper and Beaver Valley Nitehawk will turn some heads with added responsibility this year if he can stay healthy. Lucas will join his brother Evan at the Phoenix camp as Evan was drafted by the team this year. Both Bloodoff brothers (from Castlegar) will win points with hard work and smart hockey.

...Former Smoke Eater Skyler Smutek is on the move. Quesnel picked up the one time Spokane Brave and Jeff Writght from Fort McMurray (who got Smutek's rights from Drayton Valley somehow) for Brad Ryan and Matt Brown. Skyler was an all star for the Thunder last year after being traded from Trail for Adam Gummer. I hope he will find a comfortable home up north as he's a nice young man with a lot of talent.

...Brooks Robinson is headed to Prince George after a series of trades. We saw him as a part of Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in Trail two seasons ago. Brooks had kind of an off year in 08-09 but he's got a lot of talent. He played for Jim Ingram in Junior B and Trail's Coach speaks highly of him. However, it seems like basically a wash for Prince George when they gave up Alex Allan. It's one point per game player for another.

...Vernon got stronger as well by trading the rights to Brian Elser to Victoria for Jonathan Milhouse. He's another veteran point per game player that will help Vernon defend their Royal Bank Cup. With Sahir Gill and several older veterans leaving Milhouse will fill part of that void.

...Former Nelson Leaf Dylan Walchuk has committed to Northern Michigan University after a terrific season in the KIJHL. He was excellent in Nelson's run to the league title. Smokies fans got to see him in action as an AP for a few games. He'll be a good one for the Vipers next season.

...Check out Ryan Pinder's Vees Blog for an update on Penticton's prep camp in Osoyoos. I'll be there myself this weekend with my family for some late summer relaxing.

...Eddie Gregory on his Burnaby Express Blog has the scoop on the Dan Correale situation. I have a feeling we'll hear more about this before the season starts.