Spruce Kings Clean House, Pickering Traded

A couple of days ago I suggested that the Prince George Spruce Kings were likely sellers at the deadline... and they were. However, what I didn't count on was how little they would actually do to help other BCHL clubs.

The Spruce Kings instead made 4 of their 5 deals with teams in the AJHL. All of the deals saw Prince George pick up future considerations in return. Next year's team could be an interesting one as a result. The only BCHL club to benefit from the Prince George house cleaning is the Surrey Eagles who add veteran defenceman Josh Pineiro. Pineiro is a very solid vet, but his production has tailed off after a start that had him on a point per game pace. He should help Surrey at both ends of the ice.

Prince George also moved Brooks Robinson back to Alberta as the son of former Caps Coach Scott Robinson is now a member of the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Goaltender Steve Papciak also returns to the Alberta league, but this time with Canmore. As far as I can tell Papciak was the only goalie with a winning record for Prince George this season as they've kind of had a revolving door between the pipes. Talented Forward Marcus Watson's stay with PG was a short one as he is now off to join the Grande Prairie Storm.

As much as all of those guys could be key additions for the teams they find themselves with, I would say that Wes McLeod is likely the biggest fish leaving the Spruce Kings. I heard speculation all around the BCHL about who could get him. There were even people in Trail last night telling me the Smokies should go after him. Trust me when I say the price was way too high for a team with as much young talent as Trail. A lot of that talent would be in Spruce Kings colours next season if that was the move they made. There was talk that everyone from Vernon to Salmon Arm to Flin Flon wanted to take a crack at McLeod. Who won the sweepstakes? The Spruce Grove Saints.

Why is McLeod so valuable? Anyone who has seen him play doesn't need me to answer that question. He's a point per game guy from the back end who is very solid in all aspects. He played for Team Canada West and is a multiple time All-Star. He's also only 19 and as such doesn't take up a 20 year old spot. Why should we care that he's going to Spruce Grove? The Saints are the best team in Alberta and may in fact be the best team in Canada. They've only lost 3 times in regular all season. Now a team that good can add a player of McLeod's status... not paying the price to get him could end up coming back to haunt whichever team wins the BCHL championship and has to face Spruce Grove in the Doyle Cup.

It looks like (at least for now) Prince George Captain Sam Muchalla is staying put. The 1990 born forward could have fetched a huge price on the open market. However, he is a Prince George native and I bet the Spruce Kings wanted to keep him in their uniform before he heads off to school next year. The Sprucies also kept the likes of Zac Rasmussen, Joe Morgan and Brad Bourke who could have been key additions for contending clubs. While it certainly looks like Prince George is throwing in the towel on this season, they do still have some significant talent. The reason I say that is because I'm sure some fans in Trail, Merritt and Quesnel just got a little more comfortable with their playoff spot. Don't count on it yet! Ed Dempsey's club isn't going to go out without a fight. Sometimes a house cleaning of veteran talent like this can motivate guys and create an "us against the world" environment.

They've got nothing to lose so don't start making playoff reservations yet.

PICKERING A VEE

Former Smoke Eater Andrew Pickering is on the move again. After starting his career with Victoria he has now seen stops in Trail, Prince George, Merritt and now Penticton. As Brian reported over at Making Cents, Pickering apparently asked to be moved to a contender. His wish has been granted. There are few if any teams more poised to make a run for it all than the Vees.

In return the Cents will add the services of Sam Gemmell. Gemmell's stay with the Vees was a short one, but there should be an opportunity to prove himself with the Cents. The other good thing for Merritt fans is that Gemmell is only a 1990 born forward so he could return next season while Pickering is in his final year of junior.

I also heard about this deal from a couple of other sources earlier today but they were holding off reporting it until the league approved the deal. Where does Pickering fit in Penticton? I suspect there's an opportunity for him to see some offensive ice with Eric Filiou on the shelf. However, there is a lot of depth on that Vees forward group. He'll have to play and produce consistently to get the kind of ice time he's had in his previous stops. Andrew is a very skilled hockey player who sees the ice very well. It'll be interesting to see how he fits in with the Vees.

SMALL DEALS

There were a couple of other small moves. Vernon sent 19 year old defenceman Nils Erik Soderlund to Winkler of the MJHL for futures. Soderlund is a big and talented defenceman who just didn't get enough of a chance to play in Vernon. They have a deep club and Soderlund found himself in the stands more often than not. Now that he'll get a chance to play more I expect he'll turn some heads. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up back in this league next season. Now everyone is wondering if the move clears the way for Sahir Gill to return from the USHL.

Quesnel sent Defenceman Matt Hutchinson to the OCN Blizzard of the MJHL for future considerations. He looked solid in the games I saw him in but apparently wasn't in Quesnel's plans.

Is there more to come? Probably. A lot of these deals don't get reported until a full day later sometimes. Stay tuned for more including an update on the KIJHL. Also don't forget that teams can still add "free agents" if they have available cards. This isn't over just yet.

Video Highlights: Trail 6 Prince George 5 (OT)

Here are some video highlights from Trail's dramatic overtime win over Prince George last Friday. We're still working on our audio levels as they sound fine during the broadcast on our end and then are getting distorted seemingly over the PPV signal. As for the game, it's another example of how much fun it is when PG and Trail hook up.

November Northern Trip Video Highlights

I've also got video from the recent home games against Prince George and Penticton I hope to put together if I have time. The video from the Quesnel game in Trail didn't turn out for some reason. I do want to apologize to the goaltenders for not adding saves to the highlights this time. With a lot on my plate right now it's already time consuming enough as it is to find something that is on the score sheet. Hopefully in future videos I'll have time to grab a few of the good stops.

By the way, Ryan Pinder (Penticton broadcaster) and I are going to be hosting a live blog tomorrow/tonight (December 1rst) on this blog and over at his Vees Blog. It'll be in honour of every BCHL team reaching the mid-way point in the season. We'll break down what we've thought of the season so far and what we think is coming in the second half. However, this isn't just a forum for Ryan and I to yammer at each other. The whole idea of the live blog is for you to join the conversation with your questions or comments. Hopefully we'll get a big crowd out and maybe make it a more regular feature of our blogs. That will be at 7:30pm tonight.

Post Game: Trail 6 Prince George 5 (OT), Mellor Interview

Here's the recap of last night's game from the BCHL website:

The Trail Smoke Eaters let a two-goal lead get away in the third period, but rebounded in overtime to top the Prince George Spruce Kings by a 6-5 score.

After a scoreless first period, the teams exchanged six goals in the second period by scoring three apiece. Sam Mellor and Nick Sandor -- with a pair -- netted for Trail while Zac Rasmussen, Brooks Robinson and Wes McLeod replied for the Spruce Kings.

Trail took a quick two-goal lead just 1:34 into the third, but Prince George bounced back with a pair to force overtime and set the stage for Mellor's winner.

Garrett Beckwith picked up the win for Trail with 36 saves, while Steve Papciak faced 54 shots in the loss.

The victory was Trail's third straight and fourth in their last five games.

The Spruce Kings now travel for a Saturday night meeting with the Vees, while the Smoke Eaters remain at home awaiting that same Penticton squad on Sunday.

Here's my interview with Sam Mellor after the game:

Smokies Forward Sam Mellor

Click here to download

NOTES

...Tye Lewis missed the game for Trail last night with a minor lower body injury. It happened after his third goal on Thursday night against Quesnel. At first Lewis felt like he would be fine and ready to play against Prince George. Unfortunately the injury will instead keep him out of the line-up for a brief but yet undetermined amount of time. It's not a serious injury and should only require a couple of weeks off at most. Graeme Strukoff was also out of the line-up with his re-aggravated injury and Sean Nugent was suspended.

...Wade Bennett and Thomas Abenante took Nugent and Lewis' spots in the line-up. On the back end, Phillip Patenaude filled in as an affiliate player for the third time this seasons. He has an assist in each one of those games. Patenaude again didn't look out of place. However, he was surprisingly the only player in the entire game to take a penalty. His minor for tripping in the second period was the only penalty called by referee Grant Tyson. The Smoke Eaters and Spruce Kings both played a hard nosed and physical game. Tyson let them play that game without sticking his nose in to try and be a deciding factor. I thought it was one of the best performances I've seen from a ref in the BCHL. If you're going to let them play you have to be consistent. I felt he was.

...You see 11 goals and might think the goaltenders had an off night. In my view both Papciak and Beckwith played very strong games. The only goal that you could really fault either of them on was when Beckwith turned the puck over to start the second period. Otherwise they both made some huge stops to keep their team in it when the momentum was with their opponent.

...The way I described this game last night on the broadcast was a highly entertaining battle between two skilled, determined and in some ways flawed teams. They each made some key mistakes at key times. However, they also had the skill and heart to put those mistakes behind them and continue fighting hard for the two points. Prince George had a let down in allowing Trail to jump out to a 5-3 lead early in the third, but they battled back and forced overtime. The Smoke Eaters had a let down in allowing the Spruce Kings to come back from the 5-3 deficits, but they kept fighting and found a way to win the game in overtime. It was a highly entertaining game and I'm sorry that their season series is already over. 3 of the 4 games between the Smokies and Spruce Kings were among the most entertaining games this year.

...For the first time this season Trail has won three straight games and four of their last five. Their scoring has certainly been the key to those victories. They've scored 23 goals in their last 3 games and 31 in their last 5. That's an average just over 6 goals a game. Mike Betz had 14 points over that 5 game span and 11 in his last 3. Nick Sandor also has 11 points over the last 3 games while Scott Jacklin has 9. That's some ridiculous production. In doing that the Smoke Eaters have moved themselves to within 1 point of Quesnel and 3 points of Prince George in the Interior Conference standings.

...After a run of games against the northern teams the Smokies will now have to prove themselves against the Okanagan clubs over the next couple of weeks. They've got Penticton, Salmon Arm, Vernon and Westside over the next four games. With three of them at home it is a real opportunity for the Smoke Eaters to prove they have made some big strides by being competitive with the league's top teams.

Post Game: Trail 7 Prince George 3

Prince George, BC – The line of Scott Jacklin, Tye Lewis and Sam Mellor combined for 8 points in Trail's (7-18-1-1) 7-3 win over Prince George (10-16-1-1). Darnell Dyck, Paul Mailey and Mitch Kaufmann also added 2 points each in the victory.

Garrett Beckwith was sharp with 31 saves for the Smokies. He was really tested early as Trail was on their heels in the first ten minutes. Prince George out shot the Smokies 15-8 in the first period, but Nick Sandor's goal made sure the Spruce Kings only had a 2-1 lead after one.

Mellor's power play goal early in the second period was the first of six unanswered markers for Trail. Steve Koshey put the Smoke Eaters ahead for the first time when he snuck in from the point and tapped in a great feed from Jacklin. Koshey played and was very effective despite being a game time decision after an injury in Vernon.

Kyle Nielson replaced Steve Papciak in the Prince George goal to start the third period.

Mike Betz knocked in the rebound from a Paul Mailey shot to score his first career BCHL goal. It would stand up as the eventual winner. Mellor scored his second of the game on some great passing from Jacklin and Lewis. Sean Nugent also converted after a terrific pass from Tommy Rizzardo.

The Smokies closed out their scoring as Darnell Dyck used some quick hands to tuck a puck in at the side of the Spruce Kings net. Affiliate player Philip Patenaude got his first assist on the play.

Lyndon Martel, Stewart Lambert and Wes McLeod scored for Prince George.

ON THE TRAIL: This was Trail's final game in Prince George this season. The Smokies lead the season series 2-1. The teams will play again next week in Trail ... Matt Wilkins and Graeme Strukoff missed the game with injuries ... Patenaude was at Trail's training camp in August. He had 14 points in 18 games with Nelson in the KIJHL. The Smokies also have AP defenceman Colton Semenok with them for the weekend trip. He played a season with Canmore in the AJHL and has 3 assists in 14 games with Beaver Valley in the KIJHL ... Trail visits Quesnel on Friday night and Williams Lake on Saturday.

Click here for the boxscore

Saturday and Sunday Video Highlights

Here are the highlights from the BCHL PPV broadcasts of Trail's games in Prince George on Saturday, October 31rst and in Quesnel on Sunday, November 1rst.

Post Northern Trip Audio

....


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

Click here to download

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

Click here to download

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

Click here to download

Smokies Forward Travis St. Denis

Click here to download

Smokies Forward Darnell Dyck

Click here to download

Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram

Click here to download

Road Trip Three Stars

(Smiley against Quesnel - Photo Randy Emery)

The flu bug that hit some of the Smoke Eaters seems to have hit the broadcaster as well. I'm not nearly in as good a shape as the guys are too so I probably can't fight it off quite as well! With all the H1N1 concern Mountain FM has kept me on the bench for a couple of days to make sure I don't spread this thing around the office. That's why there was a "best of" Overtime on tonight in case you noticed.

I do want to quickly address the road trip. It couldn't have got off to a more frustrating start. Everyone was really let down by the compete level from the club in the first period against Williams Lake. The Smokies then played 8 consecutive solid periods on the way to picking up 4 out of a possible 6 points. That tripled Trail's road win total and has to be considered a big success.

What happened? In talking to several of the players and coaches it seems a sit down meeting on Friday morning gave the guys some perspective. Smokies trainer Steve Mears spent his career in the military and knows all about what it takes to be part of a unit. When you have someone else's life in your hands you can't afford to play by your own rules. I don't know what went into the meeting, but apparently a big part of it was getting some of that military perspective and really learning to trust your teammates. Every guy I interviewed (hope to have those for you in the next day or so depending on how I improve) mentioned that they felt like the team really came together after that meeting and the final two games of the trip.

There is a lot of talent on this Smoke Eaters roster. So much so that I was stunned by the slow start. I knew it would be challenging to play 20 of their first 29 on the road. I knew it would be challenging to break in so many new defencemen. However, I think we all knew this roster was better than their results so far. Perhaps they now realize more than ever that each individual player can't just get it done with their own talent. Each guy has to buy in to the team and become part of that one unit for this young club to have the kind of success that all Smokies fans are hoping for. I think we've seen a giant step forward in that direction.

So that being said it is difficult to single out anyone as the "stars" of the road trip, but it's something I like to do after most long trips. I think the biggest thing about their two wins was that buy in to the team concept and trust in one another. However, there were certainly some individuals who stepped up in a big way.

1. Darnell Dyck: Dyck was the first star against Prince George and the second star against Quesnel. That makes him the natural selection. Here is a guy who came to Trail with something to prove. He told me after the trade that brought him here for goaltender Paul Barclay that he wanted to prove he could be a "top 6" forward at this level. Dyck got off to a little bit of a slow start. However, as some key guys have gone down to injures Darnell has leaped at the opportunity to get more ice time. Game by game he has proved himself to Coach Ingram and earned bigger and bigger opportunities. Now Dyck is taking shifts on the power play, penalty kill and on one of the top lines. How did he respond? By scoring the winning goal on Saturday (as called by assistant coach Brian Youngson) and picking up 5 total points in the two Trail victories. Darnell went from a single point in September to 11 in October. That's as many points as he had all of last season. Dyck has arrived.

2. Kiefer Smiley/Garrett Beckwith: What a cop out, eh? Well it's hard to separate them after they both played such big parts in the Trail wins. After the Smokies got down 3-2 in Prince George, Beckwith stopped 22 straight shots to close the door and give them a chance for a come back. In Quesnel, Smiley made several key saves in the first half setting the table for the blow out victory. I'm sure he took a lot of pride in stopping 35 shots against his former team. That is the kind of goaltending Trail needs to win. There are no successful teams in the BCHL with average goaltending. Trail's four recent wins all came with strong performances by one of Beckwith and Smiley. That's what has to happen for the Smokies to continue their recent success with games coming up against Salmon Arm and Vernon.

3. Jesse Niemi: I don't know if Niemi was the third best Smoke Eater on the road trip. He probably wasn't as we didn't really see him log a ton of ice time or play on special teams. However, you have to appreciate how well he performed under the circumstances. Here we have a 20 year old from the KIJHL's Fernie Ghostriders who has never played a regular season BCHL game. He took two years off of hockey before returning to give it another shot late last season. Now he finds himself as a rare over age AP on a 12 hour road trip with a bunch of strangers. So what did Niemi do? He went out and scored 5 points in 3 games. Only Dyck could match that among the Smokies regulars over the same span. Right now he is only officially credited with 3 of those points, but upon further review he'll have 2 more assists added to his total from the Quesnel game. Niemi also did all of that after sustaining an upper body injury in the game against Prince George. I know they are proud of him over at the Ghostriders blog. He told me in an interview that he didn't want to regret not giving the BCHL a shot even if there were long odds of him making much of an impact. The Salmon Arm native can more than hold his head high after that weekend.

NOTES

...Trail isn't alone in having lost to Williams Lake. The first year Timberwolves have a 3-1-1-0 record in their last five games. Goaltender Sean Donnelly is certainly a big part of their recent success. However, this is also what happens when a team full of rookies starts to believe they can play at this level. There is a big adjustment for any Junior B or Midget player as they make the leap to the BCHL. The Timberwolves are starting to make that adjustment and more importantly are starting to play like they believe they can beat anyone. With wins over Powell River, Trail, Quesnel and Prince George in October they have served notice that there will be no easy points in their barn anymore.

...Trail wasn't the only team to get some help from the KIJHL on the weekend. Goaltender Billy Faust went from Nelson to Penticton with Sean Bonar off at the World Junior A Challenge. Faust stopped 17 of 18 Merritt shots to get a win in his first BCHL start. They've also had 16 year old Castlegar Rebels defenceman Ryan Renz in their line-up. He like Smoke Eaters defenceman Eric Walker is from Castlegar. Not a bad duo of 16 year olds representing my current home.

...Meritt turned to Chase goaltender Riley Wall with injuries to their two regulars. Wall lost both games but kept his save percentage just a tad bellow 90% against Penticton and Surrey, two of the top ranked teams in Canada. Wall was an AP with Trail last season.

...Westside turned to Nelson Leafs forward Shawn Hochhausen and Spokane Braves forward Dylan Tappe to fill in for some of their missing players. Neither picked up a point in the home and home series with Salmon Arm, but I would expect them both to find their way into the league next season. I didn't know you could use 17 year old Americans as APs in the BCHL as I thought they had to be in their 18 year old season to play in Canada. That being said, Tappe is one of the best young forwards in the KIJHL. There will be a lot of eyes watching some of the high scoring players on Simon Wheeldon's Leafs and Mike Bay's Braves this season.

...Quesnel also had some KIJHL help in their line-up as Jesse Niemi's Fernie teammates Brendon and Bond Hawryluk played for the Millionaires. Brendon has a goal in 3 games while Bond is pointless in 4. As you can see very few players make the kind of impact that Niemi made as affiliates. Trail also used Leafs forward Gavin Currie earlier this season and he had an assist in 2 games.

...Quesnel made a deal after their 3 losses on the weekend sending defenceman James Bettauer to Burnaby for 20 year old forward Jon Puskar. Bettauer was with Chilliwack in the WHL last year and was part of Penticton's BCHL championship club as a 16 year old. While the trade takes 24 points off of the Burnaby roster, I suspect they are looking to shake things up and tighten things up in their own end after a very rough October. Puskar adds depth to a Quesnel forward group that was relying too heavily on two or three players. Should be a good deal for both teams. We still haven't seen any real blockbuster deals since the season got going. I expect those shoes will start to drop even before we get to the January trade deadline.

Post Game: Trail 4 at Prince George 3

Here is the summary I posted on the Smoke Eaters official website after tonight's win.

Prince George, BC – Trail (5-14-1-1) assistant coach Brian Youngson pulled a bit of a trick to help the Smokies get a treat on Halloween night. He told Darnell Dyck before the third period that the game winning goal was on the Chilliwack native's stick. Youngson was right. Dyck tipped in a Tommy Rizzardo point shot to give the Smoke Eaters a 4-3 victory in Prince George (7-11-1-1).

The goal capped off a third period comeback for Trail that started with affiliate player Jesse Niemi's first career BCHL goal. Niemi tapped in the rebound out of mid air from a Thomas Abenante shot. It was the Salmon Arm native's second point of the night in his second BCHL game. Niemi joined Trail as an AP this weekend after scoring 25 points in 15 games with Fernie in the KIJHL so far this season.

The Smokies carried the play at even strength, but Prince George had a 3-2 lead after the second period thanks to their special teams edge. While Trail couldn't convert any of their seven power plays, the Spruce Kings went 2 for 4. Justin Fillion was the offensive catalyst for Pringe George as he had assists on all three of their goals. Jonathan Gibson, Lyndon Martel and Joe Morgan scored for the home team.

Trail forward Nick Sandor opened the scoring only 42 seconds into the game when he tucked in the rebound from another Rizzardo point shot. Sandor has scored all 9 of his goals this season in the last 8 games.

Niemi and Dyck picked up assists on Smokies defenceman Mitch Kaufmann's second of the season early in the second period. Dyck was named the game's first star as he reached the 11 point mark in his 20^th game. It took him 53 games to get to that same mark last season with Surrey.

Garrett Beckwith allowed 3 goals on 8 shots in the first half of the game. The Trail goaltender rebounded with 22 straight saves to shut the door for a Smokies victory. It was Beckwith's first win away from the Cominco Arena, and only the second road win of the season for the Smokies. Prince George goaltender Steve Papciak made 31 saves on 35 Trail shots.

Trail's next action is tomorrow afternoon in Quesnel. The Millionaires beat Trail 5-1 at the Cominco Arena on September 26^th. They've lost twice this weekend with star goaltender Kirby Halcrow away at the World Junior A Challenge. Tune in to Mountain FM at 1:45pm for the broadcast. The Smoke Eaters will be back at home on Friday and Saturday for back to back games against Salmon Arm.

ON THE TRAIL: Trail played the game with a short bench as Ben Matthews and Wade Bennett were out with the flu. They joined injured Smokies Justin Brown, Matt Wilkins and Graeme Strukoff on the sidelines tonight. Travis St. Denis also missed the game due to a suspension. He had the second fight after the whistle in Friday's game against Williams Lake ... Scott Jacklin and Sam Mellor were held off the score sheet for the first time in five games ... The win evens the season series after Prince George beat Trail 4-3 in double overtime at the Cominco Arena earlier this month ... The Smokies finished October with a 4-9-0-1 record. They went 2-1-0-1 at home and 2-8-0-0 on the road. It was a significant improvement on the 1-6-1-0 record in September ... Trail had a lead in 11 of their 13 games in October. They only had leads in 2 of 8 games the month before ... The game was the second time Smokies forward Josh McEwan got to play against his cousin Clayton McEwan. Josh also has a brother Joey who plays for Merritt. Josh has shown his gritty side by averaging 5 penalty minutes a game in his 10 games as a Smoke Eater.

shawnsamsmullin@hotmail.com

Video Highlights: Prince George 4 Trail 3 (OT)

My apologies for the lack of update these last two days. I've taken the time to relax with family for Thanksgiving and waste hours playing NHL 2010. With a five day road trip coming up this week I hope you can all understand! I do want to say again how nice it was to meet several parents over the weekend. You were all very friendly and encouraging. I really appreciate that. There's a lot of class among the players and their families... the victories will come but that character is what really matters in life.

EDIT: The audio on the file is off especially towards the end of the hightlights. It's not off on my copy but something got lost in the transition up to youtube.

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.

Busy Day!

We've had lots to talk about today on the Smoke Eaters blog.

• Merritt introduces their new Coach and GM (from Making Cents blog with audio)
• Chad Gehon gets a scholarship to Alaska Fairbanks
• Final Central Scouting rankings with six BCHL players
• Brodie Reid traded from Nanaimo to Alberta
• Interviews with Brett Naka, Jim Ingram, Connor Jones and Lucas Bloodoff
• Check out Ron Gallo's Spruce Kings blog now independent of the BCHL site

Finally I just wanted to mention that Penticton play by play man Ryan Pinder made fun of my cheesy "thank you" graphic in the comments of my post back in March. Guess where that picture is now? Great minds think alike, Ryan! Check out Pinder's Vees Blog for some great coverage of the Royal Bank Cup with Dan Marshall and continuing coverage of the Vees in the off season.

I will get those Limbert and Rollheiser interviews on the blog soon I swear it! Other things just keep coming up. Don't forget to vote tonight in the BC Election (polls close at 8pm with election coverage on Mountain FM) and the Smoke Eaters AGM next Thursday night.

BCHL Player Draft Rankings

(Kyle Bigos)

Congrats to the six BCHL players who have landed on Central Scouting's prospect list for the NHL draft. It was really exciting for everyone involved with the Smoke Eaters last year when Grant Rollheiser got picked by the Toronto Maple Leafs. I'm sure fans from these other teams are crossing their fingers for their guys. Here's where the BCHL guys stand:

89 - Curtis McKenzie (Penticton)
115 - Curtis Gedig (Cowichan Valley)
117 - Cory Kane (Vernon)
142 - Spencer Bennet (Surrey)
169 - Kyle Bigos (Vernon)
200 - Wes McLeod (Prince George)

McKenzie being the top prospect is not a surprise after the huge leap forward he made with the Vees this year. Bigos being on their radar despite being an 89 tells you how terrific he was this season. Year after year there's more great BCHL talent showing up on the NHL's radar. Maybe that's why the league, Hockey Canada and the CJHL are trying to form closer ties. Read this article to see what I'm talking about. Mind you there are so few specifics in the article it's very difficult to tell what they actually have planned. I'm just glad they're playing attention.

Pinder Previews Game 5

The game is just underway but here's a chat I had with Penticton broadcaster Ryan Pinder on the fifth and deciding game of the Vees/Spruce Kings series.

Vees Broadcaster Ryan Pinder on Game 5

Click here to download

Good luck to both teams. It's only been a few days and I'm missing the hockey badly.

UPDATE: The Vees take it in dramatic fashion. Congrats to Penticton on a hard fought win. Also congrats to former Smoke Eater Andrew Pickering and the Spruce Kings for nearly pulling off the upset. Playoff hockey at its best. Now the second round is set with Penticton vs. Vernon, Westside vs. Salmon Arm, Surrey vs. Powell River and Cowichan vs. Victoria. I do also want to note that I went 3/3 in my predictions!