Kootenay Major Midget Ice Survive

A news release from the Major Midget Kootenay Ice announced today that the team will continue on for the 2009-10 season. Even in their own press release the Ice admitted the upcoming season was in doubt. It's tough to make this program work in a sparsely populated and geographically large region. We're not talking about a bunch of Vancouver kids driving to practice with their parents. Since the ice are based in the West Kootenay any players from the East Kootenay end up having to billet for the season. We also have a lot of popular KIJHL teams and lower tier midget teams for them to compete for players with. The deck is stacked against having a winning team.

That being said, the main reason to continue on with the program is so our region's players can develop against the top talent in the province. We've seen some terrific players come out of the Major Midget program over its' brief existence. The 06-07 team included current Smokies Justin Brown and Steve Koshey, Williams Lake forward Anthony DeLong, Logan Proulx of the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings and several players who have played at least in the KIJHL. The 07-08 team included current Smokies Travis St. Denis and Sam Mellor, new Vee Isaac MacLeod, DeLong again and several players who moved on to the KIJHL. For a team with so few wins that's a pretty decent success rate. Former Ice Head Coach Jake Postnikoff deserves a lot of credit for working hard with what he had and helping those players along.

Now the Ice are turning their team over to Nelson's Brent Petrick. He has several years of Rep level coaching experience and took the West Kootenay Female Midget AAA team to a Provincial Championship in 2007.

Good luck to Brent. I hope he can continue to produce some great talent for the future of our local teams. Anyone interested in their camp can register by getting the form off the Major Midget website.

2008-09 Smokies Alumni Update (Rollheiser and Limbert Audio)

(Rollheiser with BU)

It was quite a season for Smoke Eaters alumni throughout the hockey world. Brett Skinner made his NHL debut with the New York Islanders, Wade Dubielewicz and Steve McCarthy tried out the new KHL, Jess Newman was in some early Hobey Baker award discussions, Scott Jago, Miles Houston and Brock Monroe won the KIJHL championship with Nelson, Cam Brodie won the Royal Bank Cup with Vernon, Lucas Bloodoff won the WHL championship with Kelowna and Grant Rollheiser won the NCAA championship with BU. That's just the tip of the iceberg.After Rollheiser and company won the NCAA's top prize I had the chance to chat with him on Mountain FM's Overtime.

Grant Rollheiser on BU's Championship

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Meanwhile, former Smokies Captain and Fruitvale native Kevin Limbert played a big part in Yale's most successful season in years. I chatted with Kevin on Overtime about his first season away from home.

Kevin Limbert on his first NCAA season at Yale

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Kevin and Grant are just two of the success stories this organization has produced. Hopefully all those who leave the Smokies organization this year will find what they're looking for from their post BCHL life. I'll do my best to keep tabs on them next season as well. Here's a final look at the Smokies alumni for the 08-09 season:

• F Shawn Horcoff - NHL - Edmonton Oilers (80GP: 17G, 36A) (Legends of Hockey Profile)
• G Wade Dubielewicz - NHL - Columbus Blue Jackets (3GP: 1-2-0, 3.56GAA, 0.870%) *started the season in the KHL*
• D Brett Skinner - AHL - Chicago Wolves (61GP: 4G, 31A) (AHL Profile) *played 11 games with the New York Islanders traded to Atlanta*
• D Steve McCarthy - KHL - Ufa Salavat Yulayev (18GP: 0G, 0A) (Russian Link)
• D Travis Gawryletz - ECHL - Elmira Jackals (56GP: 2G, 14A) (ECHL Profile)
• F Mick Lawrence - ECHL - Las Vegas Wranglers (38GP: 16G, 18A) (ECHL Profile)
• D Justin Coutu - ECHL - Trenton Devils (62GP: 2G, 11A) (ECHL Profile)
• F Cam Keith - ECHL - Alaska Aces (72GP: 20G, 46A)
• F Lucas Burnett - EIHL - Manchester Phoenix (56GP: 17G, 27A) (EIHL Profile)
• F Chris Shudo - CHL - Wichita Thunder (42GP: 9G, 5A) (CHL Profile)
• G Grant Rollheiser - NCAA - Boston University (12GP: 6-4-1, 2.13GAA, 0.897%)
• G Devan Hartigan - NCAA - Northern Michigan Wildcats (6GP: 1-3-2, 2.48GAA, 0.903%)
• G Louis Menard - NCAA - R.I.T. Tigers (19GP: 10-7-2, 3.23GAA, 0.885%)
• F David Arduin - NCAA - Qunnipiac Bobcats (8GP: 1G, 0A)
• D Scott Warner - NCAA - Army Black Knights (24GP: 6G, 3A)
• D Pat Copeland - NCAA - Army Black Knights (25GP: 0G, 1A)
• F Kevin Limbert - NCAA - Yale Bulldogs (34GP: 7G, 8A)
• F August Aiken - NCAA - Alaska Anchorage (19GP: 2G, 0A)
• F Matt Turner - NCAA - U Conn Huskies (19GP: 1G, 4A)
• F Jesse Newman - NCAA - R.I.T. Tigers (37GP: 9G, 20A)
• F Justin St. Louis - NCAA - Michigan Tech (21GP: 1G, 0A)
• F Daniel Quilico - NCAA - Colorado College (4GP: 0G, 0A)
• D Jordan Collins - NCAA - Western Michigan University (41GP: 1G, 4A)
• F Jason Shaffer - NCAA - Union College (23GP: 1G, 1A)
• F Stefan Decosse - NCAA - Geneseo Knights (22GP: 4G, 8A)
• F Casey Shade - NCAA - Wentworth Leopards (27GP: 11G, 27A)
• G Cole Anderson - NCAA - Amherst College (15GP: 10-4-1, 1.51GAA, 0.954% )
• F Joel Barrett - ACAC - SAIT Trojans (23GP: 11G, 4A)
• F Brad Davis - BCHL - Langley Chiefs (41GP: 1G, 7A)
• F Chad Gehon - BCHL - Westside Warriors (51GP: 21G, 39A)
• F Andrew Pickering - BCHL - Prince George Spruce Kings (57GP: 19G, 26A)
• D Jimmy Geerin - BCHL - Penticton Vees (AP) (36GP: 5G, 11A)
• D Cameron Brodie - BCHL - Vernon Vipers (60GP: 6G, 18A)
• F Dylan Herold - BCHL - Burnaby Express (55GP: 14G, 18A)
• D Nathan Westover - BCHL - Burnaby Express (55GP: 8G, 17A)
• F Brian Kang - BCHL - Alberni Valley Bulldogs (56GP: 11G, 13A)
• F Chris Santiago - BCHL - Surrey Eagles (52GP: 16G, 33A)
• D Skyler Smutek - AJHL - Drayton Valley Thunder (37GP: 3G, 9A)
• F Lucas Bloodoff - WHL - Kelowna Rockets (69GP: 20G, 18A)
• F Steve Ourosov - WHL - Red Deer Rebels (29GP: 4G, 0A)
• F Logan Proulx - WHL - Edmonton Oil Kings (58GP: 4G, 5A)
• D Ryan Hill - USHL - Sioux Falls (51GP: 0G, 6A)
• D Braden Kinnebrew - NAHL - Wichita Falls (35GP: 3G, 7A)
• F Scott Jago - KIJHL - Nelson Leafs (42GP: 17G, 20A)
• F Miles Houston - KIJHL - Nelson Leafs (44GP: 28G, 46A)
• F Brock Monroe - KIJHL - Nelson Leafs (50GP: 30G, 40A)
• F James Kellington - VIJHL - Peninsula Panthers (28GP: 15G, 17A)
  

Mellor to Trail

Smokies Coach and General Manager Jim Ingram announced the addition of 1992 born forward Sam Mellor to next season's roster. Here's Ingram discussing Mellor on Mountain FM's Overtime:

Jim Ingram on Mellor

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Mellor is a nice catch for the Smokies as his play last season and at a U17 impressed Alaska-Anchorage enough that they committed to him for the 2011-2012 season. He scored 40 points in 51 games as a 16 year old rookie in the KIJHL. Howver, as Ingram said he put up a lot of those points later in the year. Mellor scored 19 points in his final 20 regular season games and had 8 points in 10 playoff games. Ingram was especially impressed with the way the young player handled himself when the games got tougher come playoff time.

Mellor didn't just put up points on a bunch of assists. 19 of his 40 points were goals. He also put up points as a member of the Major Midget Kootenay Ice in his 15 year old season. Mellor was the team's second leading scorer with 28 points in 38 games on a team that struggled badly. He has a nose for the net and Ingram says he's also a determined two-way player who loves to battle for pucks.

Mellor joins fellow Kimberley Dynamiter Matt Wilkins in making the jump to the Smokies. Trail also added Kimberley native Scott Jacklin at last season's trade deadline. It seems like the Smokies are trying the make an obvious connected to talented East Kootenay players. Why not build a base there as Trail is easily the closest BCHL franchise to that region. Mellor went to some other spring camps but told me the additions of Wilkins and Jacklin made him more comfortable in chosing Trail because he knows those guys and knows they're talented players.

Mellor will join me tonight for his first interview as a Smoke Eater on Mountain FM's Overtime. Tune in between 6pm and 10pm at 104.1 FM in Trail.

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.

Rebels Dominate Timberwolves Roster

(DeLong)

The Williams Lake Timberwolves recently announced their initial roster of commitments for their return to the BCHL in 2009-10. The first thing that stands out to me on that list is the strong representation for the KIJHL's Castlegar Rebels. Four players from the Rebels will be part of the new Williams Lake team and three of them are actually from Castlegar. Locals Anthony DeLong, Darren Tarasoff and Keagan Little will join Kelowna native Erik Wentzel as former Rebels making the leap to the BCHL for next season.

What's the connection? Apparently former Rebels assistant coach and assistant GM Jesse Dorrans has connections with the organization and got someone to come down and watch the team. That turned into invites to spring camp and now roster spots for a big part of the KIJHL team's core. They had a strong season as a group that included their first recent playoff series win over Beaver Valley. The success earned Coach and GM Brent Heaven a contract extension, but he's sure going to have a lot of work to do now that most of his top players are gone due to age limits or BCHL commitments.

I talked to DeLong about his move up north recently on Mountain FM's Overtime...

Anthony De Long on Mountain FM's Overtime

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While DeLong seems to be the prize of the group due to his performance as a KIJHL rookie, age and potential; Keagan Little might end up being the biggest contributor next season. Smokies fans might be familiar with Little because he was an AP for Trail in the 2007-08 season. I'm not sure any of us want to remember how decimated by injury that Trail team was, but Little played hard and didn't look out of place. Even when he suited up in the playoffs. Little might have made the leap to the BCHL much sooner if not for what has been a harsh battle with injuries. There was a time when he thought his junior hockey career might be over. Now Little is getting a rare chance to start his Junior A career as a 20 year old. He does it a year after being one of the top scorers in the KIJHL and his team's offensive catalyst.

Would all of the players on that initial roster get a chance to play in the BCHL if Williams Lake wasn't starting from scratch? That's hard to say. I know there has been some pretty harsh criticism of the roster in some circles, but sometimes the players who have been counted out will surprise you. Nobody is expecting much from them and that might play right into their hands. I'm certainly hoping to see big things from the former Rebels who now get a chance to ply their trade in the best Junior A league in Canada.

They certainly won't be the only local KIJHL players who get a shot at the BCHL next season. For example, former Smokes AP and Nelson Leaf Dylan Walchuk will be skating for Vernon next year. He and Garrett Beckwith (who will play for Trail) won't be the only former Leafs in the Interior Conference. Just wait and see! There will also be some representation from Grand Forks and Beaver Valley. It's only a matter of time before we find out where they're all headed.

NOTES

...Congratulations to former Westside Coach Mark Howell on his new job as the Head Coach for the University of Calgary. Howell's Warriors knocked Trail out of the first round in three games this past season so I know Smokies fans aren't sorry to see him go! He was always very easy for me to deal with and professional so I wish him the best of luck in his new position. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Warriors now that they are turning over so much of their roster (including key players Schultz, Pritz, Gehon, Gagne...) and now they have to find a new bench boss. It could put Westside behind the 8-ball.

...Check out Ron Gallo's Spruce Kings blog for more information on the BCHL league meetings. Ron has interviews up that recap each day of the important weekend. Of course they can only reveal so much at this point. The key information? As we've heard for some time now we will be going back to a full interlock schedule. We'll see every BCHL team in Trail and visit them all as well. That's great news for fans, but will probably add to the harsh travel costs a team like the Smokies endures. I think it's the right move. It also appears the BCHL will adopt the new NHL rule for power play face offs. Every man advantage will start in the penalized team's zone no matter where the puck is touched. I like the rule and I generally think the league should do what it can to emulate the way the game is played at the highest level. Of course that doesn't mean they should follow the NHL on everything, but I would like to see the shoot out. It seems strange that our players won't be using a skill that they'll require in basically every other league.

...Mountain FM's Overtime is back with brand new shows this week after I had a short holiday. I'm hoping to get in touch with the Smokies for their take in the league meeting and anything else that might be on the horizon. Stay tuned to Mountain FM for all the latest Smokies news. As soon as anything happens with the Smokies we've got in for you in our sportscasts and on Overtime. We're your home of the Smoke Eaters even in the off season.

Lidster Interviews

(Lidster with Salmon Arm - Photo Randy Emery)

I'm on holidays this week so it took me a little longer to get the interviews up. Here's Lidster discussing the trade and his career. I also talked to Jim Ingram about the motivation behind the deal. He also talked about losing Jayson Reardon and Jeff Zmurchyk in separate deals.

Colin Lidster on Mountain FM's Overtime

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Jim Ingram on the Lidster for Reardon deal

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NOTES

...After I recently mentioned that Quesnel might want to hurray up and hire a coach they almost immediately announced the hiring of their new bench boss. I take full credit for the announcement. Seriously though, Glen Watson sounds like a very experienced and accomplished Coach and General Manager at the Junior A level. Good luck to him in Quesnel.

...I know a few of the Smoke Eaters are having a fun time talking trash about the Stanley Cup finals. Off the top of my head I know that Steve Koshey and Danny DeKeyser are both big Red Wings fans while Travis St. Denis is a Penguins backer. Stats and photo guru Randy Emery is also one of the biggest Pittsburgh fans I know. So far it looks like Steve and Danny have the bragging rights. Don't forget though that the Penguins were down 2-0 in their series against Washington too. I've never seen a team get fewer bounces than Pittsburgh has so far in the series. The Wings are hard enough to beat when luck is on your side!

...Since I'm on holidays this week we're airing a "best of" Overtime every night. Wednesday is a Smokies 08-09 year in review show. Tune in from 6pm to 10pm on Mountain FM.