Now that the 2023-24 National Hockey League season has wrapped up, it’s time to look back at how each player with British Columbia Hockey League experience fared. Thirty-eight players who skated for at least one game in the BCHL took to the ice in the NHL this past season, with varying degrees of success.
Top scorers
Although Mathew Barzal only notched two assists in six games in the BCHL as an affiliate player with the Coquitlam Express during the 2012-13 season, he topped all players with BCHL experience in NHL scoring in 2023-24. The New York Islanders star wrapped the year with 23 goals and 80 points in 80 games. It’s the second time in his seven-year NHL career that he averaged a point per game or better. The Coquitlam, B.C. native’s 23 goals also set a career high.
Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn has long been a beacon of BCHL alumni in the NHL as the 34-year-old wrapped up his 15th full season in the league. The Victoria, B.C. product finished sixth in scoring on a deep Stars club with 21 goals and 60 points, an 18-point decrease from 2022-23. He was in the BCHL with the Victoria Salsa — and then Grizzlies — from 2005 through 2007, tallying 42 goals and 65 points in 61 games.
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the top offensive defenders in the game, Colorado’s Devon Toews is part of a formidable Avalanche blueline that also features Norris Trophy candidate and Brooks Bandits alum Cale Makar and fellow BCHL alumni Josh Manson. Toews, from Abbotsford, B.C., played two seasons with the Surrey Eagles from 2011-13, posting 17 goals and 76 points in 102 games. The 30-year-old dressed in all 82 games for the Avs in 2023-24, matching last season’s point total with 12 goals and 50 points.
Forward Alexander Kerfoot was a bright spot in the Arizona Coyotes’ tumultuous campaign, as the veteran notched 13 goals and 45 points during his first season in the desert. The 29-year-old Vancouver, B.C. native inked a two-year deal with the Coyotes last summer and will presumably relocate with the club to Utah next season. Kerfoot’s time in the BCHL saw him play 72 games with the Coquitlam Express over three seasons from 2010-13. He had 33 goals and 88 points during his time with the Express.
Boston forward Danton Heinen rounds out the top five NHL scorers with BCHL experience after he finished the season with 17 goals and 36 points in 74 games for the Bruins. Heinen, who posted his highest point total since 2017-18, was an affiliate player for Merritt in 2012-13 and a regular with Surrey in 2013-14. He had 29 goals and 64 points in 59 games between the Cents and Eagles. The 28-year-old from Langley, B.C. is a veteran of seven NHL seasons.
| # | Name | NHL Team | BCHL Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mathew Barzal | New York Islanders | Coquitlam Express | 80 | 23 | 57 | 80 |
| 2. | Jamie Benn | Dallas Stars | Victoria Grizzlies | 82 | 21 | 39 | 60 |
| 3. | Devon Toews | Colorado Avalanche | Surrey Eagles | 82 | 12 | 38 | 50 |
| 4. | Alexander Kerfoot | Arizona Coyotes | Coquitlam Express | 82 | 13 | 32 | 45 |
| 5. | Danton Heinen | Boston Bruins | Merritt/Surrey | 74 | 17 | 19 | 36 |
| 6. | Colton Sissons | Nashville Predators | West Kelowna Warriors | 81 | 15 | 20 | 35 |
| 7. | Alex Newhook | Montreal Canadiens | Victoria Grizzlies | 55 | 15 | 19 | 34 |
| 8. | Michael Rasmussen | Detroit Red Wings | Penticton Vees | 75 | 13 | 20 | 33 |
| 9. | Justin Schultz | Seattle Kraken | West Kelowna Warriors | 70 | 7 | 19 | 26 |
| 10. | Josh Manson | Colorado Avalanche | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | 76 | 8 | 17 | 25 |
| 11. | Mike Reilly | Florida/New York (I) | Penticton Vees | 61 | 6 | 18 | 24 |
| 12. | Ryan Johansen | Colorado Avalanche | Penticton Vees | 63 | 13 | 10 | 23 |
| 13. | Brandon Tanev | Seattle Kraken | Surrey Eagles | 66 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| 14. | Kent Johnson | Columbus Blue Jackets | Trail Smoke Eaters | 42 | 6 | 10 | 16 |
| 15. | Tyson Barrie | Nashville Predators | Victoria Grizzlies | 41 | 1 | 14 | 15 |
Other players with BCHL experience to play in the NHL this season include:
- Brandon Duhaime (Merritt Centennials)
- Dante Fabbro (Penticton Vees)
- Vincent Desharnais (Chilliwack Chiefs)
- Dryden Hunt (Trail Smoke Eaters)
- Troy Stecher (Penticton Vees)
- Tyson Jost (Penticton Vees)
- Jake Lucchini (Trail Smoke Eaters)
- Sheldon Rempal (Nanaimo Clippers)
- Angus Crookshank (Langley Rivermen)
- Milan Lucic (Coquitlam Express)
- Max Crozier (Nanaimo Clippers)
- Nikita Nesterenko (Chilliwack Chiefs)
- Bradly Nadeau (Penticton Vees)
- Dylan Coghlan (Nanaimo Clippers)
- Jujhar Khaira (Prince George Spruce Kings)
- Riley Nash (Salmon Arm Silverbacks)
- Gage Concalves (Chilliwack Chiefs)
- Akito Hirose (Salmon Arm Silverbacks)
- Fraser Minten (Prince George Spruce Kings)
Goaltenders
Only one former BCHL goaltender played significant minutes in the NHL during the 2023-24 season, although two other BCHL alumni also saw time.
Laurent Brossoit, who had a 10-8-0 record with a 3.78 goals-against average, an .898 save percentage, and two shutouts in 21 games with Cowichan Valley in 2009-10, got into 23 games with the Winnipeg Jets this past season.
As the backup to star netminder Connor Hellebuyck, the Port Alberni, B.C. native finished with a 15-5-2 record to go along with a 2.00 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage, and three shutouts. Brossoit, 31, is a veteran of 140 NHL games over the last 10 seasons split between Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Vegas.
Embed from Getty ImagesFormer Wenatchee Wild goaltender Devin Cooley appeared in six games for the San Jose Sharks after being traded by Buffalo at the trade deadline. The 26-year-old from Los Gatos, California went 2-3-1 with an .870 save percentage and a 4.37 goals-against average with the Sharks. He spent the first part of the season with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.
Twenty-four-year-old Yaniv Perets, a star netminder for the Penticton Vees in 2019-20, played 12:46 for the Carolina Hurricanes in his lone NHL appearance to date — a 5-2 loss against the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 15. The Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec product only faced one shot and stopped it, so his career save percentage in the NHL is 1.000. 2023-24 was Perets’ first pro season, he ended up playing 34 games with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL.
