Independent media source of BCHL news, history, and analysis
The Cowichan Valley Capitals 2022-23 regular season was a step back as they finished ninth in the B.C. Hockey League’s Coastal Conference. Their overall record was 10-38-0-6. During the season, the Capitals replaced head coach and general manager Brian Passmore with veteran bench boss and GM Mike Vandekamp. Since taking […]
Before relocating to Surrey, the Eagles played as the New Westminster Royals from 1988-91. Before 1988, there were two previous versions of the Royals and each one was successful. During the 1989-90 season, the Royals won the Abbott Cup as Western Canada junior A champion as well as the RBC […]
Before the 2022 Fred Page Cup playoffs, the Powell River Kings failed to make it to the dance. It was the first time they didn’t make the playoffs in over 20 years. The 2021-22 season was a rebuilding year for the Kings. Head coach Brock Sawyer and Chad Van Diemen […]
After the 2021-22 season, three members of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs left for the same NCAA school. Forwards Stephen Castagna, Arlo Merritt, and defender Ryan Nause all currently play for the Bentley University Falcons. It’s not all that uncommon for players to play together at the same school. Karter McNarland […]
At the 2023 BCHL trade deadline on Jan. 10, the Cowichan Valley Capitals made two transactions. The first was sending 2002-born forward Luke Strickland to the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League for future considerations. The second deal involved the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits. In exchange […]
With the 2022-23 season nearly complete, the Victoria Grizzlies have started recruiting players for the 2023-24 season. Several current Grizzlies will leave after this season. As of this writing, the BCHL website lists eight new players joining the Grizzlies for 2023-24. All eight players come from schools around North America. […]
For junior hockey players, making a junior A roster is a big accomplishment, potentially a path toward a future college commitment to an NCAA school. However, not every player stays in junior A. Different opportunities open up for players on other teams and at different levels. Most often, players advance […]
Last year, two Powell River Kings players were recruited to the University of Alaska-Anchorage. In July 2022, defender Dylan Finlay was recruited to the school and teammate Karter McNarland committed to the Seawolves. The Seawolves program has a long history with the BCHL as several former players and coaches have […]
Last season, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs were preparing for a deep playoff run and on January 5, 2022, made a trade with the Coquitlam Express. The Bulldogs acquired 2001-born forward Arlo Merritt from the Coquitlam Express for 2004-born forward Mirko Buttazzoni and future considerations. For both teams, the trade served […]
Previously, I wrote about former Major Junior players who joined BC Hockey League rosters and the 2022-23 season has seen several more. Olivier Picard came from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Aidan Campbell came from the Ontario Hockey League, and Aiden Reeves came from the Western Hockey League. Those […]
