Cowichan Valley brings in a number of new players
The Cowichan Valley Capitals “Next Generation” feature was posted on the BCHL website on Tuesday and in it were the details around the addition of 2004-born defenders Adam Bourgeois and Eddie Romano, 2005-born forwards Kent Moors and Brock Cummings, and 2004-born forward Ronan O’Donnell.
Bourgeois, a Kelowna, B.C. product, spent 2022-23 with the North Okanagan Knights of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and had four goals and 20 points in 26 games. He also had two assists in 10 games with the Capitals as an affiliate player. Bourgeois also got into one game with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks as an affiliate.
Romano is from Farmingdale, New York, and was with the Long Island Gulls 18U AAA of the NorthEast Pack Hockey League 18U division in 2022-23. In 11 games with the Gulls, he posted a goal and two assists.
Moors, who hails from Kanata, Ont., played for the KIJHL’s Summerland Steam this past season, finishing with 19 goals and 40 points in 41 games. He played eight games with Cowichan Valley as an affiliate player and scored his first career BCHL goal.
Cummings is a native of Mississauga, Ont. who split the 2022-23 season between the Boston Jr. Eagles 18U AAA and Belmont Hill School. In a dozen 18U AAA games with the Eagles, he had two goals and one assist. In 30 prep school games at Belmont Hill, Cummings posted eight goals and 40 points.
O’Donnell was a teammate of Cummings’ at Belmont Hill where he notched 24 goals and 43 points in 30 games. The product of Fairfield, Connecticut also played with the East Coast Wizards 18U AAA team but there are no points of record online to note.
Dashevsky leaves Powell River for St. Marys
Powell River Kings forward Marcus Dashevsky has signed to play Junior B hockey with the St. Marys Lincolns of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2023-24.
The 2004-born native of Richmond, B.C. was a rookie in Powell River this past season and ended up with four goals and nine points in 26 games. He also got into a pair of BCHL playoff games for the Kings.
Mastrodonato makes a deal with the Stars
22-year-old forward Keaton Mastrodonato (40 goals, 54 assists in 125 games with Alberni Valley from 2016-19) signed his first career professional standard contract with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
The product of Powell River, B.C. had 16 goals and 36 points in 42 games as a senior at Canisius College this past season. He signed an amateur tryout with Texas in March and played two games for the Stars. In four NCAA Division I seasons, Mastrodonato had 46 goals and 97 points in 123 games.
Giuttari goes from Abbotsford to Växjö
Defender Zach Giuttari (eight goals, nine assists in 54 games with Chilliwack in 2015-16) has signed a one-year pact with the Växjö Lakers HC of the Swedish Hockey League for the 2023-24 season.
Giuttari, a 27-year-old product of Warwick, Rhode Island, got into 60 games split between the Hartford Wolf Pack and Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL in 2022-23. He finished with two goals and 13 points before adding a pair of assists in six AHL playoff games for the Canucks.
Harpur inks an extension with Orlando
Defender Chris Harpur (12 goals, 62 assists in 168 games with Victoria and Cowichan Valley from 2014-17) has signed an ECHL standard player contract for 2023-24 with the Orlando Solar Bears. It’s his second full season in Orlando, which is the Theme Park Capital of the World.
Harpur, a 26-year-old from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., played the last season-and-a-half with the Solar Bears, tallying two goals and 13 points in 82 games.
Pietroniro goes from Fassa to Rittner Buam
22-year-old defender Kris Pietroniro (two assists in 15 games with West Kelowna in 2019-20) has agreed on a contract with Rittner Buam SkyAlps of the Alps Hockey League for 2023-24.
The Boise, Idaho product finished the 2022-23 season with five goals and 21 points in 36 games for Fassa, his second season in the AlpsHL after two years of junior hockey in Canada and the U.S.
Vela agrees to a contract with HC Banska Bystrica
26-year-old forward Marcus Vela (31 goals, 37 assists in 104 games with Langley from 2013-15) has agreed on a contract for 2023-24 with HC Banska Bystrica of Slovakia’s Tipos Extraliga.
Vela, who calls Burnaby, B.C. home, played 18 games in 2022-23 with MoDo Hockey of HockeyAllsvenskan, which is the second-highest league in Sweden. He collected five goals and 11 points. Vela also appeared in 28 games with the Allsvenskan’s Västerviks IK, picking up 11 goals and 18 points.
He was a seventh-round selection, 190th overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Duarte commits to Brock University
2002-born forward Matthew Duarte (two assists in 19 games with Cranbrook in 2022-23) has committed to playing U SPORTS hockey at Brock University starting this September.
Duarte, from Hamilton, Ont., finished the season playing Junior B with his hometown Kilty B’s of the GOJHL. He wrapped up with seven goals and 18 points in 24 games. Duarte added seven goals and seven assists in 18 GOJHL playoff games.
