League updates FAQ document
The B.C. Hockey League has added some clarification to their Frequently Asked Questions from their original document and wanted to dispel any rumours that have sprung up since their announcement to go independent on May 1.
Related: Hockey Canada’s non-sanctioned policy restricts BCHL affiliate player possibilities
Questions that were covered related to the officiating of BCHL games, obstacles faced by players regarding the September 30 cut-off date, how things relate to minor hockey in British Columbia, and where affiliated players will come from, among other items.
Vees add blueline duo
The Penticton Vees announced on Thursday that they have signed 2003-born import Leon Matthiasson and 2004-born Brock Reinhart. Both committed players are defenders.
Matthiasson is the second import signed by the Vees this week and he hails from Sweden. Last season in 39 regular-season J20 Nationell games with the Växjö Lakers HC J20 team, he scored eight goals and added 17 assists. He also played three playoff games. Växjö is a centrally located city in the Swedish province of Småland.
Reinhart, who hails from Elora, Ont, spent the 2022-23 season with the Elmira Sugar Kings of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. In 49 regular season games, he scored seven goals and added 30 assists. He then earned three goals and eight points in 11 NOJHL playoff contests.
Barone commits to Smoke Eaters
The Trail Smoke Eaters announced they have received a commitment from 2004-born defender Adam Barone.
Barone, who hails from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has an NCAA Division I commitment to Lake Superior State University for the 2024-25 season. The school is located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Last season he played 38 regular season games with the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Cobourg Cougars, scoring four times and finishing with 36 points. He also added three points in five OJHL playoff contests.
Cowichan adds Swedish defender
The Cowichan Capitals have signed 2004-born import defender Matteus Söderbom for the 2023-24 season.
Söderbom, who is from Växjö, Sweden, spent the 2022-23 season playing in the J20 Nationell league, Sweden’s highest level of junior hockey. He had two goals and 14 points in 48 regular season games playing for Vaxjo Lakers HC J20. He also played in three playoff games. Söderbom represented Sweden internationally in three contests as well.
Chiefs sign Peters from the Portage Terriers
2004-born forward Austin Peters has signed with the Chilliwack Chiefs for the 2023-24 BCHL season. He was the eighth-leading scorer in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League this past season.
Peters, who hails from Winnipeg, scored 20 goals and 62 points for the MJHL’s Portage Terriers in 2022-23. He also contributed two goals and nine points in 12 MJHL playoff matches.
Bandits snipe another B.C. Hockey League player
Just one day after adding Mirko Buttazzoni from the Coquitlam Express, the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits nabbed another BCHL player. This time it’s 2005-born defender Dylan Compton from the Vernon Vipers.
Compton, who is from Victoria, scored four goals and 18 points in 40 regular season games with the Vipers in 2022-23 as a first-year player. He also netted two goals and nine points in 11 Fred Page Cup playoff contests. Compton is a commit of Northeastern University for 2024.
Rivermen to operate JPHL’s Langley teams
The Junior Prospects Hockey League announced on Thursday that its Langley Hockey Academy teams will be powered by the Langley Rivermen going forward. It’s unclear what “powered by” means, but the tweet above notes that the LHA’s under-14, under-15, under-17, and under-18 teams will fall under the Rivermen’s umbrella.
Tuba commits to Marian University
After putting up 10 goals and 35 points in 48 games this past season, Melfort Mustangs defender Hayden Tuba (three assists in 18 games for Coquitlam and Surrey from 2018-21) has committed to Marian University to play NCAA Division III hockey.
Tuba, who’s from Richmond, B.C., was 10th in scoring among Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League blueliners in 2022-23. He heads to Marian University’s Fond du Lac, Wisconsin campus this September.
HC Nove Zamky re-signs Lee
27-year-old defender Mike Lee (two goals, 34 assists in 56 games with Penticton from 2014-15) has re-signed for a second season with HC Nove Zamky of the Extraliga in Slovakia.
Lee, who is from Hamden, Connecticut, scored seven goals and 32 points in 40 regular season games in 2022-23. He also added one goal and four points in five playoff games.
Newton heads to Slovakia
25-year-old forward Max Newton (47 goals, 76 assists in 153 games with Trail and Cowichan Valley from 2014-17) has signed with HK Dukla Ingema Michalovce in the Extraliga in Slovakia. 2023-24 will be his first professional season overseas. HK Dukla plays out of Michalovce, in the Kosice region of Slovakia.
Newton, who is from Vancouver, spent most of the 2022-23 season with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. In 67 regular season games, he scored 34 goals and 72 points. He also had five goals and five assists in 10 playoff contests.
During the season he was loaned to the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for one game, and the Belleville Senators for three games, where he earned one point.
Huskies re-sign Lowry
31-year-old forward Joel Lowry (39 goals, 72 assists in 99 games with Victoria from 2009-11) has re-signed with EC Kassel Huskies of Deutsche Eishockey Liga 2 in Germany. 2023-24 will be his second season with the club.
Lowry, who is from Calgary, scored 14 goals and 44 points for the Huskies in 48 regular season games in 2022-23. He also added four goals and two assists in 10 DEL2 playoff games.
Ambrosio departs Corsaires de Nantes
26-year-old forward Alex Ambrosio (30 goals, 42 assists in 134 games with Coquitlam from 2014-18) has departed French Ice Hockey Federation Division 1’s Corsaires de Nantes. The team is located in the Loire-Atlantique province of France.
Ambrosio, who is from Burnaby, B.C., played in 26 games with Nantes during the 2022-23 season, earning 13 goals and 21 points.
Corsaires de Nantes adds Williamson
24-year-old forward Jagger Williamson (54 goals, 119 assists in 233 games with Vernon from 2014-19) has signed with the Cosaires de Nantes of the French Ice Hockey Federation Division 1.
Williamson, who is from Lumby, B.C., played 56 regular season games with the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Knoxville Ice Bears, scoring 11 goals and 42 points. He also played in two SPHL playoff contests without registering any points.
Egli joins Strasbourg
28-year-old defender Brandon Egli (17 goals, 49 assists in 162 games with Trail, Victoria, and Vernon from 2011-15) has moved up to the French Ice Hockey Federation Division 1 team Strasbourg. The team plays in the Grand Est region of France.
Egli, who is from Victoria, played 18 regular season games with Courchevel-Meribel-Pralognan of the French Ice Hockey Federation Division 2 in 2022-23, scoring 14 goals and 32 points. He also added four goals and four assists in eight playoff games.
This off-season, he also headed to Australia to play for the Sydney Ice Dogs of the Australia Ice Hockey League, scoring four goals and 20 points in nine games thus far.
