BCHL Bulletin: Wood earns bronze medal, Spruce Kings sign RPI commit, and more!

Wood wins bronze medal at IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship

In a game that required overtime, Matthew Wood (50 goals, 48 assists in 64 games with Victoria from 2020-22) and Canada prevailed 4-3 over Slovakia to take home the bronze medal at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in Switzerland. The result is an improvement on last year when Canada lost in the quarterfinals. Wood had two goals in four games at that tournament.

Wood, who is from Lethbridge, Alta., scored seven goals and added six assists in Canada’s seven games at this year’s event. He was in on all four goals in Sunday’s bronze-medal game, finishing with a goal and three assists.

Sanborn commits to Spruce Kings for 2023-24

2005-born goaltender Ryan Sanborn has committed to playing for the Prince George Spruce Kings in the 2023-24 BCHL season. Sanborn has an NCAA Division I commitment at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute starting with the 2024-25 season.

Sanborn, who hails from Brookfield, Connecticut, played 38 games for The Hill School in 2022-23, posting a 2.44 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. The Hill School is a prep school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

He also participated in 11 games of Two Nations Prep Hockey League action, earning a 2.43 goals-against average.

Street re-signs with EHC Munchen

37-year-old forward Ben Street (42 goals, 60 assists in 110 games with Salmon Arm from 2003-05) has been re-signed by EHC Red Bull Munchen of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany. 2023-24 is his third season playing in Munich, which is located in the Free State of Bavaria.

Street, who is from Coquitlam, B.C., scored 10 goals and 27 points in 43 regular season games for EHC Munchen this past season. He then led the DEL playoffs with 17 points through 18 playoff games for the eventual champions. In a National Hockey League career that spanned seven seasons, Street played for five different teams, garnering three goals and six assists in 59 games.

Dornan traded in Pacific Junior Hockey League

2004-born forward Drew Dornan (one goal, three assists in 38 games with Chilliwack and Merritt from 2020-22) has been traded in junior B from the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s Chilliwack Jets to Surrey Knights.

Dornan, who is from Abbotsford, B.C., played one game with the Central Canada Hockey League’s Pembroke Lumber Kings in 2022-23. He also spent 27 games with the Jets, scoring 11 goals and 20 points. He then added two assists in three PJHL playoff games.