With the 2022-23 season underway, the Cowichan Valley Capitals have finished building their roster. Several new players joined the Caps during training camp and they traded for several more players during the preseason.
For several months, Cowichan Valley was busy recruiting new players. These new additions are the latest in the Capitals’ months-long effort to rebuild their roster. This article is about recapping the trades made before the regular season. Before that, I want to spotlight the players who left the team.
For the 2021-22 season, Evan May served as the backup goaltender for the Capitals. This season, he has rejoined the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips. Last season, May played 17 games for Cowichan Valley. He finished with a 1-12-3 record.
In August, the Capitals traded defender James Bohn to the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. In return, Cowichan Valley received future considerations. Last season, Bohn played 25 games for the Caps, scoring three goals and nine assists.
In late September, the Capitals sent Connor Brazil to the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the AJHL for future considerations.
Coming from training camp
After May departed for the Silvertips, Cowichan found a new goaltender and backing up McCoy Bidewell this season is Lukas Renaud.
Last season, Renaud played 15 games for the Chicago Mission 18U AAA program, and in June, signed with the Capitals.
Acquired via trade
In mid-September, the Capitals acquired Luke Strickland from the Stouffville Spirit of the Ontario Junior Hockey League for future considerations and defender Mason Croucher.
Strickland is a 2002-born forward entering his final season of junior hockey. He’s committed to Long Island University for the 2023-24 season.
Last season, he split time between the Spirit and United States Hockey League’s Omaha Lancers. While playing with the Lancers, Strickland finished with 15 points.
Another big trade saw Cowichan acquire Jackson Morehouse from the Victoria Grizzlies for future considerations.
Last season, Morehouse played 38 games for the Grizzlies and posted eight goals and six assists. He is committed to Dartmouth College to play NCAA Division I hockey starting in the 2024-25 season.
The season ahead
The last several seasons were eventful for the Capitals. Since taking over, general manager and head coach Brian Passmore has been busy rebuilding the team. Key among his priorities was improving the offence.
Last season, Cowichan’s top scorers were David Jacobs, Luke Haymes, and Massimo-Sarantos Lombardi. Both Jacobs and Haymes departed for NCAA schools this season after they combined for 101 points in 2021-22.
Those 101 points were a large part of Cowichan’s points production that’s now gone. However, Strickland has emerged as an early points leader for this season’s squad.
Aside from the new players, the Capitals have a new assistant coach behind the bench. Jamie Jackson joins the Capitals after coaching the Vancouver NE Chiefs U18 AAA team last season.
Jackson has a coaching career stretching back more than a decade. He coached junior B with the Port Moody Panthers and junior A with the Coquitlam Express. Recently, he coached the U18 NE Chiefs to the BC Elite Hockey League championship.
