As the British Columbia Hockey League off-season gets closer for all 21 teams, anticipation is building for next season already.
With future considerations from this season’s trades potentially turning into players, plus recruiting and players moving on due to age or college commitments, there’s no shortage of work before training camp for the 2024-25 season starts in September.
Once again this year, we’ll break down what all 21 teams are looking at roster-wise heading into the off-season. These numbers will likely change as players move to other leagues like the Western Hockey League, United States Hockey League, or North American Hockey League. They may drop to one of the Tier 2 Junior A leagues in B.C., retire, or commit to college before September and not return to their BCHL club.
The depth chart is based on a 26-player roster next season and coaches going with 14 forwards, nine defenders, and three goaltenders. The lone team from 2023-24 we won’t cover is the Merritt Centennials, who closed up their BCHL franchise at the end of March to join the Tier 2 Kootenay International Junior A Hockey League as an expansion franchise. Other than those whose rights move to other BCHL teams as future considerations from past trades, all Cents players eligible to play in the league in 2024-25 are free agents and can join any other team.
Without further adieu, first up is the lone team in the BCHL not to make the playoffs — the Powell River Kings, who finished with a 14-35-5-0 record. It’s the second time in the last three seasons that the Kings have missed out on the BCHL’s annual post-season dance.
RELATED: Analyzing the Powell River Kings roster changes
As of this writing, the Kings have five players committed to NCAA Division I schools for this September, and four aging out in forwards Adam Mendelson and Kristians Samitis, and defenders Luke deVries and Zander Stewart. General Manager and Head Coach Glenn Anderson has nine players eligible to return up front, six on the blue line and one in goal.
All college commitment data is from the College Hockey Inc. and College Hockey News websites.
Forward Eli Friedman is listed on the BCHL website as one of Powell River’s college commitments, but he only played five games for the Kings in 2023-24 due to injury. The Yale University commit was released by Powell River before the end of the season and wasn’t on its roster after the Feb. 10 deadline, so he isn’t included here.
Graduating players
Simone Dadiè (Colgate University)
Will Jones (Air Force Academy)
Justin Katz (Cornell University)
Anthony Lucarelli (Long Island University)
Anthony Yu (Air Force Academy)
Luke deVries (aged out)
Adam Mendelson (aged out)
Kristians Samitis (aged out)
Zander Stewart (aged out)
Eligible returnees (* indicates an open spot – assuming 14 forwards, nine defenders, and three goaltenders)
Forwards
Ryan Arnold (05)
Wynston Iserhoff (05)
Christian Maro (05)
Alex Sandhu (05)
Thomas Belzil (06)
Jace Harder (06)
Théodore Jetté (06)
Lucas LeBlanc (06)
Carter Lundie (06)
*
*
*
*
*
Defenders
Asher Wites (04)
Caleb Bentham (05)
Wyatt Davis (05)
Henryk Lasky (05)
Willem Terwoord (05)
Owen Thomas (05)
*
*
*
Goaltenders
Vincent Lamberti (04)
*
*
