For the Victoria Grizzlies, the 2024-25 season is important as it’s their 30th anniversary of joining the B.C. Hockey League as an expansion team. Starting as the Victoria Salsa, the team filled the hole left by the departing Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League. The Cougars moved north […]
Tag: Port Alberni Pod
Three former Victoria Grizzlies currently on Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League teams
For junior hockey players, making a junior A roster is a big accomplishment, potentially a path toward a future college commitment to an NCAA school. However, not every player stays in junior A. Different opportunities open up for players on other teams and at different levels. Most often, players advance […]
Examining six former BCHL players with North American Hockey League ties
For some players, the BC Hockey League is a destination to play, and come from across North America to join one of its teams. One league the BCHL gets players from often is the North American Hockey League. The opposite is also true as NAHL clubs often bring in players […]
Capitals Update: The return of Mike Vandekamp
On Nov. 16, there was a change behind the bench in Cowichan Valley. Brian Passmore was relieved as head coach and general manager. Replacing him is Mike Vandekamp. Vandekamp is familiar to Capitals fans as he coached the team from 2018 to 2020. After the 2020 playoffs were canceled, Vandekamp […]
The recent history of the Cowichan Valley Capitals
For the Cowichan Valley Capitals, their recent history has been eventful. During the 2019 playoffs, the Capitals pulled off an upset win against the powerhouse Penticton Vees. In 2020, the Caps were ready for a deep playoff run. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic robbed Cowichan Valley of the […]
New Bulldogs recruits: Brady McIsaac and Callum Tung
Before the end of their post-season run, like many other BC Hockey League clubs, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs started preparing for the 2022-23 season, and a handful of new recruits were posted on the league’s website. Defender Tristan Taylor is coming from the Vancouver NE Chiefs U18 AAA program in […]
A look at three Alberni Valley Bulldogs deep playoff runs
In franchise history, there are three Bulldogs teams that went on deep playoff runs. These runs took them to the third round of the BCHL playoffs and while they came close to the finals, the team didn’t advance any further. Their first deep run was in 2001 when the Bulldogs […]
Changes in the Den: Victoria Grizzlies signings and trades
Halfway through the 2021-22 regular season, the Victoria Grizzlies made several changes to their team. New players have joined the den while others have departed. These moves mirror several past moves and also ensure several players remain with the Grizzlies. For this article, I will recap the transactions made by […]
How the BCHL has operated during the COVID-19 pandemic
Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, the BCHL has adapted in several ways. Current restrictions have allowed all BC-based teams to play full seasons so far. Previously, teams had to adapt to a changing situation. Instead of a 54 game regular season, teams only played 20 games. Participating teams were concentrated […]
Examining several Victoria Grizzlies’ starting goaltenders over the years
In 26 seasons, the Victoria Grizzlies have seen over a dozen starting goalies play for them. The latest to take the starting job is Carter Woodside. Woodside emerged as Victoria’s number one goalie during the Port Alberni Pod last season. He helped backstop the team to the pod championship. […]