As the British Columbia Hockey League continues to be a home for emerging hockey talent, the 2023-24 season showcases a cohort of players born in 2003 who are leaving an indelible mark on the league.
In this ranking, we highlight the top 20 players whose skills and performance set them apart in the BCHL. From dynamic forwards with a knack for goal-scoring to agile defenders commanding the blue line, this list encapsulates the players in their final season of junior hockey looking to dominate before moving on to college or the professional hockey ranks. All stats included below are accurate as of the BCHL holiday break, which started on Dec. 17.
1. Nicholas Beneteau 🇨🇦 (Alberni Valley Bulldogs)
Forward / College Commitment: St. Lawrence University (NCAA Div. I)
In his third BCHL season, the Windsor, Ontario product is on pace to eclipse his point total from last season, despite a drop in his goal-scoring rate. Beneteau has nine goals and 27 assists in 28 games, with at least one point in all but eight of Alberni Valley’s games this season. He had a streak of points in seven of eight games from Oct. 14 – Nov. 3 that saw him tally three goals and 11 assists.
2. Michael Felsing 🇺🇸 (Merritt Centennials)
Forward / College Commitment: Robert Morris University (NCAA Div. I)
A first-year BCHLer, Felsing has arrived on the scene with a bang, putting up 10 goals and 24 assists in 28 games to lead the Centennials in scoring by a wide margin. The native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is pointless in only five of Merritt’s games this season and posted a seven-game point streak from Nov. 10 to Dec. 1 where he finished with two goals and eight assists.
3. Willyam Gendron 🇨🇦 (Nanaimo Clippers)
Forward / College Commitment: Sacred Heart University (NCAA Div. I)
As a sophomore with the Clippers, Gendron has almost equaled his point total from 2022-23 in 15 fewer games. Last season, he had 20 goals and 36 points in 43 games, while this season, he already has 11 goals and 33 points in 28 games. Gendron, who’s from Boisbriand, Quebec, has the second-longest assist (12 in eight games) and point (22 in 12 games) streaks in the league this season.
4. Vitaly Levyy 🇺🇸 (Langley Rivermen)
Forward / College Commitment: Sacred Heart University (NCAA Div. I)
After exploding for 48 points in 54 games in his second BCHL season a year ago, the product of Old Brookville, New York should match that total this season. In 29 games, Levyy’s tallied 13 goals and 15 assists to lead the Rivermen in scoring, buoyed by seven multi-point efforts thus far in 2023-24. He kicked off the season with five points in the first two games on opening weekend.
5. Luke Buss 🇺🇸 (Nanaimo Clippers)
Forward / College Commitment: N/A
The top-scoring 2003-born player in the BCHL without an NCAA commitment, Buss saw his points-per-game total increase following an Oct. 21 trade from Vernon to Nanaimo. The Columbus, Ohio native was in the midst of a three-game point streak at the time of the trade and extended it to six games after posting a goal and four assists in his first three appearances with the Clippers. He has 11 goals and 17 assists in 26 games this season.
6. Cole Melady 🇨🇦 (Coquitlam Express)
Forward / College Commitment: N/A
Like Buss, Melady’s offensive output improved following a trade earlier this season. He moved from Cowichan Valley to Coquitlam on Nov. 3 and promptly piled up two goals and 15 assists in 13 games with the Express. Melady, from Seaforth, Ontario, had three goals and seven assists in 13 games for the Capitals before the deal. The third-year forward is a veteran of 118 BCHL games with Alberni Valley, Cowichan Valley, and Coquitlam.
7. Michael Salandra 🇺🇸 (West Kelowna Warriors)
Forward / College Commitment: N/A
As an alternate captain for the Warriors this season, Salandra is on pace to nearly double his goal total from his rookie season a year ago. In 28 games in 2023-24, he has 10 goals and 16 assists, including four outings with a goal and an assist and a total of seven multi-point games. The native of Pleasantville, New York tallied 17 goals in 53 games as a first-year player in 2022-23, and his six power play goals were third-most on West Kelowna last season.
8. Anthony Carone 🇺🇸 (Victoria Grizzlies)
Forward / College Commitment: N/A
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania product is only one point away from matching his entire total from the 2022-23 season. As a rookie last year, Carone finished with nine goals and 18 assists while this season, he already has five goals and 21 assists in 28 games. He started the season with a seven-game point streak, totaling two goals and five assists during that span. Carone had another point streak of seven points in seven games from Nov. 12 to Dec. 2.
9. Anthony Lucarelli 🇨🇦 (Powell River Kings)
Forward / College Commitment: Long Island University (NCAA Div. I)
Although not projected to increase his point total dramatically from last season, Lucarelli is still putting together a solid campaign for the Kings this season. Thus far, he has 11 goals and 13 assists through 25 games as Powell River’s captain to sit second on the team in scoring. Lucarelli, from Chatham, Ontario, entered the holiday break riding a five-game point streak with four goals and three assists.
10. Luc Pelletier 🇨🇦 (Victoria Grizzlies)
Forward / College Commitment: Princeton University (NCAA Div. I)
An alternate captain for the Grizzlies, Pelletier is in his fourth BCHL season in B.C.’s provincial capital. The native of Courtenay, B.C. has as many assists this season as he did all of last season, in 36 fewer games. Pelletier is on pace to set a career-high of 47 points after notching seven goals and 17 assists in 28 games thus far in 2023-24. He’s run hot and cold points-wise this season, despite posting five multi-point games.
11. Mathieu Cobetto-Roy 🇨🇦 (Trail Smoke Eaters)
Forward / College Commitment: Rochester Institute of Technology (NCAA Div. I)
2023-24 statistics: 28 GP, 11-12-23
12. Anthony Cliche 🇨🇦 (Vernon Vipers)
Defense / College Commitment: Northern Michigan University (NCAA Div. I)
2023-24 statistics: 27 GP, 8-15-23
13. Thomas Pichette 🇨🇦 (Penticton Vees)
Forward / College Commitment: University of Maine (NCAA Div. I)
2023-24 statistics: 27 GP, 7-16-23
14. Isaiah Norlin 🇺🇸 (West Kelowna Warriors)
Defense / College Commitment: Clarkson University (NCAA Div. I)
2023-24 statistics: 25 GP, 6-17-23
15. Tristan Allen 🇨🇦 (Salmon Arm Silverbacks)
Defense / College Commitment: Rochester Institute of Technology (NCAA Div. I)
2023-24 statistics: 26 GP, 4-19-23
16. Adam Marshall 🇺🇸 (Trail Smoke Eaters)
Forward / College Commitment: Army (NCAA Div. I)
2023-24 statistics: 28 GP, 11-11-22
17. Fischer O’Brien 🇨🇦 (Alberni Valley Bulldogs)
Forward / College Commitment: N/A
2023-24 statistics: 27 GP, 9-13-22
18. Killian McGregor-Bennett 🇨🇦 (Prince George Spruce Kings)
Forward / College Commitment: N/A
2023-24 statistics: 27 GP, 10-11-21
19. Noah Alvarez 🇺🇸 (Nanaimo Clippers)
Forward / College Commitment: Army (NCAA Div. I)
2023-24 statistics: 28 GP, 8-13-21
20. Joseph Blackley 🇺🇸 (Cranbrook Bucks)
Forward / College Commitment: Yale University (NCAA Div. I)
2023-24 statistics: 29 GP, 2-19-21
