vees:blog

Centennials Sale Goes ‘THUD’

Lots of news surrounding the Merritt Centennials and the latest failed sale.

John Grisdale doesn’t seem too worried (Shawn Mullin spoke with him).

Cents Governor and Director of Hockey Operations Brian Barrett sounds much more concerned about the future of the Cents in the Nicola Valley (he spoke with Cents Blogger Brian Weibe).

Vipers Are All Stars

The BCHL finally tweaked the All-Star Game, though I don’t know it will increase the profile of the event among fans or scouts.

Fans in Nanaimo will serve as a the guinea pigs for the new format that pits the defending champions against the best of the rest of the league. While this format was used for decades in the NHL, the intent of putting the best team in the BCHL against the rest will likely be off the mark as teams traditionally lose loads of talent following Championship years.

To illustrate the point, the Vipers will be without #1 Goalie Andrew Hammond, at least four of their top 6 Defenders (Bigos, Leidl, Brodie, Ikkala), Captain Chris Crowell, and top line winger Sahir Gill… not quite the same team that won the National Championship.

I don’t like the odds of a Vernon win, although the Game certainly will be more palatable that the mockery of the sport witnessed in Vernon last January.

Trail Preseason Tournament Update

The BCHL finally got around to announcing the Trail Smoke Eaters preseason tournament.

As mentioned weeks ago around the BCHL Blogosphere - the tournament will feature the home town Smokies, the Vees, the Powell River Kings and the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL.

Sounds like this may become a preseason staple in the Kootenays as it allows NCAA programs to scout players before the collegiate season gets going.