vees:blog

Assistant Coach David Small checked in with his thoughts after the Vees 5-2 against Brooks.

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***UPDATE*** Apparently it’s pre-season for the media hacks too. I had the start time, and opponents mixed up as today is Powell River and NOT Brooks, and both today and tomorrow’s game are 3PM puck drop (PST). ************

Skip work, slack off, cancel the dinner party or get a baby sitter. Brooks vs. Penticton ‘blog-cast’ will be a blast.

See you there… er, here.

With the training camp roster whittled down to 39 players today (there were five players - 16 & 17 years of age - snipped last night) competition found another peak in scrimmage. Physicality and pace were noticeably higher than Monday’s opening ice time.

This afternoon’s skate marked the final intersquad game of training camp, and the third of three consecutive days with two games (ice bag, anyone?).

NOTES

* Teams Orange and White each played with 12 forwards and 6 D-men, while the trio of goalies played two periods each.

* In the morning skate injuries were the storyline, as a stick to the throat, and a few heavy hits sidelined players temporarily.

* Ben Sexton is looking more and more lethal with each passing game. I can’t say enough about his finishing skills.

* Sean Bonar had his best day of camp emulating a brick wall in both scrimmages. Aspiring Vees Faust and Rumpel also looked strong, and will likely both get a start in Trail.

* Denver Manderson was uncharacteristically 0 for 2 on penalty shots (the team chose them rather than man advantages).

* The team made cuts tonight and practice tomorrow will have 30 bodies (nine fewer than the games today).

* The team bus leaves for Trail early Friday morning. On Friday the team plays Powell River at 4PM, Saturday it’s Brooks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League at 4PM, and Sunday the squad will face Trail at 2PM before heading back to the Okanagan. [All times PST for you long distance fans]

* Expect a minimal number of vets on the ice in the Kootenays this weekend as game action will likely determine the next round of cuts for the Vees. Also, kids looking for college scholarships will be on display, as Cominco Arena in Trail will be swimming with scouts. Again, I’ll be live blogging all Vees games in Trail right here at the Vees Blog.

PHOTOS -> (more…)

* I’ve been getting lots of e-mails regarding the pre-season round robin in Trail and whether or not we will be broadcasting the game. No - Al and I won’t be on the air from the Cominco Arena in Trail, but yes - we will be covering the event on the Vees Blog. We’ll have a live blog going on during Vees games where you can add your two cents or ask questions as I provide updates throughout the action. Here’s an example of ‘Cover It Live’ live blogging in action.

If you have any questions for me, Al Formo, or any other member of the club (players, coaches, trainer, bus driver, doctor, ect.) feel free to pass them along and I’ll do my best to address them during the ‘blog-cast’ (I think I just made up a word). Also, you can hit me with preemptive strikes at VeesVoice(at)gmail(dot)com.

* Here’s a great story from Vernon, where a one of the feared Warwick Brothers of the 1955 World Champion Vees has a treasured piece of history back.

In other ‘55 Vees news Ivan McLelland spoke Sunday night at Vees training camp. Following his speech Ivan was asked by Sean Bonar to sign his goalie mask which depicts the legendary Vees net-minder in action. Ivan says he’ll sign the gear and is honoured Sean thought to ask.

* Former Vees Evan Trupp and Brett Hextall will be leaned upon in Grand Forks, ND this season. The Fighting Sioux are ranked 7th in the nation by ‘The College Hockey Blog’.

The Fighting Sioux were bounced by the New Hampshire Wildcats in the opening round of the Frozen Four

* Dylan Olsen has been named the named top recruit in the WCHA & CCHA by ‘The Western College Hockey Blog’. The Camrose Kodiak is pals with Vees Alum Curtis McKenzie and played against the Vees in the 2008 Doyle Cup.

The Blackhawks nabbed Olsen with the 28th pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft.

* Former Vees AP Michael Boivin has committed to Colorado College. Nabbed by the Clippers after playing in Nanaimo with the Vees, Boivin has played a huge role on the Clippers blue-line.

* Shawn Mullin tees up the four-team pre-season exhibition tournament going down in the Kootenays with Smokies head coach and GM Jim Ingram. The Vees and Smokies will be joined by the Coastal Conference champs in the Powell River Kings, and the Brooks Bandits who had last season’s top record in the South Division of the AJHL.

* Former BCHLer Don Nachbaur has been hired as Head Coach of Bingingham Senators (Making Cents has the scoop). Fellow BCHL product Cory Clouston who was promoted to the big club during last season’s mess in the nation’s capital.

Nachbaur played his minor hockey in Prince George as Ron Gallo tells us.

* Former Vees Sniper Austin Smith has the quote of the week:

“British Columbia was like a tropical island compared to Upstate New York. Spring and fall are very nice, but the winter is a little cold.”

The Dallas born and Dallas drafted forward (he’s been playing centre at Colgate) tells Andrew’s Dallas Stars Page he is raising his goals for his Sophomore season. Smitty had 17 bingos and 31 points in 37 freshman appearances with the Raiders. The Texas kid had 67 points in his lone BCHL season and scored the first goal of each game of the BCHL Final in Nanaimo, raising his game in the second season.

* Teams for the BC Hockey Hall of Fame Charity Game will be announced tonight (stay tuned to the blog at around 9PM PST). Dennis Walker and Andre Martin will be selecting team Quinn while Sun FM/EZ Rock boys Randy Farmer, Allan Gee and Jon Ferebee will be joined by Crystal Nohr in selecting Team Renney. If the anticipation of the first pick is distracting you from work today, you aren’t alone. Agonizing over the top pick is common place.

* The Alberni Valley Bulldogs have pulled the trigger on a deal to acquire a 20-year-old tough guy from the AJHL. Alberni will most certainly be better this year, but are they a playoff team? Ask the magic eight ball!

* Curtis McKenzie was in town last weekend and I managed to get him in-studio for a quick chat. The power forward is off to Miami of Ohio this season and was selected by the Dallas Stars in the 6th round of the Entry Draft. I started off by congratulating C-Mac on being drafted…

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Lots going on in the BCHL, here’s a look at the latest…

* Surrey Eagles 20-goal man Spencer Bennett has elected to play for the Portland Winter Hawks this season after being drafted by Calgary in the 5th round.

Spencer ducks out on a commitment to the University of Alaska Anchorage with the decision. No word if any Sutters influenced his choice.

* The Prince George Spruce Kings have brought back former Penticton Bronco Ed Dempsey for two more years at the helm. He’s responded by making some roster tweaks including bringing in Pentictonite and former Vees net-minder Evan Smith. Some nice TV coverage here on Ron Gallo’s Blog.

* The Merritt Centennials have rounded out their coaching staff with assistants Luke Pierce and Richard Molenaar.

The new assistants join Head Coach and GM Joey Bouchard (above) in the quest to snap their two year run without playoff action.

* The Trail Smoke Eaters have settled on a goal-tending tandem that backed up Kevin Jebson in Westside last season. Garrett Beckwith and Devon Murtagh have re-united in the Kootenays to stop pucks, but the question remains who will back up Jebson be the starter. The Smokies have also added Darnell Dyck up front in exchange for 20-year-old goalie Paul Barclay who was shipped to Surrey. My homeboy ‘Mullsy’ is all over it at the Smokies Blog.

* The Vees will play an extensive seven game pre-season schedule (five of which are on the road). Starting with a three game round robin in Trail with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, the Coastal Conference defending champs from Powell River, and of course the host Smokies. Last season a similar pre-season event was played in Dawson Creek, BC with the Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL) Prince George Spruce Kings and the Burnaby Express taking part.

* After Brad Fox scampered out of town the reincarnated Timberwolves have announced their 2nd head coach as Dave Dupas formally of the Okanagan Major Midget Rockets.

Dupas has a two-year deal and an owner/president in John Wright who wants to be a playoff team come March. That could pose a problem.

* Vernon Vipers D-Man Kyle Bigos was at Oilers Prospect Camp after being drafted in the 4th round. Bigos is interviewed here, and pumps the tires of the RBC Cup as best he can.

Bigos was as improved as any player in the BCHL last season and was named the MVP and Top D-man at the RBC (he is shown above teasing his bleached-blonde Mohawk). Bigos is off to Merrimack this season and will leave a big hole on the Vernon blueline that will also lose Cam Brodie, Cody Ikkala and Mike Leidl due to their ‘88 birth years.

* Staying with the national champs, Pentictonite Sahir Gill is off to the Chicago Steel USHL, which has left some cranky at the Northern tip of the Okanagan. Like mysterious ‘vipersdiehardfan’ blogger who clearly has (her/his) (panties/briefs) in a knot about the move.

Head Coach Mark Ferner was also less than enthusiastic about Gill’s goodbye when speaking with the Vernon Morning Star:

“I feel like we treat our players pretty good here. Here’s a young player, 16-years-old, playing on the top line, the top powerplay unit, and he goes and makes a lateral move to another league… He had offers from big (NCAA) schools and he had NHL teams looking at him. There will be lots of teams who will question Sahir for making this decision.”

To me it’s not a lateral move at all. Yes, the BCHL and USHL are both NCAA eligible junior leagues, but c’mon the USHL had seven players drafted at the June NHL Entry Draft BEFORE Kyle Bigos was the first BCHLer nabbed, and the USHL grossed seventeen players picked as compared to five players selected from the BCHL. Add the US Developmental Program to a concentrated 13 team league this year, over 180 commitments to college programs and it’s obvious the level of play in the USHL is simply higher.

Sahir wanted to play at a higher level. End of story. This isn’t about getting a commitment (he already has his pick of schools), this is about development and a bigger challenge for the talented ‘92 forward - who was far and away the top 16 year old in the BCHL last season.

Dan Marshall updates us on the opening three days of the National Championships from Victoria where the Kingston Voyageurs and the Summerside Western Capitals have struggled against their Western counter-parts.

You can catch the aformentioned voice of the Nanaimo Clippers calling the non-BCHL games here.

Here’s how the action has played out thus far. We could have an all BCHL final on tap.

The staff at the Times-Colonist (Victoria fish-wrap) are all over the RBC including fashion trends, love of the snakes, and of course the home team’s rebound.

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