vees:blog

More Vees banter courtesy the good folks at the Kettle Valley Station Pub and Cannery Brewing.

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One third of the way into the 2009/2010 campaign, the Penticton Vees are on pace for their highest output since being renamed the Vees in 2004.

The Vees wait on the bench for another flood at practice

In fact since junior hockey arrived in Penticton in the 1961 no team has never eclipsed 100 points, though through a third of the season the Vees are ahead of that mystical century mark as 17-2-0-1 is a pace for a 105 point season. While that is just a projection, there are reasons to believe that maybe, just maybe, the Vees can continue to roll at their current pace.

For budding historians in the crowd 52 wins is the BCHL record set by the New Westminster Royals in 89-90 and the Vernon Vipers of 98-99. That New-West club also had 108 points, which stands as the BCHL record. The Royals beat Fred Harbinson (the player) and the Calgary Canucks that year in the Doyle Cup… Crazy.

Clearly this club is deep and talented. Clearly they are among the best teams in Junior ‘A’ in Canada. Clearly there are players who will be selected in the NHL Entry Draft this coming June in LA (Beau Bennett, Luke Curadi, Joey LaLeggia, Sean Bonar, and Isaac MacLeod are on scouting radars). The rest is still to be determined.

With the first 20 games in the history books, let’s pour a scotch, light the fireplace, and take a closer look at how the season has gone to this point. (more…)

Hayden Trupp has been designated an ‘Affiliated Player’ and has been assigned to the Penticton Lakers of the KIJHL (Jr. B).

With BC Hockey reversing their decision, and deeming Trupp an import, the Vees were forced to make a move with their roster already sitting at the league maximum of 8 imports. Trupp will play for the Vees this weekend, after which he will be allowed 10 games for the big club in the remainder of the regular season. Once the Lakers season has ended Trupp would be free to play with the Vees with no restriction. The Vees now have an open roster spot.

The 17-year-old forward has no shortage of skill but has been physically outmatched in his rookie season. Trupp has recorded a goal and an assist in 16 BCHL games after playing Midget hockey in Alaska last season.

Hayden was born in Penticton in 1992, his father and older brother both played their Junior hockey in Penticton.

I spoke with Vees HC/GM Fred Harbinson after Tuesday’s Practice…

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VEES vs. CENTENNIALS

Another short-staffed two clubs will hit the ice at the SOEC this weekend. The Vees will be without the aforementioned 3 WJAC competitors as well as Bruins pick Ben Sexton. Merritt meanwhile have been ravaged by the flu bug (not H1N1) to the point where Friday’s game vs. Vernon was in question earlier in the week. The Cents aren’t the only club who have been hit by the flu bug as Burnaby was missing 5 regulars in last night’s 8-0 loss in Penticton, and tonight’s tilt between the Clippers and Grizzlies has been canceled (speculation has the flu as the culprit).

The EVIL Flu Bug

The Cents are running through goalies like I run through clean socks on a road trip… after adding another young tender in Cameron Dagg (the Cents third 17 or younger), the club has finally brought in an veteran guy in the form of 20-year-old Riley Wall who is a Jr. B journeyman. The Cents have allowed more goals against than any other team in the Milky Way… check that, just the BCHL.

For more on all things red, white and black head to Making Cents: The Centennials Blog.

Meanwhile, you can look for Billy Faust to make his first BCHL regulation start tonight. Faust is an L.A. kid who was teammates with Beau Bennett last year on the LA Jr. Kings (Midget) and has posted great numbers in Nelson (KIJHL, Jr. ‘B’) thus far this season. The Cali-kid has a tough act to follow as Joel Rumpel hung a zero on the Burnaby Express last night for his first BCHL shutout.

Tonight’s broadcast will start at 6:45 on EZ Rock in the South Okanagan and Similkameen, at BCHL.ca at the audio scoreboad, and at MyEZRock.com. I’ll be flying solo as Al Formo is dressing up for Halloween as the invisible man.

WJAC UPDATE

Though the tournament has yet to begin with the games that actually matter, Team Canada West has suited up for a pair of exhibition games in the Maritimes. On Thursday the Western Canadians beat Belarus 3-2 in a shootout, while they dropped a 5-2 decision to the defending gold medalists from USA last night.

As for the Vees in the competition, Beau Bennett has recorded an assist in his only game for the Yankees, while Sean Bonar has a win in his only appearance and stopped all three shots in the shootout, while Joey LaLeggia (who’s name is spelled ‘LaLegea’ in the boxscore) has a single assist in his two games played.

The real action gets underway on Sunday when the Canada West crew face the Russians, and the Americans clash with the Swedes. Elimination games begin on Thursday.

For more on the WJAC go HERE.

WJAC DEPARTURES & FAUST’S RETURN

Sean Bonar and Joey LaLeggia are off to PEI today with the rest of Team Canada West for the 2009 World Jr. A Challenge. Team Canada West has 2 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal in the three years that the competition has been in existance… no pressure guys.

Beau Bennett will leave on Wednesday to join Team USA who are the reigning gold medalists.

with Sean Bonar gone to PEI, Billy Faust returns to Penticton today to join the Vees for their next four games. The odd man out in the crease at training camp, Billy has been playing with the Nelson Leafs of the KIJHL, where he 5 wins, a shutout and a GAA of 2.14. Billy and Beau Bennett both played for the LA Jr. Kings (Midget) last year and have come to BC to further their hockey careers. Expect Billy to start at least one of the next four games for the Vees.

DRAFT HYPE

Central Scouting’s NHL watch list has been released and 5 BCHLer have made the preliminary list. While 5 player isn’t a whopping number for the whole league, the fact that the Vees have 3 of the 5 players is an incredible feat.

Beau Bennett has been graded a B prospect, while defenders Luke Curadi and Joey LaLeggia are rated C prospects. Other BCHLers mentioned include Westside Warriors forward Greyson Downing and Langley Chiefs defender Tim Daly.

Central Scoutings give players a grade in the ‘Watch List’, then will release a ‘Mid-Term Rankings’ in January before ‘Final Rankings’ are issued in April.

Speaking with numerous hockey people who know more than I do over the past week, Sean Bonar, and Isaac MacLeod are also garnering all sorts of attention from NHL scouts.

VEES THIS WEEK

We’re back on the air-waves on EZ Rock tonight as Boston Pizza Vees This Week is back after a ‘bye’ week. We’ll chat with Eddie Gregory of the Burnaby Express to preview Friday’s tilt at the SOEC, also new Interior Confernece Power Rankings, Weekend Highlights, a chat with Fred Harbinson after sweeping the Island, and other shenanigans.

CJHL NATIONAL RANKINGS & OTHER NON-SENSE

The Vees fell a spot to fifth in the CJHL National Rankings while Vernon remains at 3rd in the nation. The Kingston Voyageurs (OJAHL) and Dauphin Kings (MJHL) who play in vastly weaker leagues than the BCHL are listed in the top four.

Again, I’ll mention the need for more transparancy in the process of ranking teams from coast to caost. If there is a formula, what is it!?? Is there a ouija board quotient?!

Made in Penticton but residing in Duncan, the Vees will see the world’s largest hockey stick tonight

* The Vees wrap up their 2-game season series with the Cowichan Valley Capitals today in Duncan. Penticton pumped Cowichan 6-1 on October the 7th as captain Denver Manderson record 3 assists.

The Caps are (2-0-0-0) under new head coach and former NHL tough-guy Dale Purinton, and have got Anthony Perdicaro back from the East Coast Hockey League. Perdicaro received a Gross Misconduct in his first game back and will not be in the Cowichan line-up tonight.

* In NCAA action this weekend Curtis McKenzie’s hot start with the top ranked Miami Redhawks will see the freshman forward face two former teammates at Michigan State. Zack Joesepher and Trevor Nill currently play for the Spartans and both played with Curtis during the 2008 BCHL Championship season. Here’s a preview of the Division I clash.

* It appears the Clippers and Grizzlies have swung a deal. Hammer tells us the deal sees D - Jake Baker (91) go to Victoria for F - Teal Burns (92) and D - Todd Gebert (90). That’s the third team for Jake Baker and we are just at the quarter poll of the season.

* The Merritt Centennials have added a few bodies to their roster as F - Andrew MacMillan (90) is over his mono and Cameron Dagg is yanked up from Columbia Valley of the KIJHL (Jr. B). No idea why the Cents want another young goalie (they allready have two)… Nevermind one who is (1-7-0) in Jr. B.

* The Vipers have given D - Nils-Erik Soderlund (90) a full time roster spot… DieHardVipersFan has more.

Perhaps Fred was taking mercy on a simple play-by-play guy who was facing the proposition of calling a game with three players named ‘Jones’ on Saturday Night, but more likely it was a log-jam on the blue-line that forced a trade.

Utility man Mitchell Jones (who prefers to play Defense, but can play up front) was moved to the Nanaimo Clippers today for the awfully popular ‘Future Considerations’.

Jones impressed early in training camp, but was overshadowed (in this man’s opinion) by Bo Dolan in the pre-season for the final starting job on the blue-line. Then Isaac MacLeod got healthy and things became a lot muddier for the member of the 2009 Cyclone Taylor Cup Champion Richmond Sockeyes (BC’s top Jr. B team).

Jones played up front more than he did on the blue-line and you can’t help but think he’ll have an opportunity for more ice-time on the blue line in his new destination.

Vees HC/GM Fred Harbinson talks about the deal…

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Ryan Viselli took a moment to chat with me after Wednesday’s practice.

The 20-year-old forward is coming off a strong rookie campaign where he recorded 20 goals and 52 points, good enough to place him in the the top 40 in the BCHL. Yet, it took Viselli awhile to find his feet in Junior ‘A’ as he went pointless in his first five games (afterwhich he propmtly went on a six game point streak) adjusting to the BCHL pace. Ryan and I talk about being a rookie last year, goals for this year (his last in Junior), and his new line-mates (seen below).

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* Isaac MacLeod has watched all the scrimmages in training camp from the stands as a minor Summer injury has him on the shelf and out of contact for the short term.

I caught up with the 6′5 200 lbs. D-man this morning to discuss his decision to commit to the Boston College Eagles. See below for the interview.

* Colton Jobke is fighting for a job at Rockets camp in Kelowna. The smooth skating defender is entering his 17-year-old season, after playing last year in the BCHL with the Vees.

* Emanuel Sequiera has more Vees Training Camp coverage for the Penticton Western News.

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