vees:blog

Here’s our first poll of the season.

[If you’re going to select ‘Other’ be sure to write in the name of your selection]

Just a refresher (by the way) of what the last poll we conducted showed waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in Spring following the Vees second round elimination at the hands of the National Champion Vernon Vipers.

* 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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Here’s Coach Small following Tuesday morning’s scrimmage…

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HC/GM Fred Harbinson and I kick around some news items regarding the team and the league, as training camp starts in exactly a week.

On Johansen

His 08/09 regular season numbers don’t jump at you off the screen, but don’t understate the offensive tools Ryan has. Johansen was 3rd in playoff scoring for the Vees and was worlds better in March than he was in the Fall in his first months of Junior. Crafty. Big. Skilled. He may be on TV one day.

Roger Tepper. Edge Photography. edgephoto@telus.net

I envision Ryan in a top 6 role in Portland this season and an NHL team to announce his name come the NHL Entry Draft in late June. [On a side note the Entry Draft was slated to take place in Phoenix, but could be relocated due to the Coyotes bankruptcy chaos.] Best of luck to the kid!

Szczerchura Added to Equation

Szczerchura = “Shuh-here-a”

Big Brother Paul = Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ohio State = Dalpe + Schneider + Krogh + Szczechura = Vees

Enough Math.

Here’s big brother Paul

More Mayhem in Merritt

Shawn and Brian have been following Merritt’s off-season with much more detail that I have, but if what Fred says in our interview below, is true, Merritt is entering a world of pain.

The Cents were nearly bought by more stable ownership months ago, before the deal fell through just weeks ago. Now the team may be without a Head Coach & GM, and is most certainly in a precarious financial situation.

You have to feel for the fans, players and people of Merritt as they’ve had a real rough 2+ years with rumours of sales, relocation and management changes. Never mind the 82 loses in the past 2 season. This will be an interesting situation to follow in the next few weeks.

**** UPDATE ****

Brian Wiebe at ‘Making Cents’ has confirmed Bouchard has resigned as head coach and GM.

Gonzo

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* The Vernon Vipers’ Jones Twins are athletes, not just hockey players. Don’t believe me? Ask the Coure D’Alene Lumbermen who got it good from the Kootenay kids!

Is that KELLEN OR CONNOR?! I can never tell.

* Local Vees power forward Logan Johnston impressed his hometown crowd on Saturday as he potted a pair of goals at the BC HHOF Summer Classic (more than Jarome Iginla). Dave Crompton of the Herald tells us Logan has his sights set on a jump in offensive production this season.

* Kristi Patton of the Penticton Western News gives us the background on Justin Pogge’s rags to riches story (it’s expensive being a goalie). Justin played in the Summer Classic on Saturday and was smiling from ear-to-ear with mother Annet in attendance. Justin was thrilled at the opportunity to give back to minor hockey given his humble roots.

[Insert joke about taking the shirt of his back for charity HERE]

* Brian Weibe has some background on Assistant Coach Luke Pierce of the new and improved Merritt Centennials coaching staff. Don’t expect to see either Port Alberni or Merritt in the basement of their Conference standings this season (where they’ve both been found the past two seasons).

* Somehow I forgot to mention the hockey operations shuffle in Salmon Arm, as Rylan Ferster will now be the full time GM as Matt Hughes takes over the bench duties. Here’s the release from the Silverbacks.

* The Trail Smoke Eaters have officially inked Wade Bennett for the upcoming campaign. Wade is the older brother of Vees recruit Beau Bennett. Both played for the LA Jr. Kings last season.

* A former Alberni Bulldog has been inked by the Vancouver Canucks… But, don’t get too excited Kellan Tochkin apparently played just a single game in the BCHL. Hammer has the follow up.

Kellan in Everett

* Former Salmon Arm Silverback Kris Chucko has re-upped with the Calgary Flames, and will likely play in Abbotsford this season. He scored 28 goals and 51 points last season in the AHL, but he’s no Travis Zajac. Eddie Gregory has more.

Vees Assistant Coach David Small and I talk about the Vees upcoming Junior Prep Camp, Osoyoos and Dave’s lack of a tan.

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If coaching doesn’t work out for Vees Head Coach and GM Fred Harbinson a career as a head-hunter or importer would seem like a natural fit. Not that the bench boss of the Vees should be thinking about a career change, but in this productive off-season, he has proven he excels in the field of recruiting and bringing talent from all over North America to the Okanagan.

Along with the previously discussed Beau Bennett, Ben Sexton, Luke Curadi (among others), Harbinson has also added Jeff Johnson - a maritime product who played US Prep School Hockey last year at Holderness Academy and was mentioned on the early season Draft Watch list last winter.

Here’s a great piece on Johnson from a fish-wrap from New Brunswick called the Daily Gleaner.

In an off season of USHL defections, the Penticton Vees have won the Beau Bennett Sweepstakes.

Pursued by the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and the Tri-City Storm of the USHL the coveted forward will make Penticton his home this Fall.

One of the top Midget Players in the States last year Beau racked up 105 points in 75 all purpose games with the Jr. Kings en route to a Pacific Regional Championship and a trip to the National Championships in Pittsburgh.

Bennett lead the Kings in scoring and is listed as a top prospect for the 2010 Entry Draft and will be a focal point for scouts following Junior in Western Canada.

He may hail from the Beach Boy state, but the California kid is more that comfy on ice.

“There’s big, and then there’s football big.”

That’s Head Coach and GM Fred Harbinson describing incoming rear-guard Luke Cuardi.

Curadi’s measurements are like stories of Sasquatch sightings, as the details can change depending who is telling the story. Luke’s reported height varies from 6′4 to 6′6, and he tips the scales in the 245 - 260 pound range. No matter what exactly the numbers are, the kid is ‘football big’.

After a season with the Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League, Curadi got a chance to showcase his skill set at the New York Rangers prospects camp at the end of June.

Curadi had a scholarship lined up with U Mass, but has backed off from the decision to explore his options further as he develops in the BCHL.

Curadi is a physical force that likely needs a season or two in Canada’s top Jr. ‘A’ league to work on his craft. Comparisons to Kyle Bigos of the Vernon Vipers - who was drafted by the Oilers after a sound 19-year-old season - make a lot of sense with Curadi being perhaps a touch bigger, and more polished than Bigos when he entered the league. Being selected as an overage player in upcoming drafts wouldn’t be shocking, as players of Luke’s size are rare.

Any questions about the kid’s toughness (not the same as size) can be laid to rest with a few viewings of this piece of YouTube gold.

Not that impressed?? Well, that was an All-Star Game.

There may be a new sheriff in town.

What do the Boston Bruins and the Penticton Vees have in common?

Aside from stops in Andy Moog and Chuck Kobasew’s hockey careers, and having two of the best looking hockey jerseys on earth, both the Vees and the Bruins have Ben Sexton in common.

Sexton is an incoming member of the 09/10 Vees acquired from the Nepean Raiders for ‘future considerations’ in late May. Last weekend the Boston Bruins used their final and 7th round selection on the 5′11, 182 pound forward. Sexton will play his 18-year-old season with the Vees before moving on to Clarkson University (ECAC - NCAA) for 2010/2011 campaign where he’ll work at joining the impressive list of Golden Knights NHL Alumni.

Last season Sexton recorded 35 points in 38 games, amassing over half of his point on the man-advantage. Of note, Sexton grew up watching Vees Alumni Zac Dalpe and even received a phone call from the current Ohio State Buckeye to discus Zac’s time in the Okanagan.

Ben is the son of Randy Sexton the recently anointed GM (the interim tag was dropped) of the Florida Panthers, and former Ottawa Senators executive.

As James Mirtle (top hockey blogger in the milky way in my humble opinion) points out, the Sextons were just one of a bunch of hockey families that added new chapters to their hockey history last weekend.