HART AND DOTAN CAMP MATES

The Express swapped defenceman with the Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL) sending David Dotan's rights to Alberta in exchange for Tyler Hart just prior to training camp. Now while their junior A rights saw both players receive a new address, the two will be camp mates in the WHL. They will both take part in the main camp for the Vancouver Giants which opens on Sunday.

Hart had 1 goal and 1 assist in 41 games last season with Spruce Grove. Dotan meanwhile had 1 goal and 4 assists in 40 games with the Express last season. Dotan also has 41 games of WHL experience with the Prince Albert Raiders split over 3 seasons.

CAMPESE QUOTE ON BETTAUER

Right now there is no defenceman in camp who skated on the Express blueline last season.

James Bettauer is the only possible returnee on the backend. He is currently attending the camp of the Prince Albert Raiders which opened today.

Former Penticton Vees head coach and current Raiders bench boss Bruno Campese had this to say about James Bettauer on the Raiders website.

"He's got a lot of Western Hockey League experience, but I think there has been some questions about his attitude and he played pretty much the entire season last year in Burnaby...in Junior-A and had a very good year as well putting up a good number of points in very few games".

Bettauer had 7 goals and 23 points with the Express in 33 games after being acquired from Quesnel last season.

Campese also had this to say about Richard Vanderhoek who played last season with Surrey. "He went back to play Junior-A last year as an 18 year old...had a very good year 52 points including 22 goals. He's a skilled forward that will have an opportunity".

Vanderhoek also has WHL experience with the Kamloops Blazers

MORE TRAINING CAMP COVERAGE & PAUL DE JERSEY INTERVIEW

The intersquad games continue as training camp is now 4 days complete for the Express.

A few quick notable highlights.

Malcom McKinney provided the goal of the day with a nice dangle around a defenceman then quickly deked around the goaltender to tuck the puck home. All the while doing so in very tight quarters.

Mckinney came to camp in great shape and it's showing with much improved speed. Mckinney's hands are able to keep up with his feet and that improvement has made Mckinney a must watch player every shift he is out there in the intersquad games.

Alex Petan's roof shot wiring it off the cross bar and in wasn't that far off from being a goal of the day candidate.

Paul De Jersey showed some nice touch early picking the top corner on Robin Billingham from the right wing. That goal was followed minutes later with De Jersey sliding a nice pass on the tape of a teammate to execute a 2 on 1 to perfection.

Another strong shift from De Jersey saw him pin and hold his check deep in the offensive zone which allowed the support to come in and take the puck which set up a strong 90 second puck possession shift for De Jersey's team white.

Click here for a interview with Paul De Jersey discussing camp and his approach heading into the season.

Veterans Brad Reid and Garrick Perry have been skating together on a line all throughout camp. Perry showed a nice nose for the net driving in off the wing and sliding the puck home. Took Reid a while to find the back of the net, he just missed a glorious chance but made up for it seconds later by scoring on a wrap around. That was followed off the ensuing faceoff with Reid setting up another goal.

Zac Ashdown certainly made his presence felt playing with a very gritty approach today. He showed nice finish wiring the puck home off the wing post and in.

EXPRESS OPEN CAMP

The Express have stepped on the ice in Coquitlam for the first time since 2005 when training camp opened on Monday in preparation for their 10th BCHL season.

This marks the first day for new head coach Jon Calvano to see the fruits of his labour hit the ice.

He is the man responsible for rebuilding a program that has missed the playoffs in each of its final 2 seasons in Burnaby posting 18 wins in each of the previous 2 campaigns.

There are plenty of new faces to get to know all throughout the roster.

I caught up with the new bench boss to discuss his plan of attack for the coming season and some of the players he has brought in.

Click below to hear from Jon Calvano.

Training camp goes daily at the Coquitlam Sports Centre. The first pre-season game is this Saturday in Gibsons vs. the Powell River Kings. The next day the Express will play host to the Surrey Eagles at the Coquitlam Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon.

THE DEFENCE DOESN'T REST

With the training camp just days away, (Monday) Jon Calvano is very busy preparing for his first season behind the bench.

One thing that is very evident before any pucks are dropped is that the defence will look drastically different than the one that ended last season.

With a backend that has lost the likes of Simon Denis and Stefan Gonzales, the Express blueline has pretty much all but been overhauled.

The latest move saw David Dotan shipped to Spruce Grove (AJHL) in exchange for Tyler Hart (92).

Hart is listed at 6'2, 200 lbs. Last season he posted 1 goal and 1 assist in 41 games.

In addition to the acquisition of Hart, Calvano also brought in some veteran experience with the signing of 20 year old Coquitlam native and WHL veteran Riley McIntosh.

Here's the press release.

The British Columbia Hockey League's Coquitlam Express are proud to announce the signing of 20-year old Coquitlam native Riley McIntosh.

McIntosh, who stands at 6’ 5” and weighs in at 205 pounds, is a 4-year veteran Western Hockey League defenseman who is returning to play for his hometown team after suiting up for the Kelowna Rockets and Tri-City Americans.

“When news spread of the team moving back to Coquitlam, I got real excited and right away wanted to come home and play for the team which I grew up watching,” McIntosh said. “I know (Head Coach) Jon Calvano real well as he coached me in spring hockey growing up and when I heard he was hired as the Express coach it made my decision to come home a real easy one.”

Express Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jon Calvano see the complete package in McIntosh.

“Riley is a kid that we are extremely excited to have. He will provide leadership, character in the dressing room, and he is an exceptional hockey player.”

McIntosh joins his hometown team for his final season of Junior Hockey eligibility much like 2001-02 BCHL graduate Chad Grisdale (Coquitlam) and 2009-10 grad Chris Van Duynhoven (Burnaby) did in their respective seasons.

While in Kelowna, McIntosh played with Defenseman Tyler Myers who now plays for the Buffalo Sabres and was awarded the 2009-10 Calder Trophy as the Rookie of the Year in the National Hockey League. The two still train together in the off-season and are very close friends.

“Coming home to Coquitlam as a 20-year old, we are looking at Riley to be a role-model to our younger players while providing veteran leadership on and off the ice. He will also give the team a big boost on defense,” Express President & General Manager Darcy Rota said.

In four seasons in the WHL, McIntosh posted 1 goal and 16 assists while amassing 137 Penalty Minutes. McIntosh played in 11 playoff games with Tri-City in 2008-09 accumulating 1 assist and 4 penalty minutes.

“I’m really eager to get the season started and to get a fresh start in Coquitlam playing in front of friends and family,” McIntosh said.

EXPRESS ACQUIRE LAMACCHIA

The Express have picked up Massimo Lamacchia (91) from the Markham Waxers of the Central Canadian Hockey League in exchange for future considerations.

Last season he averaged just over a point a game with 17 goals and 39 points in 38 games.

TOM LARSCHEID RETIRES

Whether I was a youngster listening to Canuck games on CKNW or watching the simulcast on BCTV or working behind the scenes of Canuck broadcasts at Team 1040, there has always been one constant. And that's Tom Larscheid.

He is retiring after the Canucks season opener on October 9th vs. Los Angeles. A career that dates back to the late 70's when he joined Jim Robson in the booth.

The one thing that stands out for me listening to him all these years is the passion he brought to the booth every single game. His energy is something that i'm sure we all wish we had.

Tommy loved the Canucks and wanted nothing more than the Canucks to win. He would praise them when they did well. But wasn't afraid to criticize when the team was playing poorly.

All the while doing it with a style and flair that truly made him one of a kind. That is one thing I will always remember about Tom. There is only one, and ever will only be one Tom Larscheid. No one will ever be able to genuinely match that enthusiasm.

His one liners on the air are too many to mention, whether it be "bingo bango bongo, his name is Roberto Luongo!" or helping give Jeff Cowan the nickname of the brabarian. I know i'm forgetting so many from his career but you get the idea.

I can tell you from getting to know him a little since the Canucks broadcasts have been on Team 1040 coming over from CKNW, Tom is the same person off the air as he is on it. A class act who is always in a fantastic mood.

Usually during a break I would ask Tommy how he was doing, and he would respond i'm doing great. But I would mainly want to do it to get a great reaction from Tom.

One time i'll never forget is after the first break of the first period of game 2 in this years playoffs vs. Chicago, the Canucks were up 1-0 in the series and got off to a fantastic start leading 2-0 and dominating the play and I asked Tom how he was doing to get the reaction, and he was over the moon with excitement.

I just want to say thank you Tom for all the great work you've brought to the Canucks broadcasts over your career. It was always entertaining, it was honest, and more importantly, it was from the heart. I wish you all the best in your retirement.

There's only one stop remaining and that is the Hockey Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Foster Hewitt award along side your longtime partner in the hall Jim Robson.