EXPRESS MIXLR BROADCAST

Friday, September 19, 2014

EXPRESS SEASON PREVIEW

The off-season was shorter than every other team in the BCHL, but that can only be a good thing as the Express went on the longest playoff run of any team last season winning their second BCHL championship in franchise history and advancing to the Western Canada Cup.

But now everything starts fresh again and everything is reset back to zero as all 15 other BCHL teams try and take the Fred Page Cup out of the hands of the Express.

It all starts tonight with the third annual Bauer BCHL showcase in Chilliwack. The Express will play one home and one away game in Chilliwack against the West Kelowna Warriors Friday then getting right back at it Saturday vs. the Trail Smoke Eaters at high noon.  This event is a great way for all the college scouts who flock to the BCHL every year to watch the talent available and begin the process of trying to recruit players to their program.

Like all teams there is always player turnover from year to year. The Express bring back 10 players who were on last years championship team.

Most of the returnees come up front with Joey Santucci, Corey Mackin, Brendan Lamont, Cody Boyd, Daniell Lange, Josh Smith, Nic Rasovic and Jackson Cressey.

The blue line only has one returnee in Anthony Gardner. And Pierce Dushenko returns for his second season in the Express crease after backing up Gordie Defiel a year ago.

Some of the new faces include some familiar names to BCHL fans in the lower mainland. 20 year old forward Stefan Burzan comes to the Express after starting this season in Okotoks (AJHL). He split last season with the Oilers and the Victoria Grizzlies. He has previous championship experience being on the 2013 Surrey Eagles squad that won the Fred Page and Western Canada Cups and came within one goal of advancing to the RBC Cup final.

Other players familiar to BCHL fans in the lower mainland include defenceman Austin Bietenbeck who played last season with Langley. He also spent time in Surrey the previous year.

Colton Kerfoot is certainly one of the more recognizable names to Express fans. He is the younger brother of Alexander who was the BCHL rookie of the year in 2012 and a New Jersey Devils draft pick. Colton had a good season last year in Major Midget last year where he was second in the league in scoring with 86 points. He played 3 games with the Express last year as an affiliate player. He's expected to be one of the top young players to watch.

Brett Supinski comes to the Express for his 19 year old season looking to help prepare himself for University when he heads off to Union next fall. He was a 20 goal scorer and 41 point producer at Millbrook High school last season.

The youngest player on the roster no doubt certainly is the biggest. Noah Turanski is entering the BCHL as a 16 year old. He's a "man child" as he was described to me by Head Coach Barry Wolff. He stands at 6'4 and weighs in at 220lbs. He's a former defenceman turned forward from Vernon who decided to go the Junior A route instead of the WHL where Prince Albert owns his rights.

Coquitlam opens the season with four twenty year olds on their roster and they're all forwards. Joey Santucci, Brendan Lamont and Cody Boyd.

Daniell Lange, Nic Rasovic, Jackson Cressey and Josh Smith all come back a year older and stronger. They all had solid first full seasons in the BCHL providing Barry Wolff with solid minutes when called upon.

The blue line consists mostly of 19 year olds with 3 of the 6 spots occupied by players born in 1995.

It all gets going again and we will see how this years group will come together as the Express begin their defense of their BCHL championship. 

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