EXPRESS MIXLR BROADCAST

Friday, June 26, 2015

LUCIC TRADED TO KINGS

Prior to Friday's NHL draft in Florida the Boston Bruins traded Express alumni Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings.

In return the Bruins received LA's first round pick the 13th selection that the Bruins used to draft Jakob Zboril, goaltender Martin Jones and defenseman Colin Miller. As part of the deal the Bruins will retain $2.7 million of Lucic's $6 million dollar salary.

Lucic began his junior career with the Express during the 2004-05 season. He dressed for 50 games that season scoring 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points while adding 100 PIM's.

He was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 2nd round 50th overall by the Boston Bruins in 2006. In 566 NHL games all with the Bruins he has 139 goals and 203 points for 342 points. He won a Stanley Cup in 2011 with the Bruins defeating his hometown Vancouver Canucks.

During the Express 2014 run to the Western Canada Cup he took the time to record this special greeting for his former junior team.


EXPRESS ACQUIRE PINCHUK

Jarrell Pinchuk
The Coquitlam Express have acquired defenseman Jarrell Pinchuk (97) from the Drumheller Dragons of the AJHL in exchange for future considerations.

The 18 year old Fort Saskatchewan Alberta native already has two seasons of AJHL experience under his belt with 3 goals and 14 assists for 17 points in 91 games the last two seasons. The 5'10 180 lbs right shot defenceman had 1G, 8A, 9PTS in 45 games last season.

Welcome to the Express Jarrell. 

EXPRESS 2015-16 SCHEDULE

The schedule for the 2015-16 Express season was released by the BCHL Friday. Just days after the schedule for the 2015 Bauer BCHL showcase was released.

Click here for full Express schedule

The season starts Saturday September 12th in Chilliwack. The next afternoon the Express are in Surrey to face the Eagles.

Due to BC hosting the Mann Cup the Express needed to leave dates open at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre in case the Adanacs advanced to the National Senior Mens lacrosse championship.

As a result the Express won't play their home opener until Saturday October 3rd vs. Cowichan Valley.

That game will be the backend of three games in three nights after playing the previous two nights on the Island in Victoria and Nanaimo.

That means the final 5 months of the season will be home heavy for the Express with 28 of their final 50 games on home ice. In fact 16 of their first 21 games will be road games. (That includes showcase games)

Other highlights include:

October 10 @ Wenatchee.

October 20 home vs. Wenatchee.

October 21 home vs. defending BCHL and Western Canada Cup champion Penticton.

The longest home stand is 7 games from January 2nd through the 22nd.

Three straight games (1 away, 2 home) vs. Surrey. December 11 @ Surrey, December 12, 18 @ Coquitlam.

Seven of the final nine games all in February will be played at home. The only two road games will be short bus trips to Monday February 8 (Family day) at Surrey. And Saturday February 27th the season finale at Chilliwack. In what is becoming an annual tradition the Express and Chiefs will end the season with a home and home.

The schedule breaks down like this.

34 games vs. Mainland division opponents.

6 vs. Surrey (3 home, 3 away)

7 vs. Chilliwack (3 home, 4 away) *In previous years the Express and Chiefs played two or three home and home sets a year. This year only one to end the regular season.

7 vs. Langley (3 home, 4 away)

7 vs. Wenatchee (4 home, 3 away)

7 vs. Prince George (4 home, 3 away)

12 games vs. Island division 1 home, 1 away vs. five island teams. Plus two additional games at the showcase one home game vs. Powell River and a road game vs. Nanaimo

12 games vs. Interior division 1 home and 1 away.

Three times this season the Express will play three games in three nights. The most notable sequence is Wednesday December 2nd vs. Vernon, Thursday December 3rd @ Prince George, Friday December 4th @ Chilliwack.


Wednesday, June 24, 2015

EXPRESS 2015 BCHL SHOWCASE SCHEDULE



With the weather being as gorgeous as it is right
now it's hard to think about going inside a hockey rink.

But we do know the schedule for the Express at the 2015 Bauer BCHL showcase in Chilliwack.

The event has been extended to four days from three. All games will be played at the Main rink at the Prospera Centre from September 24th through the 27th. The other notable change is the showcase won't mark the start of the BCHL season which will begin earlier in September.

The Express will open the event on Thursday the 24th at 10am vs. Powell River. The Express will be the home team.

Their second game will be a road game vs. Nanaimo on Saturday the 26th at 1pm. Click here for full showcase schedule.

The full BCHL 2015-16 schedule will be released in July.




Wednesday, June 17, 2015

COREY MACKIN ALL 50 GOALS VIDEO

All 50 goals by Corey Mackin last season in one video.

Click here to see video with music



Another video I put together with some highlights of returning players.



Clearly I have too much time on my hands. See what happens when I don't have NHL hockey to watch.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

BARRY WOLFF INTERVIEW


I caught up with Coquitlam Express Head Coach Barry Wolff to discuss his recent honour as coach of the year by the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame.

We also covered the BCHL expanding adding the Wenatchee Wild which will be in the Express' division in the Mainland.

He spoke on the trade of Chris Tai who was sent back to the Lloydminster Bobcats of the AJHL. That deal completed the original transaction that saw the Express acquire Chris last season. The original agreement was to send Chris back to the AJ after last season.

And we discussed as much as Barry was willing to divulge publicly about his recruiting work this off-season.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

WOLFF NAMED COACH OF YEAR BY COQ. HALL OF FAME

Coquitlam Express Head Coach Barry Wolff has been named the 2014 Coach of the year by the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame. Wolff will be recognized in the hall's wall of fame located in the home of the Express the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex.

Wolff was recognized for his efforts in 2014 where in his first season behind the Coquitlam Express bench he guided the team to a Fred Page Cup BCHL championship and an appearance at the Western Canada Cup in Dauphin Manitoba. 

He took over the Express prior to the 2013-14 season after the team missed the playoffs the previous season. During the regular season he guided the team to a 27-26-2-3 record which was good enough to finish in third place in the Mainland division. 

The regular season saw the club have it's ups and downs. It led the BCHL with 226 goals for while also allowing the same amount. The Express that year also led the BCHL with 19 shorthanded goals for. 

Then in the playoffs the Express took off. They won their first two series in 6 games vs. the Prince George Spruce Kings and Langley Rivermen to advance to the BCHL's double round robin in the third round. There the Express went 2-1 to advance to the Fred Page Cup final. 

In the league championship the Express kept up their winning ways by sweeping the Vernon Vipers to claim the first BCHL championship for a Coquitlam based team. It was the second championship for the Express franchise who won the Fred Page Cup as part of their RBC National championship run in 2006 when the team was based in Burnaby. 

The Express clinched the 2014 BCHL championship with a 4-3 win over the Vipers in game 4 at the Poirier Sports and Leisure complex the home of the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame. Coquitlam native Adam Rockwood scored the BCHL championship winning goal. Following the BCHL championship Wolff's Express advanced to the Western Canada Cup where they went 2-3 before being eliminated by the Spruce Grove Saints of the AJHL. 

Wolff's recognition by the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame reflects the impact he had on sports in Coquitlam and the positive impact he's had on people he met along the way. A well deserved honor for someone who treats everyone he's comes across with class.

For more information on this years honourees and the ceremony read Dan Olson's story from the Tri Cities Now by clicking here

Monday, June 1, 2015

WENATCHEE WILD JOIN BCHL AS 17TH FRANCHISE


The Wenatchee Wild will join the BCHL as its 17th franchise starting with the 2015-16 season, the team and league announced Monday at a media conference held in the central Washington city.

“The BCHL is gaining a strong franchise in the Wenatchee Wild and we value the passion and professionalism they bring to our league,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “The Wild will quickly develop rivalries with our existing franchises and I believe they will be a big draw in opposing buildings.”

The Wild had been a member the North American Hockey League (NAHL) since the 2008-09 season. They have had a winning record in each of their seven seasons of existence and this past season, they had six players on their roster committed to NCAA Div. I programs. Playing out of Wenatchee’s Town Toyota Center, the team averages about 3,000 fans at home games.

Head coach Bliss Littler, a native of Minot, N.D., is entering his 22nd year as a Junior hockey coach.

“We could not be more excited or humbled to be joining the BCHL,” said Littler. “Knowing the history and reputation of the league, be it sending players to play NCAA Division I hockey, NHL draft picks or the professionalism of the member teams and league have, we look forward to being a good league member on and off the ice.”

As a U.S.-based club, the Wild will be allowed to roster a maximum of four Canadian players. With today’s announcement, they become the first U.S.-based franchise in the BCHL since the Bellingham Ice Hawks, who operated from 1990 to 1995.