2006 ROYAL BANK CUP CHAMPIONS REUNION

Saturday at the Burnaby Winter Club members of the 2006 Royal Bank Cup champion Burnaby Express team had it's first reunion since winning it all.

12 players from that team along with other staff members gathered yesterday for a scrimmage and post game barbecue. The players in attendance included Kyle Turris, Jovan Matic, Mark Soares, Carlo Finucci, Peter Merth, Tyler McNeely, Brad Hunt, Alex Sciangula, Captain Brady Cook, Stephen Cunningham, Jake Areshenko and Matt Gordon. Keith Seabrook wasn't able to attend the scrimmage but was able to make an appearance later in the evening.

Alex Sciangula played an instrumental role in orgranizing this great day getting in touch with many members of the team and helping put it all together. Express alumni and Stanley Cup champion with the Boston Bruins Milan Lucic also took part in the event. Lucic played his first full season of junior hockey with the Express in 04-05 as a 16 year old.

It was a fun day had by all with old friends picking up where they left off last seeing each other i'm sure for some has been at least 5 or 6 years. Express President Darcy Rota had a pleasant surprise up his sleeve after the game on the ice was done as he was able to bring out the RBC Cup for the players to see again.

On behalf of the Express, I would like to extend a thank you to the current holders of the Royal Bank Cup the Penticton Vees for lending the trophy out to the Express for this event. I also had a chance to speak with a number of the players who were in attendance and get their thoughts on the reunion of the 2006 Royal Bank Cup Champions.
 

The boys also had a shootout before leaving the ice for good. I had a chance to film it.




See below for the full story of the 2006 Royal Bank Cup Champion Burnaby Express.

Click here for more in the 2006 Express.

EXPRESS 2012-13 SCHEDULE RELEASED

The schedule for the 12th Express BCHL season was released today and here's how it breaks down and what stands out.

The biggest change this season is the league reducing it's schedule with each team reducing the number of games they play from 60 down to 56. The change in schedule reflects the leagues focus on having more games on weekends and reducing travel costs for clubs.

Earlier this off-season we learned that the season will begin for the Express with a pair of games in Chilliwack as part of the BCHL's showcase weekend on September 7th and 9th against Victoria and Cowichan Valley. (1 away, 1 home).

The official home opener for the Express will be on Friday September 14th vs. the Langley Rivermen. The home opener kicks off a 4 game home stand for the Express to begin the season. Technically it's a 5 game home stand with the second game of the season for the Express at the showcase being a home game.

A quick glance of the schedule shows a trend that stands out where the Express will have a run of games at home followed by a run of games on the road. Following the season opening home stand, the Express then play 5 of their next 6 games on the road. That is followed by a 3 game home stand. Then the Express play 6 of their next 7 games away from home. As part of that run the Express will play in Surrey on Monday November 12th for an afternoon game vs. the Eagles as part of their annual Remembrance day ceremony. Then in late November and early December the Express will play another 6 of 7 games away from home. From September 29th in Victoria until Friday December 14th in Langley the Express will play 17 of 25 games on the road.

That will correct it self in the second half of the season and could be a benefit for the Express with the remaining portion of the schedule being very home heavy. The final home game before Christmas will be on Saturday December 15th when the Express will have a playoff rematch vs. the 4 time defending Coastal Conference Champion Powell River Kings. That will be the start of 15 of the final 25 games of the season for the Express which will be played at home. The Express will then have 2 weeks off for the holidays and their schedule will resume December 28th vs. Langley in the first of a home and home.

The schedule regularly alternates between home and away games for a month from December 15th until January 20th. Then they will hit the road for 5 straight games in advance of a 8 game home stand up until the final game of the season Saturday March 9th in Surrey.

With the BCHL going back to more divisional aligned playoff format and schedule, there are some significant changes as to how it shapes up this year. The biggest change sees the Express go back to the Mainland division with rivals Surrey and Langley. Chilliwack is back in the same division with the Express after playing last season in the Interior Conference. It will be great for the Express and Chiefs to re-ignite that old rivalry vs. Harvey Smyl's squad.

The biggest change in re-alignment when it comes to the Express sees the Prince George Spruce Kings having now moved into the Mainland Division. So that means that the two teams will be playing a few double headers over the course of the season. They will be on December 8-9 and January 26-27th in Prince George. The Spruce Kings will be in Coquitlam for a pair of games on February 22nd and 24th. The two teams will play singular games on October 20th and January 12th in Coquitlam.

Here how the full schedule breaks down for the Express this season:

They will play 32 of their 56 games vs. their Mainland Division rivals. (4 home, 4 away) They will play 1 home game and 1 away game vs. the 5 Island Division clubs. (Victoria, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Alberni Valley, Powell River) With the Express playing Cowichan and Victoria at the showcase weekend, the Express will play a total of 3 head to head games vs. those two teams. That leaves 12 games 1 home and 1 away vs. the 6 Interior Division clubs.

One positive about the new schedule format means that the other 15 teams in the league will all visit Coquitlam and vice versa.

Here's some other dates that stand out.

Season opener Friday September 7th vs. Victoira. * @Chilliwack.

Home opener Friday September 14th vs. Langley Rivermen.

 Monday November 12th @ Surrey Eagles. (Remembrance Day ceremony game in Surrey)

Sunday January 20th RBC Cup Champion Penticton Vees visit Coquitlam.

3 times this season the Express play 3 games in 3 nights. 

Click here to see 12-13 Express schedule

KERFOOT DRAFTED BY NEW JERSEY

 

 Alex Kerfoot today became the 6th player since the Express franchise began back in 2001 to be drafted directly from the club by an NHL club when he was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 5th round 150th overall.

The West Vancouver native is the first player drafted directly from the Express since Kyle Turris was drafted in the 1st round 3rd overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2007.

Kerfoot joins the likes of the aforementioned Turris, Brett Hemingway, David Jones, Brandon Yip and Keith Seabrook to be selected by NHL clubs directly from the Express. The Express now have had 12 players who have played for their club drafted by NHL teams.

In his first full season in the BCHL, Kerfoot was named the Coastal Conference rookie of the year, and Most Sportsmanlike player plus he was a First Team All Star after posting 25 goals, 44 assists for 69 points in 51 games. The 44 assists for Kerfoot established a new Express rookie record for most assists in a season.

Back in November, Kerfoot won a gold medal with Team Canada West in the World Junior A Challenge held in Langley. He scored the overtime winning goal vs. Sweden in the Semi Final to send his team to the gold medal game. Kerfoot also scored in the championship game vs. Team Canada East. A total of 7 members of the gold medal winning Canada West team were picked by NHL teams this weekend in Pittsburgh.

Overall, it was a pretty good day for the BCHL at the NHL draft where a total of 5 players were selected from BCHL clubs. Jujar Kharia was selected in the 3rd round 63rd overall by Edmonton, Powell River goaltender Sean Maguire went in the 4th round 113th overall to Pittsburgh, Reece Wilcox of Merritt was selected just ahead of Kerfoot by Philadelphia 141st overall, and Wesley Myron of Victoria was 5th BCHLer selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 6th round 177th overall.

Two other former BCHL players were drafted as well with former Penticton Vee Joey Laleggia being selected by Edmonton in the 5th round 123rd overall. And former Powell River King Jamie Phillips was picked by Winnipeg in the 7th round 190th overall.

Click below to hear from Alex Kerfoot.
 

Click below to hear from New Jersey's Director of Scouting David Conte to review the Devils 2012 Draft including the selection of Kerfoot.

 

MARC BIEGA INTERVIEW

I told you yesterday that the Express have signed Marc Biega a skilled defenceman as a recruit for next season. Earlier today I had a chance to speak with Marc and get his thoughts about coming to the Express for next season.

  Marc Biega June 19 2012 by EddieGregory

FAST HOCKEY TEAMS UP WITH BCHL

 

The BCHL announced Wednesday that they have teamed up with Fast Hockey to be the official Digital Media Partner.

They will be the new webcast providers for the BCHL. This is great news for the league. Speaking as someone who has done work with Fast Hockey in the past, I can tell you that the league has taken a good step in the right direction in bringing BCHL games to the fans, scouts and other supporters of the league. I was really happy to hear rumblings last season that this was a possibility.

The work i've done with them in the past will provide the league with a great product. Fast Hockey's reputation continues to grow from when I first worked an event for them in 2009. They're the official webcasting partner of Hockey Canada and Hockey USA. They have been at most major international events the last few years. And this partnership with the BCHL is another league in a long list of top notch Junior Hockey leagues from around North America that have already partnered up with Fast Hockey.

See the full press release from the BCHL below.

The British Columbia Hockey League and FASTHockey (http://www.fasthockey.com) announced today a long-term partnership offering a rich digital media experience to BCHL fans across the globe. The partnership begins immediately with broadcasting set for the 2012-2013 hockey season.

“Our agreement with FASTHockey not only provides us with the tools we need to raise the profile of our league but ensures our fans will have a first-rate experience watching games at home,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “We’ll continue to allow users to not only see live BCHL games but also get caught up on the latest highlights from around the league.”

Viewers will be treated to a world-class platform boasting breathtaking video, instant game archival for Video-On-Demand playback, advanced player features like pause, rewind, and fast-forward for live games, user generated instant replays, and full social integration. Additionally, they will be able to choose from home and away broadcasts so they can truly have a professional viewing experience.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with the BCHL,” said Marc Ruskin, President of FASTHockey, “Providing BCHL fans with a high quality experience, from video delivery through an array of interactive tools, will help support the league's digital media initiatives and provide the teams and players with some great tools for promotion and advancement.”

FASTHockey will have each BCHL rink outfitted with up-to-date streaming video hardware and in addition to the regular season and playoffs, will carry all 16 games at the inaugural Showcase event in Chilliwack September 7 to 9, 2012. Additionally, the BCHL and all of its member teams will take advantage of FASTHockey’s Content Editing and Syndication Suite empowering users to cut, share, and syndicate clips to their websites, blogs and popular social media platforms.

About FASTHockey Based in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices in Detroit, Vancouver, and Amsterdam (planned for 2012) FASTHockey serves as a digital media partner of National Governing Bodies including Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and the German Ice Hockey Federation; collegiate governing bodies and institutions from the NCAA and ACHA; a massive number of junior hockey leagues and teams in North America; college preparatory and high schools; and youth hockey teams.

EXPRESS SIGN ANOTHER SKILLED DEFENCEMAN

Head Coach and GM Jon Calvano continues his work to build the skill of the Coquitlam Express on the backend.

We told you earlier this off-season that they had signed Callom Hofford. The latest defenceman coming to Coquitlam next year will be Marc Biega. The recently turned 18 year old played Prep School Hockey last year at Salisbury putting up 6 goals and 36 points in 28 games. He is another player that will provide the Express some skill and puck moving ability on the backend.

"We are excited to Marc join the Express program , Marc is a puck moving D that can create offense with his vision , also a great Leader as he was the Captain of the top ranked Prep school team in CT. Marc is the youngest of 4 Brothers who all attended Harvard University and Marc is still uncommitted to a NCAA Program. " said Head Coach and GM Jon Calvano.

 Click below to hear an interview with Calvano.

Biega stands 5'11 and weights 180lbs. He is from Pointe Claire Quebec. Welcome to the Express Marc.

We look forward to seeing you in the fall. I hope to have some audio from Marc soon.

DESTRY STRAIGHT HEAD OF THE CLASS RE-VISITED

Last year prior to the NHL entry draft Howard Tsumura did a story on Express alumni Destry Straight in advance of the NHL Draft. A year later Tsumura catches up with Destry again to discuss his first season at Boston College where he won a NCAA National Championship.

Click on the link below to read the article.

HOC RE-VISITED: Frozen Four title run caps dream frosh season for W. Van’s Straight