BC HOCKEY 2012 – 2013 ANNUAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS Divisional Directors’ Reports Junior A Hockey ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Junior B Hockey ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Senior Male Hockey................................................................................................................................ 4 Senior Female Hockey ........................................................................................................................... 4 District Directors’ Reports Kootenay – East ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Kootenay – West .................................................................................................................................... 7 Lower Mainland ...................................................................................................................................... 7 North Central ........................................................................................................................................ 10 North East / Yukon .............................................................................................................................. 12 North West ........................................................................................................................................... 13 Okanagan Mainline ............................................................................................................................... 13 Vancouver Island .................................................................................................................................. 15 Committee Reports Coaching Committee ............................................................................................................................ 17 High Performance Committee ............................................................................................................... 19 Female Hockey Development/ Female Midget AAA League Committee ............................................... 22 Minor Hockey Committee ..................................................................................................................... 24 Referee Committee .............................................................................................................................. 25 Safety & Risk Management Committee ................................................................................................ 30 Midget AAA League .............................................................................................................................. 31 APPENDICES BC Hockey Program Attendance Statistics ......................................................................... APPENDIX A Incomplete Suspensions ..................................................................................................... APPENDIX B Registrations ...................................................................................................................... APPENDIX C Championship Reports ....................................................................................................... APPENDIX D BC Hockey Awards ............................................................................................................. APPENDIX E 1 BC HOCKEY 2012 – 2013 ANNUAL REPORT DIVISIONAL REPORTS JUNIOR A John Grisdale, BC Hockey Junior A Divisional Director The 2012-2013 season was the 51st for the BCHL and brought about several positive new developments for the league. The first-ever BCHL Showcase, hosted by the Chilliwack Chiefs and Prospera Centre from September 7-9, 2012, earned rave reviews from players, coaches, and media. An overwhelming response from college and pro scouts was seen, with as many as 200 talent evaluators on hand at various points of the weekend. A second BCHL Showcase is planned for the coming season. It will be hosted again in Chilliwack from September 6-8, 2013. Other changes put in place included reducing the season to 56 games from 60. This meant less wear and tear on players and fewer mid-week games, which have always proven difficult from an attendance standpoint. The BCHL’s average attendance was up slightly this season but did not receive a significant boost during the NHL lockout. In all, 11 franchises averaged quadruple-figure attendance with the Chilliwack Chiefs leading the league averaging almost 2,200 fans per game. At the request of the newly formed coaches committee, team rosters increased from 21 to 22 players this season which allowed coaches to conduct satisfactory practices. Teams were also required to have a minimum of two players 17-years-old or younger on their rosters which helped keep and develop young talent in the league. The World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, N.S. saw 15 BCHL players participate and help Team Canada West bring home a silver medal. The BCHL opted to continue playing under the guidelines of the Junior A Supplement and under new executive director Trevor Alto, the league was able to mete out discipline for all incidents deemed worthy of review. Parity was a dominant theme in the league this season with the final playoff spot not decided until the final weekend of play and no team winning its division by more than 10 points. This equality among clubs continued to play out in the postseason with four series going the distance in the first two rounds. The regular-season champion Surrey Eagles have qualified for the league semi-finals and will play Alberni Valley / Victoria for the Coastal Conference title. In the Interior, the defending champions Penticton Vees are set to face the West Kelowna Warriors. The next big challenge for the BCHL will be to carry out a successful tournament with the inaugural Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup which will be held in Nanaimo from April 26 to May 5. This event brings together the winners of the four Western Junior A leagues plus the host Clippers for a round-robin tournament and double-knockout playoff system that will determine the two Western representatives for the 2013 RBC Cup in Summerside, PEI. The BCHL’s decision to move to FASTHockey as the exclusive provider of pay-per-view live and on- demand video also proved successful for the league. FASTHockey’s suite of editing tools allowed the league to clip and distribute to media several highlight-reel moments that went on to “go viral” via mainstream and social media. One goal, scored by Langley Rivermen forward Austin Azurdia, was 2 BC HOCKEY 2012 – 2013 ANNUAL REPORT seen in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet, TSN and Global TV as well as across North America on networks such as CNN and online at Sports Illustrated and Yahoo Sports. Efforts are being made constantly to improve the pay-per-view customer experience as it has proven a significant revenue stream for the league in recent seasons Tracking and reporting of officials’ scheduling and expenses was improved as the league office was able to retain an intern for the full season. Executive Director Alto along with Director of Officiating Derek Adams have worked continually to raise the standard of officiating league wide with improved reporting being noted from referees and linesmen throughout the season It has been another successful season on the scholarship front with 113 players committed to college programs (approximately 70 of those earned in the current season). The BCHL has enjoyed participating in the increased effort being made at the CJHL level to promote Junior A hockey across the country. The league continues to strive for excellence and remains a positive partner in hockey in Canada. JUNIOR B Brian Harrison, BC Hockey Junior B Divisional Director This year we had 39 teams participating in the Junior B program in B.C. The two new franchises, Nanaimo and Westshore (actually returned after a one-year leave), were competitive, successful and supported by their communities. Next year will see the relocation of the Penticton Junior B team to 100 Mile House. The three Junior B Leagues have expressed a desire to work more closely together. The first step will see the standardization of supplementary rules modeled after the BCHL. The Junior Council has been very successful this season. Representatives of the WHL, BCHL and Junior B have met several times to discuss issues of mutual interest as we move our game forward. Junior B Hockey, like all levels of hockey, shares the concerns of others with respect to headshots and concussions. The safety of our players is of paramount importance. We will continue to work with Hockey Canada and BC Hockey and within our Leagues to help reduce the incidences of this infraction. This year, the Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament (Provincial Junior B Championship) was held in Courtenay, hosted by the Comox Valley Glacier Kings. Teams participating included the Castlegar Rebels, the Richmond Sockeyes, the Victoria Cougars and the host, CV Glacier Kings. The games were very competitive and extremely well played. Richmond won Gold (and went on to the Keystone), Victoria won Silver and the Bronze went to Castlegar. The games were well attended. Thank you to David and Marsha Webb and Iris Churchill (owners) and their committee for putting on such a successful event and being