PDA

View Full Version : Chase Chiefs move to Central Okanagan



Malc
05-29-2010, 12:13 PM
By Larry Fisher

Ken Andrusiak was chomping at the bit to get back behind the bench.

He‘ll get that opportunity in the fall, with the Chase Chiefs relocating to Kelowna for the 2010-11 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League season. Andrusiak, who spent the past two seasons as Kelowna Minor Hockey‘s top coach, overseeing the bantam and midget teams, was on the ice with his new club, the junior B Chiefs, for spring camp on Friday.

"It‘s really great for me," Andrusiak, the Chiefs‘ new head coach, said of the franchise‘s long rumoured and recently approved move from Chase to Kelowna. "As much as I liked being the head coach of Kelowna Minor, you didn‘t have your own team. It‘s been two years of wanting to get back at it, and this is great for everybody, including me."
...

The three-day spring camp attracted 88 players, including nine returnees from last year‘s Chase squad, auditioning for invites back to main camp in August.

There‘s lots of local flavour, with Andrusiak estimating 60 to 70 per cent of the players at spring camp have Kelowna roots. Added to that, there‘s several Kelowna products spread throughout KIJHL rosters.
...

Andrusiak singled out the WHL‘s Kelowna Rockets for making the move possible, as the Chiefs needed permission from Rockets president Bruce Hamilton to relocate to the Central Okanagan, where they will play out of Rutland Arena.

"We‘ve had great co-operation from them. And if it wasn‘t for them, we wouldn‘t be here," Andrusiak said of the Rockets. "They allowed us to do it, and we‘re giving them our two 16-year-old spots in return, so it should be a good relationship."

KIJHL teams are allowed to carry a maximum of four 20-year-olds and two 16-year-olds, with the Chiefs planning to carry Rockets‘ list players to round out their roster.

Last season, Chase (26-20-0-4) finished fourth out of seven teams in the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference, then beat the Kamloops Storm in the first round of playoffs before bowing out to the Revelstoke Grizzlies in the second round.

This season, the KIJHL has added an eighth team, the expansion Osoyoos Coyotes, to the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference, bringing the league total to 18 teams.

http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/stories_local_sports.php?id=268589

colinst14
05-29-2010, 12:23 PM
I cant say I know much about this league... is it like a place where a lot of WHL list guys play? Just to be monitored or something... I dont know.

Brandonite
05-30-2010, 09:28 AM
I cant say I know much about this league... is it like a place where a lot of WHL list guys play? Just to be monitored or something... I dont know.

I sure hope not!!! I really hope kids aren't getting cut from WHL teams and going all the way down to Junior B to work on their game. You never hear of this ever! If a kid is barely able to crack a WHL team, he almost ALWAYS heads to Junior A, why would he go all the way down to Junior B? IMO Junior B is an absolute complete JOKE!!! Half the kids can't even skate nevermind shoot a puck and YES I have seen plenty of Junior B games to know you shouldn't be sending your WHL team hopefulls down to play there! You ask any kid whos on the verge of possibly not playing in the WHL, he'll say he's either going to the Junior A (AJHL, MJHL, etc.) or else University. He's not taking 2 steps backwards to play Junior B in front of 11 people every night. Sorry

Arthur Fonzerelli
05-30-2010, 10:27 AM
I sure hope not!!! I really hope kids aren't getting cut from WHL teams and going all the way down to Junior B to work on their game. You never hear of this ever! If a kid is barely able to crack a WHL team, he almost ALWAYS heads to Junior A, why would he go all the way down to Junior B? IMO Junior B is an absolute complete JOKE!!! Half the kids can't even skate nevermind shoot a puck and YES I have seen plenty of Junior B games to know you shouldn't be sending your WHL team hopefulls down to play there! You ask any kid whos on the verge of possibly not playing in the WHL, he'll say he's either going to the Junior A (AJHL, MJHL, etc.) or else University. He's not taking 2 steps backwards to play Junior B in front of 11 people every night. Sorry

Whoa there Brandonite: While you are mostly right about WHL list players not playing JrB, the KIJHL is a diferent bird from the level of JrB that you are accustomed to on the prairies. In BC AAA Major Midget has had restrictions on the number of 17 years old permitted on a team. This has resulted in reducing the number of spaces for skilled 17 year olds to develop, they then go on to earn spots in the KI which describes itself as a development league. The KI restricts the number of 20 yr olds to 4 per team and many players from the league move up to JrA. Each year several KIJHL JrB players earn NCAA Div 1 scholarships and I would expect that just as many KIJHL players earn Div 1 scholarships in a year as the number awarded to players in the MJ or the SJ.

Malc
05-30-2010, 04:34 PM
The following played in the KIJHL as 16 year olds (Rockets listed players or acquired via trades):
Chuck Kobasew - Osoyoos Heat 1998-99
Shea Weber - Sicamous Eagles 2001-02
Clayton Bauer - Sicamous Eagles 2002-03
Justin Keller - Summerland Sting 2002-03
James McEwan - Castlegar Rebels 2003-04

Brandonite
05-30-2010, 08:50 PM
Whoa there Brandonite: While you are mostly right about WHL list players not playing JrB, the KIJHL is a diferent bird from the level of JrB that you are accustomed to on the prairies. In BC AAA Major Midget has had restrictions on the number of 17 years old permitted on a team. This has resulted in reducing the number of spaces for skilled 17 year olds to develop, they then go on to earn spots in the KI which describes itself as a development league. The KI restricts the number of 20 yr olds to 4 per team and many players from the league move up to JrA. Each year several KIJHL JrB players earn NCAA Div 1 scholarships and I would expect that just as many KIJHL players earn Div 1 scholarships in a year as the number awarded to players in the MJ or the SJ.

Good to know....I know Junior B in this area is really bad!! Bad as in I've actually heard of players contacting friends telling them to come out and play and they would for sure make the team just by showing up! It just shows the talent right there. But yeah clearly its different in B.C.