Net Presents

For those of you who watched the Warriors last season.  Or those of you who are taking in the NHL playoffs right now.  Or for those who seriously follow hockey.  You will agree with me that the guy in net is the most important guy in the ice.  A goalie can steal games on his own, or lose them in the wink of an eye.

We all know this, right?  Well that’s why it was such great news when the Westside Warriors announced the first upshot of the Izaak Berglund/Michael King deal with Lloydminster – the acquisition of Tyler Briggs for the 2012-13 season.  Check out our website (or our facebook page) if you missed that story.

Tyler Briggs comes at a stiff price, but by all accounts is well worth it.  Even the guys sent to Lloydminster, ‘Bergy’ and ‘Kinger’, told me that Westside is getting a stud.  He’s been a standout since bantam and was already one of the best in the country last year.  Enough so that he was named to Team Canada West at the WJAC last year in Langley.  He’s a 20 year-old goalie who has just secured a Div. I scholarship to Clarkson University (here’s that story), and has some pretty awesome stats to boast.

Check out his profile at eliteprospects.

So, the Warriors and their fans are getting excited about having Tyler Briggs on the team.  But is Briggs himself excited about coming to Westside?  Well, I called him and asked.

“I’m very excited.  I have heard nothing but good things about the organization and the team for this upcoming season.  And I really couldn’t have asked for a better place to land.”

What does he have left to accomplish?

“I‘ve already established my goals for this year, and the only goal I have is to win the league, and hopefully go from there.”

NICE.   I like that answer.  What’s he up to this summer?

“Just staying home, working at the house, and obviously getting in as much on-ice training as I can.”

 

So, things are looking promising in Warriorland for next year.   Cool.

Whoa.  Hold on a second.  Because there’s more good news.

Enter Brady Rouleau.

Brady Rouleau in Canmore. Photo courtesy Macleod Gazette.

Brady Rouleau is a soon-to-be 19 year-old who already has two solid years of Junior ‘A’ hockey to his credit, and a healthy buzz around the league.  Rouleau was the second piece of the deal that also brought forward David Pope to Westside in exchange for Richard Vanderhoek.  This kid played behind the impressive Derek Dun in Cowichan last year, and seems like he’ll be a great compliment to Tyler Briggs.

Check out Brady Rouleau’s numbers at Elite Prospects.

So is Mr. Rouleau excited to come to Westside?  Well, I asked him too.

“Yes I am excited.  It’s going to be be a nice change from the Coastal Conference to come to the Interior.  I only got to play westside once last year, but It looks like I’m heading to a really good organization.”

And what is he expecting?

“Honestly, I’m hoping to get some games in here and there (I got 30 in last year).  But I know Briggs will be good, and if he’s supposed to be the starter, I’ll just have to make the most of my opportunities when I get them.”

 

So there it is.  Two highly-rated goalies heading to West Kelowna for the coming season.

Right on.  I’ll drink to that.  (While golfing)

 

P.S. – I haven’t mentioned it on this blog yet, but congrats to WW assistant Coach Brando West who has been named an assistant coach for Team Canada-Pacific at the 2012 World under-17 hockey Challenge.

P.P.S. – Also congrats to the Penticton Vees, who rose to the occasion all season long and are champions of Canada.   This really was a Great team.  So nice job Fred Harbinson, Travis St. Denis, Fraser Rodgers, and everyone else involved in the Vees organization.

Can’t wait for next season.

Spring tones

The climax of Westside’s Spring Camp has arrived, with the Sunday Black vs. White Game now underway at RLP.

Each team boasts a full contingent of 18 skaters plus three goalies – and it looks like there’s a couple of hundred fans on hand as well.

I’ll fire up the odd twitter update during the game (see @warriors_voice on the right of this page) for those of you who want to follow along.

Happy campers

Westside’s Spring Camp continues to roll along at RLP, and things seem to be ratcheting up in terms of speed and intensity.  These guys are playing a lot of hockey (five games in three days, plus fitness testing, plus a top prospects game for some) but look to be taking every opportunity to impress the coaches and scouts on hand.

On Saturday I grabbed a few leading prospects for quick interviews.

First, I spoke with Calgary’s Riley Van Horne, who is coming off a stellar campaign with the Pursuit of Excellence.

Click here to listen to that interview.

 

I then spoke with Josh Ellis, who affiliated three times with the Warriors while playing his second season with the BCMML’s Okanagan Rockets.

Click here for my interview with Josh Ellis.

 

Later, I grabbed Penticton’s Adam Plant.  The soon-to-be 17 year-old has already committed to Westside for the coming season, after impressing in his ‘AP’ outings last year.

Click here for my interview with Adam Plant.

Finally (no picture) I interviewed local product Brent Lashuk, who played last season with the Kelowna Chiefs.  Click here to listen to my conversation with Brent Lashuk.

For more camp photos, check out Westside’s facebook page.

Camp stove

Day one of Westside’s Spring Camp began at 8am Friday morning with registration and orientation.  And it didn’t take long for players to break a sweat – on and off-ice training sessions began at 9.

In terms of off-ice stuff, players were tested in sit-ups, push-ups, vertical jump, agility, flexibility and stamina (a one-mile run).

On the ice, things are much more simple.  Each team (8 teams in total) will play five 90-minute scrimmages before things wrap up with Sunday’s Top Prospects game.

For those of you interested, I’ve fired a bunch of photos from day one up at the team’s facebook page.

I also caught up with prospect Braeden Monk after his first game of the day.  CLICK HERE to listen to that interview.  I snapped a couple of cool photos of Braeden too – but I didn’t have the memory card in my camera at that point…

Spring has sprung

The Warriors open their 2012 Spring Camp on Friday.

Coach Ferster tells me he’s expecting more than 160 players (and many families, too) to show up and show us what they can do over three days of on and off-ice training.

It all cumulates with the Top Prospects game on Sunday at 2pm (at RLP – open to the public, I believe).

I’ll fire something in the way of interviews/photos on the blog at some point, and make sure to always check out the Warriors’ facebook page, too.

Future look – Jetlan Houcher

The Warriors have announced another player set to come to Westside from the Lloydminster Midget ‘AAA’ Bobcats.

Jetlan Houcher is a good-sized winger who put up 61 points in 32 games last year in the AMHL.  He is another 18 year-old with experience playing as an ‘AP’ in the AJHL.

Check out his numbers at eliteprospects.

Jetlan Houcher (left) and Ambrose Firkus celebrate a Bobcats goal. Photo courtesy Rod Oracheski - starnews.ca

I spoke to Jetlan for another quick prospect Q&A on Monday…

 

Zacks: Do I understand you and Ambrose Firkus are friends?

Jetlan Houcher:  “Yup, we’ve played together for the last 4 or 5 years.  I also know Tyler Briggs, and played with him in first-year midget.”

JZ: Did that contribute to your decision to come to Westside?

JH: “Not really, it’s nice knowing people, but it wasn’t my main decision factor”

JZ: So, why else?

JH: “I really wanted to play in the BC league.  And I felt that Westside was the best program for me.   And they have lots of returning guys so they should be pretty good this year.”

 

JZ: You played three years of Midget ‘AAA’ hockey with the Bobcats – how have you seen your game develop over that span?

JH: “Playing a little bit of junior last year in particular I got a lot more comfortable.  I know what I’m getting into, and I know the differences in the game between midget and junior.  As well, playing with guys like Ambrose (Firkus) helped develop my hockey sense and my speed.”

JZ: What are your goals as a hockey player?

JH: “I think, the same as every other Canadian hockey player, I want to make it to the NHL.  I’d like to get a scholarship to the NCAA and hopefully make it to the NHL from there.”

JZ: You’ve played for winning teams in Lloyd, and also as an ‘AP’ with Spruce Grove (AJHL).  What do you think is the biggest factor in making a team a winning team?

JH: “Hard work and being close as a team – wanting to battle for each other and wanting to be there every day”

JZ: Describe your game.

JH: “I think I’m labelled as a goal scorer – I guess that’s my game.  I think I read the game pretty well and I try to make plays in the right spot at the right time.”

Future Look – Matt Anholt

Matt Anholt for the Prince Albert Mintos

For another Prospect Q&A I buzzed Matt Anholt, who will join the Warriors next year courtesy the Prince Albert Mintos.  Matt came to Westside for a weekend in December and soon after committed for 2012-13.

He is described to me as a good two-way centreman, and he’s already familiar with the area having lived here when his dad Peter coached the Kelowna Rockets.

Check out Matt’s digits at eliteprospects.

 

Zacks: Why the BCHL?

Matt Anholt: “I heard great things about the league, especially from the kids coming out like Bryce Gervais, Cody Michelle, Taylor Fauchoux, Josh Manson – all from the P.A. area.  And the really good exposure you get in the league … it has the most scholarships by far of any league in Canada.”

JZ: You came out for a visit in (Dec. 10^th) – What did you like about Westside?

MA: “It’s just a really good city and area.  I used to liv e in Kelowna and I love it.  And the Warriors have a really good family there it seems.”

JZ: Tell me how your past season with the Mintos went.

MA: “Really well.  We came up a little short, we lost in the league final.  We wanted to go all the way to the Telus Cup, but it was a really good year, with a great bunch of guys and we did finish first in the league.

JZ: What do you need to improve most in your game to succeed in the BCHL?

MA: “Definitely my upper body strength and all-around strength to compete with bigger guys.  And I’d say getting used to making plays at a quicker speed.”

JZ: What’s the plan for the summer?

MA: “Just mostly working out and looking for a job right now.  I’m also playing a lot of lacrosse.”

JZ: Coming to Spring Camp?

MA: “I don’t know actually!  If they want me to come, I’ll come.”