Newspaper Clipping - from the Prince George Citizen

This article was written by Ted Clarke and was originally published in the Prince George Citizen on April 21, 2011 ...

RJay Berra (24) and Justin Fillion (3) in Podolsk, Russia

It was a hockey game like no other for RJay Berra and Justin Fillion.

Canada versus Russia's under-20 team, with national bragging rights on the line.

It happened 11 time zones away Saturday night at the Region Centre Cup tournament in Podolsk, Russia, with 6,000 Russian fans creating a frenetic atmosphere the likes of which Berra and Fillion had never seen.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment," said Fillion. "Beating a Russian team like that in a sold-out barn is a thing that's only going to happen once, it's an experience I'll never forget and everybody else on that team won't forget it either.

"It gave us the confidence that we can play at that level and that we can go overseas and be successful at it."

Berra, a centre, and Fillion, a defenceman, both products of the Prince George minor hockey system, helped Canada to a 5-3 win. Canada built a 4-2 lead early in the second period and that spelled the end of the night for goalie Kirill Brashkin, who plays for the AK Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League, Russia's top professional league.

"To chase a goalie like that was pretty big for us," said Berra. "For the most part, that's the team they want at world juniors next year. I think we overachieved, playing against them.

"It was insane playing the Russians, the people were crazy. They chanted for Russia after every one of our goals. One of the fans jumped on to the ice and tried to fight one of our D-men, Jason Reardon. It was wild."

Team Canada, made up of players from the B.C. Hockey League -- went on to defeat the Slovakian national under-20 team 6-3 on Sunday to finish second in the three-team tournament. Canada's physical play was the difference-maker in their two victories.

"We played a hard style and definitely hit them more than they expected us to and came out with the result we were looking for," said Berra, who picked up two assists in the three games playing on a line with Mike Hammond and Bryce Gervais, both of the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.

Canada started the tournament with a 6-2 loss to the Russian Minor Hockey Red Stars, an under-22 national team.

"That under-22 team had a guy who played NHL exhibition games with the Penguins and quite a few pro guys who played in the KHL, so it was a good experience, really high-level hockey," Berra said.

Berra and Fillion played for the Prince George Spruce Kings until January, when Berra was traded to Grande Prairie and Fillion was moved to the Victoria Grizzlies. Both drew the attention of general manager Ron Patterson and coach Tim Kehler, who wanted them on the team.

"They picked guys for different roles and I think they did a really good job putting together the team," Berra said.

"To play for Canada, you can't even describe it when you have the flag hanging in your dressing room. The fans treat you like you're something special. You're part of the reputation of Canadian hockey players so everyone looks at you that way and it's definitely a special feeling."

The 12-day trip included stops in London and Moscow, where the Canadian players had time to do some sightseeing. Canada played an exhibition game against the Red Stars in Moscow and lost 9-2. While at Red Square, Team Canada was granted a rare invitation to visit the Kremlin, the home of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

"It was pretty surreal, something I'll never forget, to see a country like that, there is definitely a class system over there that's a lot different," said Berra. "There were some areas that were definitely struggling."

Added Fillion: "It's different, that's for sure. The rich are rich, and the poor are poor and there's a very small in-between. That was a huge eye-opener for all of us. We got treated like celebrities over there."

Silver Lining on Opportunity of a Lifetime

When they first accepted the invitation to be part of an all BCHL roster representing Team Canada in Russia they had no idea what the hockey would be like but they knew they couldn't pass up an opportunity of lifetime. To wear the iconic Canadian jersey and be able to travel overseas to play the game they love in a country they know very little about was nothing short of the realization of a hockey dream.

RJay Berra and Justin Fillion have played hockey for many years together growing up in Prince George. In 2008 they won a BC Hockey championship playing for the Cariboo Cougars Major Midget team and the following season they would both move up to play for the Prince George Spruce Kings playing three more years together on their hometown Junior A team.

In those three years the two remained close friends and shared seats on the bus traveling up and down the highways of BC. In those three years the two challenged each other to be better in their positional play on the ice and the improvements began mounting on the stats sheet. Before Christmas, of this past season, both players hit the century mark for points with Justin getting it done from the point a handful of games ahead of Berra.

At the trade deadline of January 10th, the two had to deal for the first time with the concept that they would be wearing a different jersey and playing for different teams many kilometers away from home. Justin Fillion was traded to the Victoria Grizzlies staying in the BCHL while RJay Berra found himself one time zone over playing for the Grande Prairie Storm.

The two handled the transition like professionals and never missed a beat in their point production making immediate contributions to their respective teams. For Justin, his 41 points in 44 points with the Spruce Kings was followed up with 15 more points in 18 games and 12 points in 12 playoff games with the Grizzlies.

RJay Berra left the BCHL as the leading goal scorer with 34 goals in 45 games and 55 points total with the Spruce Kings. In his very first game with the Grande Prairie Storm, which was played some 24 hours after being traded, Berra scored his first goal in the AJHL to tie the game and allow his new team to win in overtime. Berra would go on to finish with 16 points in 18 games and was a point a game guy in the playoffs as well.

The Spruce Kings desire to give both of these hard working players a chance to finish out their Junior ‘A’ careers with teams that had legitimate shots of going deep in the postseason never panned out. It can be said that both of their playoff lives were not what they were supposed to be, but this is where the hockey gods finally stepped in for the pair of twenty year old Prince George hockey products.

Just before the playoffs began in late February, Vladislav Tretiak had initiated talks with Hockey Canada and was looking for a team from Canada to play in a newly formed tournament in Russia. The tournament, and others like it, was a small part of the rebuilding of hockey in a country that will be hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics and is looking to restore it's pride and dominance in the game.

For Russia it was essential to have representation from the country that is viewed as a perennial favourite and has developed a long standing level of respect around the world. To play a team from Canada would surely bring out the best of the best in the players and teams participating. With the prospect that the NHL would not be sending players to the next Winter Olympics, Russia's desire to become one of the best had to start with tournaments of this nature to identify players that could be playing on the world stage in less than three years.

The tournament would be the equivalent of one leg of the Summit Series that made a stop in Prince George; in fact one of the teams would consist of many of these same players we saw in November. The problem was that the CHL playoffs would be just getting through the heart of the second round and their simply wouldn't be enough players available on such short notice. Cue the premiere Junior A league in Canada.

The BCHL would be down to the final two teams leaving enough players that could easily suit up for Canada and play in that tournament. The process was started and Ron Paterson of the Surrey Eagles became the General Manager of the team putting together a roster of BCHL players, coaches and other staff members to travel to Europe and represent Canada in Russia.

Justin Fillion was the first of the PG pairing to be identified having played in the Coastal Conference for the tail end of the season. Patterson had seen firsthand what this defenceman was capable of doing on the blueline both defensively and offensively. RJay Berra almost slipped under the radar because of being traded to the AJHL. When it came time to look for players to fill roles on the team, Berra's name kept coming up. The call was made and Berra accepted.

RJay and Justin met the rest of Team Canada where they had a few practices before setting out on a journey that would take them halfway around the world. The journey included a lengthy layover in London, England allowing for some sightseeing that included Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and numerous other historic attractions.

It wasn't until they were in Russia that the realization of where they were started to set in. North American cell phones don't work in Russia, they were at the mercy of their supplied Russian interpreter, they were eleven hours off their normal time schedule and the food was something they hadn't experienced before. In all of this was something else - a level of respect and adoration from everyone that saw the Canadian flag and came to realize that these were Canadian hockey players.

Achieving the level of celebrity status wasn't something that this group of sixteen to twenty year old players had expected. Everywhere they went there were fans following them and some brought out their Hockey Canada gear to show off. Little kids couldn't get enough autographs and the interest shown to all the players was almost overwhelming with people trying to discover what part of Canada they were from.

Whether it was on their sightseeing trips or after ice times, there were always people there to shake hands, take photos and to talk to these Team Canada players. Of course the primary purpose of the trip was to play in a high calibre tournament featuring an All Star Team from the Minor Hockey League - a feeder league of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) - and two under twenty national teams from Russia and Slovakia.

Team Canada was provided with two ice times each day and an exhibition game against their first opponent in the Region Centre Cup Tournament - the MHL Red Stars. In that first game, Canada came out on the wrong side of a 9-2 score and was left wondering what they had gotten themselves in to. Their opponents, perhaps driven by their own national pride, were openly critical claiming they didn't know anything about this British Columbia junior league.

Taking everything in stride, Team Canada simply went back to the white board and looked at key areas that would improve their game against a much older and more experienced squad. The MHL Red Stars roster listed three players that already had their 22nd birthdays and seven 21 year olds with the rest being either 19 or 20 years old. In comparison the BCHL Team Canada roster only had two players that already had their 21st birthdays and also had two 16 year old players on it.

After a trip to Moscow and a couple of practices, it was time for the Tournament and three games that would each be worth three points in the IIHF round-robin format tournament. Team Canada and the MHL Red Stars would open the tournament and, as they had in the exhibition game, the Red Stars came out strong and opened up a 3-0 lead before the Canadians could respond.

Team Canada did respond and had the elite team on its heels to the point where Canada made it a one goal game and were only trailing 3-2 thirty-five minutes in to the contest. The experience of the Red Stars would take over and they went on to score three more unanswered goals. After the game the MHL Red Stars weren't nearly as critical of the Canadians claiming that they played like a true Canadian team and did not give up throughout the contest.

After the game, Team Canada watched their next two opponents battle it out in a close game that went to overtime tied 4-4 and eventually required a shoot-out to have the Russian U20 National Team defeat the Slovakian U20 National Team 5-4. The next day saw the MHL Red Stars hand Slovakia a devastating 12-1 loss and that was the first time that Team Canada started thinking that they could do something magical.

Team Canada played their second game in the feature time slot against the Russian National Team in front of 6,000 loud partisan fans that never stopped chanting and cheering for the duration of the game. Russia opened the scoring but a couple of quick goals put Canada in the lead. This was a position they hadn't been in before and it wasn't something they were prepared to give up easily.

When the second period started, Team Canada would get another quick goal to give themselves a 3-1 lead. A few minutes later Russia and Canada would trade goals leaving the visitors with a 4-2 advantage on the scoreboard. Before the midway mark of the period, Russia made it a one goal game and that is how the period would end. In the third period, Team Canada put a dagger through the heart of the bear with a fifth goal and then withstood a heavy attack that included four consecutive power plays for Russia.

After the game the realization of what they had done simply couldn't be contained and the same emotions and excitement came through in a unanimous feeling that they had just won a championship, that they had won gold. They had just defeated a team that had players with professional experience - a national team that had been to previous international tournaments and brought home gold medals.

The adrenaline rush of the win over Russia stayed with Team Canada well into their next game against the Slovakian U20 National Team. Before the end of the first period Canada had built up a 4-0 lead over their opponents. The teams would trade a pair of goals in the second period giving Canada a 6-2 lead. Slovakia would score the only goal of the third period, a shorthanded tally, but the damage had already been done and Canada posted the 6-3 victory to stake their claim to silver in the International Tournament.

Dressed in their Team Canada colours, the silver medalists watched the final game between the MHL Red Stars and the Russian National Team. The two skated in to the final minute tied 3-3. In the dying seconds of regulation time, Russia was assessed a penalty and the Red Stars capitalized scoring with 24 seconds remaining on the man advantage and then added an empty netter to make the final 5-3.

As they have done so often in their playing days with the Spruce Kings, RJay Berra and Justin Fillion figured on the scoresheet on some key goals finishing with a combined five assists. In Canada's 5-3 win over Russia, Berra's assist was on the game winning goal and Fillion's contribution was on the insurance marker in the third period.

Against Slovakia, Berra's assist came on the 3-0 goal forcing Slovakia to take their timeout. Fillion picked up two assists, one on Canada's first goal which was a point shot from the defenceman that was tipped in front and the other assist a mirror of the first on Canada's sixth goal.

The two regulation time wins gave Team Canada six points, three points back of the MHL Red Stars, four better than the Russian National Team and five more than the Slovakian National Team. Despite suffering that opening game loss to the MHL Red Stars, Team Canada still finished the tournament scoring more goals than they allowed.

After a full day off in Moscow to savour the victory and get in one last sightseeing opportunity, Team Canada's trip home began at 5:30am Tuesday morning in Moscow (6:30pm Monday Pacific Time) and will finally end when they touchdown in Vancouver around 6:30pm Tuesday evening. RJay Berra and Justin Fillion are not expected back in Prince George until later in the week and I for one look forward to the opportunity of sitting down with them and reliving the memories they have that will surely last them a lifetime.

Team Canada Victorious

Team Canada goalie, Kahleed Devji celebrates
a 5-3 victory over the Solvakia National Team

In a game that ends up being decided in a ten minute span of the opening period, the boys from the BCHL come away with a 6-3 win over the Slovakia National Team. Jarryd Ten Vaanholt got things started for Team Canada at 13:26 of the first period. Bryce Gervais registered a hat trick including a pair in the first to go along with Austin Carroll's single to give Canada a 4-0 lead before the end of the opening period.

The only other goal scorer on the night was Nanaimo Clippers forward Brayden Jaw. Other players getting their names on the score sheet included Justin Fillion and David Killip with two assists each while Malcolm McKinney, RJay Berra, Mike Hammond, Jake Charles, Jason Reardon and Brett Knowles all picked up single points for their assists.

Heading into the game, the players were riding the high of having defeated the Russian National Team just the night before. That win was huge as many players relayed the same sentiments that it felt like winning a championship. Maybe it was partly the mystique of playing in a Canada versus Russia game and partly because this was essentially a team that had played in other International tournaments and has players with professional experience from the KHL.

The adrenaline rush from the win lasted through the night and well into the early game on the final day of the tournament. After building up the 4-0 lead in the first period, the boys seemed to settle down offensively but not physically. There were numerous penalties in the second period including a span of two minutes that saw nine minors handed out including a few coincidental ones.

The teams would trade a pair of goals each in the second period to give Canada 6-2 lead heading into the third period. A much quieter period saw only one goal scored - a shorthanded goal from Slovakia. It was too little too late and the rest of the game rolled on without any incident. At the time of this posting, Team Canada is watching the final game of the tournament that appears to be heading to overtime with the MHL Red Star and Russian National Team deadlocked in a 3-3 tie with only a few minutes to play.

click here for the whole text transcript of Team Canada's 6-3 win over the Slovakia National Team.

Canada Feeling Confident

Sitting in second place at the newly created International Tournament, Team Canada has a good chance of coming home with a medal. Four teams, including a semi-pro all star team as well as two under 19 national teams from Russia and Slovakia, are playing with an invited group of players from the British Columbia Hockey League.

The Regional Centre Cup Tournament in Podolsk, Russia is were Team Canada finds themselves eleven hours off their usual time dealing with a language barrier and playing against teams and players that have pro, semi-pro and international experience. Early on in the tournament Team Canada played an exhibition game and their first tournament game against the All Star team from the MHL, a feeder league for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), with players that were upwards of 22 years old.

After the games Canada was left looking for positives while their opponents openly shared their stories of slaying the great beast that is Canadian hockey with the media. Those first two games have since become learning tools for Team Canada as they showed a marked improvement against the best team in the tournament and were within a goal late in the second period.

Canada made adjustments to their game and were able to show their resilience and the heart of the Canadian player in their second game against the Russian National Team; but don't be fooled by the roster showing all players with a 1992 birth year. This under nineteen team boasts some elite players that have skated in International play and stood to receive medals afterwards. It also has more than a handful of players that have experience in the KHL.

Justin Fillion (3) in a puck pursuit against
a member of the Russian National Team

April 16, 2011 will be a date that may end up being permanently etched into the memories of this group of BCHL players and those few select fortunate enough to be along for the experience of a lifetime. On this particular day Team Canada played in the feature game of the day in front of 6,000 loud partisan fans.

Canada fell behind with the home team scoring first, but that would be the only time that Canada trailed as they scored twice in less than twenty seconds to take over a 2-1 lead. Early in the second period Canada would score again to make it a 3-1 game and then the two teams would trade goals before both goaltenders were changed up.

Through the rest of the game Canada was able to withstand the pressure of the home team, four consecutive power plays, a Russian fan that got on the ice and jumped Jason Reardon and of course the din of the loud crowd trying to cheer on their team. When the dust settled, Team Canada had a 5-3 victory to savour and fuel for their confidence heading into their final game of the tournament.

"The game was unreal," said Justin Fillion in a text message. "The fans were standing and chanting the whole game, it was intense!"

"I think the keys for our win was that we played the North American styled game," continues Fillion. "There was lots of hitting and we kept the pressure on them the whole time taking their time and space away."

"This is the most exciting game I've ever played in," adds Fillion. "It was the typical Canada-Russia game with so much intensity."

"This is the best moment of my life," agrees RJay Berra. "We just beat a gold medal team."

"It feels like we just won gold!" adds Justin Fillion.

But of course they didn't win gold, but if all goes well, Team Canada can come home with a silver medal. Currently sitting in second place with three points for their regulation time win over the Russians, Canada has a chance to add three more making it impossible for either of the other teams to catch them. Even an overtime or shootout win, that provides two points in the IIHF round-robin format, would give Team Canada that silver medal.

With the time change, Canada's final game against the Slovakian National Team is scheduled for 2:00am Pacific Time (1:00pm in Podolsk). I will endeavour to have results posted by the time most followers in the Pacific time zone get up to start their Sunday.

Sweet Taste of Victory (updated)

BCHL Team Canada Captain, David Killip battles
in front of the net in the game Canada won 5-3

The boys from the BCHL, with the iconic Hockey Canada logo worn proudly on their chest, defeated the Russian National Team 5-3 at the Regional Centre Cup tournament in Podolsk, Russia. As I followed along with the text transcript of the game, it reads like it was an entertaining game with chances for both teams.

Ignat Zemchenko opened the scoring at 5:20 of the first period giving the Russians their only lead of the game. At 8:06 Devin Gannon tied the game with an even strength goal setup by Mitch Jones. Nineteen seconds later at 8:25 Mike Hammond scored on a pass from RJay Berra to give Canada the 2-1 lead.

With Canada enjoying their one goal lead the first powerplay of the game was awarded to the Russians when Jarryd Ten Vaanholt was put in the penalty box. Shortly after successfully killing off the man advantage, Jason Reardon was assessed a two minute minor giving the Russians their second powerplay.

Going off the text translation of the game, this powerplay provided the Russian National Team with plenty of opportunities to even the score but the penalty kill stopped them. Team Canada went to the dressing room leading 2-1 after the first period and came out early in the second period with pressure.

At 20:21 (or 21 seconds of the second period), Devin Gannon gave Team Canada a 3-1 lead. David Killip and Josh Manson were credited with assists on the goal that was described as being "bounced in" ... I'm thinking that would be tipped in. Two minutes later the Russian National Team started to rally led by a wrist shot from Aleksandr Gogolev at 23:30 that made the score 3-2.

Jarryd Ten Vaanholt restored Canada's two goal lead with an unassisted marker that chased the Russian starting goaltender Kirill Brashkin and brought in Sergei Kostenko, a member of the Russian World Junior team. Canada's 4-2 lead was short lived when Pavel Medvedev, a member of the KHL Spartak team, scored at 27:33 with an assist going to his Spartak team mate, Aleksandr Gogolev.

At 30:20, just past the mid-way mark of the game, Team Canada made their customary goaltender change bringing Kris Moore in to finish out the game. The second half of the period was a back and forth affair with no more goals being scored. As they did at the end of the first period, Canada went to the dressing room with a one goal lead.

The third period started with the home town fans loudly cheering on their team. The quote from the text transcript reads: Hey, hey we are stronger than Canada and need a goal!

On this night Canada proved to be stronger and at 45:47 they would make it a 5-3 game when Jarryd Ten Vaanholt scored his second of the game setup by Justin Fillion. From there the Russians tried to pour it on and were given four consecutive power plays including two in the final four minutes.

Mid-way through the third period there was excitement from a whole new level. During an on-ice skirmish a fan jumped onto the ice and then jumped Jason Reardon. The incident ended without anything serious and, by the sounds of it, the boys are still getting a chuckle out of the whole thing.

Team Canada withstood the pressure to register their first win in the four team round-robin tournament. Canada now has three points moving them out of the basement and ahead of Slovakia who lost earlier today 12-1. The Slovakian team is Canada's next and final opponent in a game that will be played at 1:00pm in Podolsk, Russia which is actually 2:00am Pacific Time.

After the game I was contacted by RJay Berra. The emotion of defeating this Russian National Team clearly evident in his text messages.

"It was unreal," said RJay Berra via a text message. "We chased a KHL goalie! We beat a World Junior team. And the Slovakian team is an under twenty team too."

Clearly the mood after the game is that Canada can finish this tournament with a 2-1 record. Team Canada has already played the MHL Red Star team twice, once in exhibition and in the opening game of the Regional Centre Cup Tournament. Canada lost both meetings but it appears that those games were a good learning tool and has helped improve the team overall.

The MHL Red Stars team defeated the Slovakia National Team 12-1 earlier today establishing early dominance and going on to score eleven unanswered goals. In the first day of the tournament, the Slovakian National Team and the Russian National Team required a shootout to determine a winner. Using those two scenarios has the Canadian team feeling pretty confident of their chances.

As promised ... click here for the whole text transcript of Team Canada's 5-3 win over the Russian National Team.

Pre-Game Thoughts

This particular tournament was constructed from the ruble that was the collapse of the Russian hockey powerhouse as witnessed at the 2010 Winter Olympics. With the country hosting the next Winter Olympics, the entire hockey program was dismantled and is well on its way to being resurrected with the focus on youth and junior players. The Russian Select team is the equivalent of an All Star Team with players identified by the Russian Hockey Federation as being the future of hockey in the country.

The Russian Select team playing under the moniker of the MHL Red Stars boasts players with some serious International experience. Nikita Pivtsakin may be the most recognized name in the group having recently won gold at the 2011 IIHF World U20 Championships in Buffalo, New York. Georgy Berdyukov also won gold with Pivtsakin this past January and was in Trail for the 2007 World Junior A Challenge along with Dmitry Kostromitin. Nikita Ivanov has played in the 2007 U-18 World Championship and back to back World Juniors in 2008 and 2009 for Kazakhstan.

These Russian players are very aware that they have played in some prestigious tournaments while their Canadian counterparts are experiencing International play for the first time. In the Russian to English translation some of the quotes come out leaving the Canadian pride a little bruised. Evgeny Mons mockingly wanted to score a penalty shot with one hand was one description of a play late in the exhibition game played earlier in the week.

"I'm not even sweating," said Roman Smiryagin, the Red Stars goaltender after the exhibition game. "I was rarely bothered."

"I've never heard of such a league - BCHL," said defenseman Nikita Pivtsakin. "But Canadians are Canadians."

And Team Canada did play their brand of hockey as noted in one newspaper article following the exhibition game. From the first minutes of the game the Canadians made it clear that they had come to Moscow not only walk around the Kremlin, but to play and win. The article continues on to describe a Russian player being taken off the ice after a crushing hit.

"Do not even understand how it happened," said an utterly frustrated (injured player) Artem Maslov after the game.

In a pregame interview goaltender Roman Smiryagin informed the media that he would be the back up to Kristers Gudlevskis and that his team mate might be in for a tougher test than was the case in the exhibition game.

"The second match in a paired series of games is always harder than the first," said Smiryagin. "The teams have quite a different mood, rivals of each other have better knowledge, may choose different tactics for the match. So Kristersu today obviously will not be easy."

"Canadians have always played a classic exciting and aggressive game, they fight to the last," continued Smiryagin. "I don't think you should expect them to be something supernatural or fundamentally new - will be the same as the last match. But there will be a difference. A little more responsibility than in a friendly match. This is the tournament, we need to play more carefully and responsibly and win every match of the tournament (smiles)."

Prior to Friday's opening game I was also able to catch up with RJay Berra and get some of his thoughts.

"The Russians are good," Berra said via a text message. "We played their under 22 team with a few KHL guys and a guy that has played exhibition games in the show. It was a tough one for our first game."

"We open against the same team," continued Berra. "I think we will play better though after a few good practices and team outings around Moscow."

"It's fast," was the initial response I received after asking about the style of game being played by the Russian team. "Really skilled and lots of quick stick checks. They find lots of ways to strip you from the puck without using the body. The large ice is definitely their game and if they can make a fancy play they make it."

"Neutral zone containment, not giving them easy outs and containing their quick attack," was Berra's response to what adjustments Team Canada would have to make. "Little bit more power play and penalty kill work and just continuing to build team chemistry."

With that came the opening puck drop in the inaugural game of the "Cup of the Region Centre" International Tournament. Team Canada was able to keep the score close deep into the second period but came away with a 6-2 loss against the MHL Red Stars. CLICK HERE for a game summary from Eddie Gregory, media relations for the BCHL Team Canada, and the BCHL in Russia blog.

Team Canada will play next on Saturday April 16th at 6:30pm (7:30am Pacific Time) against the Russian National team. I am still working on finding the roster for this team as it has yet to appear on the tournament website. CLICK HERE for available rosters in the Tournament Rosters posting. Team Canada will wrap up their portion of round-robin play on Sunday afternoon against the Slovakia team at 1:00pm (2:00am PDT).

Exhibition Game Loss

Team Canada played a tune up game this morning at 7:30 PDT (6:30pm in Moscow) against the team they will meet first in the Tournament that starts on Friday. The game started out well enough for the visitors as they were able to withstand some early chances by the Russian Red Stars. Nikita Pivtsakin of the Unified MHL Team opened the scoring at 10:11 but that would be it for the first period.

"In the first minute of the second period fans of the Russian team had reason to be nervous," was the quote from the game summary. "The Canadians are getting several dangerous (scoring) chances on Roman Smiryagin (the starting Red Stars goaltender)."

At 3:37 of the second period there was a dangerous hit on a Canadian player that led to a scrum and offsetting minors for the two teams and a ten minute misconduct to Brett Knowles. Evan Richardson took a two minute minor at 4:49 and; although Team Canada was able to kill off the power play, the Red Stars made it a 2-0 game with a goal at 6:50.

The Russian squad increased their lead to 4-0 with a power play goal and an even strength marker four minutes apart. David Killip put Canada on the scoreboard eleven seconds later after being setup by Austin Carroll. From the ensuing faceoff there were coincidental minors handed out leaving the teams to play four-on-four. The Red Stars capitalized to restore their four goal lead and would add another goal before the end of the second to take a 6-1 lead to the dressing room.

Team Canada was unable to score on an early third period power play and instead found themselves down 7-1 with an even strength goal scored at 4:04. At 5:32 Malcom McKinney scored Canada's second goal of the game unassisted. Both teams would get one more power play chance each but neither scored on the man advantage. The Russians scored two more times before the end of the game to post the 9-2 victory.

The two teams will meet again on Friday afternoon at 3:00pm, 4:00am in BC, in the first game of the IIHF Round Robin Tournament. The late game has the Russian National Team playing the team from Slovakia. On Saturday Team Canada will play the Russian National Team at 6:30pm (7:30am PDT) before wrapping up their portion of the tournament as the home team against the Slovakians at 1:00pm (2:00am PDT) on Sunday.

Prior to the game RJay Berra and Justin Fillion got to meet Evengi Nabokov

A Visit to Red Square

Only a couple more days before the boys representing the BCHL on Team Canada play in their first game in the Podolsk International Tournament. Here in BC, we are still waiting to find out who the first opponent will be for Team Canada and at what time they will play that first game on April 15th. In Russia, the boys are practicing and watching the other teams practice.

Today they are also taking some time away from the rink to take in some of the culture with a sightseeing venture into Moscow. One stop for sure will be the Red Square. Made famous for its military parades, the Red Square is situated in the heart of Moscow with the Kremlim on one side and Lenin's tomb on the other. In a display of a more modern commercial Moscow, the country's largest department store flanks a third side of the Red Square.

The Kremlim itself is a world heritage site and Moscow's most famous historical and political landmark. It is a "complex of cathedrals, palaces and government offices" with several buildings open to the public including the Armoury. If the boys go to the Lenin Mausoleum they will have to be on their best behaviour as the old world decorum for visitors is strictly enforced. Inside the Mausoleum stands the wax likeness of Vladimir Lenin; although some believe that it is actually the embalmed body of the notorious 20th-century Russian leader.

There is a long list of other potential attractions that the boys could include on their sightseeing tour such as the Russian Hockey Hall of Fame, the Cosmonaut Space Museum and a long list of other museums, churches and cathedrals. I'm so happy that RJay Berra and Justin Fillion are getting this opportunity of a lifetime and that the organizers and chaperons are making sure that they experience the culture as well as the sport.

Back to the sport and the games at hand ... the players have been assigned their jerseys and roles on the team and will continue to practice for the first of their three games in Podolsk, Russia. RJay Berra will be wearing number 24 and Justin Fillion will be number 3. Thanks to Justin, I have been able to include a handful of pictures from the trip so far.

RJay Berra and Justin Fillion off to Russia

Well it is official and the boys are off to Russia. RJay Berra and Justin Fillion are two of twenty players that will represent the BCHL and Canada in an invitational tournament. Berra and Fillion have never had an opportunity to wear a Team Canada jersey but they do now and they are enjoying it.

On Tuesday the pair left Prince George, where they played the majority of their minor and junior hockey out of, for Vancouver and a first chance to practice as a unit with the rest of the players on the Team BCHL/Canada. It is here that we catch up with RJay as he is interviewed by Brent Mutis, the BCHL Communications Director.

Communications between RJay and Justin back to Prince George aren't expected to be easily accomplished as North American cell phones do not work in Russia. Eddie Gregory, the play-by-play voice of the Coquitlam Express, is on the trip as the media relations person for the team and will be trying to keep us all up-to-date with his BCHL in Russia blog. I too will be trying to pass along information as I find it.

Pair of Alumni Selected to Represent Canada in Russia

I have never considered myself a source of breaking news ... but it almost seems that way with this story. Spruce Kings alumni Justin Fillion and RJay Berra recently received and accepted selection invites to represent Canada in a basically all BCHL team in four team tournament. The Russian Invitational Tournament is scheduled for April 15-17 in Podolsk, Russia.

The process of making sure all the "T's" are crossed and the "I's" dotted has left some people overly cautious but still confident that the tournament will be a go with an expected departure from Vancouver on April 8th. Passports and legal documents have to be in order for a team that will consist of twenty players and the staff.

Hockey Canada was invited to enter a squad after being contacted by Russian goaltending legend Vladislav Tretiak. Ron Paterson of the Surrey Eagles is the team's General Manager and has been working hard at making sure that this event will become a reality for a list of players that have familiar names in the BCHL. For many of these players it will be their first chance to wear a Team Canada jersey and represent a country that is synonymous with the game of hockey.

"We're incredibly excited to be making this trip and giving these young men an opportunity to represent their country," said Team Canada general manager Ron Paterson. "It's been a lot of planning and paperwork but I'm sure it will be more than worthwhile once we get there."

Podolsk is a town of over 180,000 people situated about 50 kilometres south of Moscow. Each team in this event will play three games with each game being a three point contest in an IIHF round-robin format. The team with the most total points at the end will be declared the winner.

Leading up to the Tournament, Team Canada will have a pair of practices in Surrey before leaving Canadian soil on April 8th. After arriving in Russia there will be a few more opportunities to practice and one exhibition game. Team Canada will play one game on each day of the Tournament - April 15, 16 and 17. The actual opponent for those specific dates has not yet been determined.

The Canadian team is one of four teams with the other three teams expected to be the Russian National Junior Team, a Russian Select Team and the Slovakian National Junior Team. Made up of players coming from the BCHL, Team Canada consists of two 16 year olds, seven 18 year olds, six 19 year olds and five 20 year olds. The squad will be coached by Tim Kehler, the Salmon Arm Silverbacks bench boss and the 2011 BCHL Interior Conference Coach of the Year.

Talking with RJay Berra and Justin Fillion it is pretty obvious that this is being seen as an opportunity of a lifetime but also a chance to wear the Maple Leaf. It is an opportunity like this that makes all those early morning practices, hard hitting games and the daily grind of a junior hockey player all worthwhile.

With a majority of their junior careers played wearing the crown for the Prince George Spruce Kings, these two have already represented their hometown with respect and pride. Now they have a chance to represent Prince George, British Columbia and Canada in an International Tournament on foreign soil. Congratulations on being selected and good luck playing for Team Canada.

Position – Name (Home town/BCHL Club)

G – Khaleed Devji (West Vancouver, BC/Coquitlam Express)
G – Kris Moore (Calgary, Alta./Salmon Arm SilverBacks)

D – Troy Paterson (Surrey, BC/Cowichan Valley Capitals)
D – Justin Fillion (Prince George, BC/Victoria Grizzlies)
D – Brandon Pfeil (West Vancouver, BC/Merritt Centennials)
D – Mitch Jones (Delta, BC/Surrey Eagles)
D – Josh Manson (Prince Albert, Sask./Salmon Arm SilverBacks)
D – Jayson Reardon (Lumby, BC/Salmon Arm SilverBacks)

F – Brayden Jaw (Vancouver, BC/Nanaimo Clippers)
F – Mike Hammond (Victoria, BC/Salmon Arm SilverBacks)
F – Evan Richardson (Nanaimo, BC/Victoria Grizzlies)
F – Jake Charles (West Vancouver, BC/Coquitlam Express)
F – Austin Carroll (Vancouver, BC/Coquitlam Express)
F – Malcolm McKinney (West Vancouver, BC/Coquitlam Express)
F – RJay Berra (Prince George, BC/Prince George Spruce Kings)
F – Brett Knowles (Vanderhoof, BC/Salmon Arm SilverBacks)
F – Bryce Gervais (Battlefords, Sask./Salmon Arm SilverBacks)
F – Devin Gannon (Kamloops, BC/Salmon Arm SilverBacks)
F – David Killip (Kelowna, BC/Salmon Arm SilverBacks)
F – Jarryd Ten Vaanholt (West Vancouver, BC/Salmon Arm SilverBacks)

Head Coach – Tim Kehler, Salmon Arm SilverBacks
Assistant Coach – Colin O’Hara, Salmon Arm SilverBacks
General Manager – Ron Paterson, Surrey Eagles
Trainer – Wayne Hubbard
Massage Therapist – Larry Martin
Media relations – Eddie Gregory
Equipment Manager – Dan Ilich

Spruce Kings Rookie Getting Noticed

Spruce Kings sixteen year old rookie Jujhar Khaira is starting to emerge out of obscurity and onto a much brighter stage. Earlier today he was the subject of The Hockey News Prospect Watch feature. The Hockey News has long been the standard for news from the hockey world. With their Prospect Watch feature, they "focus on up-and-comers from the AHL, Europe, major junior, the NCAA and even minor hockey leagues looking for players destined to become big names in the NHL."

In this particular case they did veer away from the traditional feeding grounds and went to the league that has been establishing itself over the past number of years as another source of professional talent. What they found was a gem that had been overlooked by other teams and even other leagues. In a list of ten players dating back to the beginning of August, that have been chronicled in the Prospect Watch feature, seven have already been drafted and one other was signed as a free agent to the NHL. Two of the players are draft eligible in 2012 with the other sixteen year old playing major junior this year.

Being in that company, you know Jujhar Khaira is truly a special player and being identified so early in his first year of junior eligibility shows that. The Spruce Kings scouting network has reason to be pretty proud of themselves right now. Here's a player that went through the Bantam Draft undetected and came out the other side happy that he was missed and given the opportunity to play with the Spruce Kings.

Speaking with Jujhar, I can tell you that his focus remains on playing the game at the highest level possible while earning an NCAA Division I scholarship. It is quite possible that the next press release from the Spruce Kings office will be just that as schools have been making their intention known. Scouts have been coming to Prince George and following the team on the road to watch this young man play.

What follows is the complete article written by Ryan Kennedy and reprinted here with permission from the Hockey News. The original article and other Prospect Watch articles are available online from the Hockey News website (click here).

Some pros were scouted from the day they hit puberty, their ascendancies breathlessly catalogued by bird-dogs, GMs and the media. But the path of the late-bloomer is also well-worn and when a kid starts putting up numbers, you wonder how all the experts fell asleep at the switch.

Jujhar Khaira (photo courtesy Andrea Johnson)

Size is often a factor and the now 6-foot-1, 180-pound Jujhar Khaira (pronounced Judge-ar Care-ah) is raising eyebrows in Jr. A.

Just 16 years old, the center for the Prince George Spruce Kings of the British Columbia League is having a breakout season, posting 16 points through 14 games in a league generally dominated by older players. As an example, the team's leading scorer, RJay Berra, is a full four years older than Khaira, who went undrafted in his Western League bantam year, but wasn't too shocked by the omission.

"I don't think there was any expectation, to tell you the truth," Khaira said. "But it has been a great motivator for me."

The Surrey, B.C. native plans to go to an NCAA program once he's finished high school, anyway, but the Spruce Kings are glad they found him when they did.

"Jujhar's off to a real good start," said coach Ed Dempsey. "He came to one of our prospect camps and we identified him there, then he came to training camp and did very well.”

Coming from the Vancouver suburbs, small-town Prince George is a definite geographic shift for the youngster, but he's having a ball.

"I love it," Khaira said. "There are so many people that actually love hockey and everyone knows what's going on."

And what Spruce Kings fans have seen so far is a big kid who can move and score.

"He's a very gifted two-way player and a big man who's very mobile," Dempsey said. "He's got a great shot with a great release and he gets from Point A to Point B quicker than you think."

But Khaira's play isn't the only reason he gets noticed. Coming from the multicultural haven of Surrey, he's one of the few South Asian faces in hockey. Along with teammate Faiz Khan, Khaira is part of a growing group of players that includes Canucks pick Prab Rai, Buffalo prospect Kevin Sundher, Boston University's Sahir Gill and of course Vancouver's Manny Malhotra.

"I was probably the only brown kid on my team every year of minor hockey," said Khaira, who was glad to see Malhotra sign with the Canucks, but also lists Ryan Kesler and Sidney Crosby as his favorite players.

And while Khaira, NHL draft eligible in 2012, enjoys showing off hockey's growing diversity, he also acknowledges it's pretty early in the game to consider himself a role model. After all, he's still 16. But the presence he has brought to the ice so far in Prince George puts him in a different class.

"It's not often a 16-year-old comes in and has such a major impact," Dempsey said. "It's definitely a unique situation. He's a player that slipped through the cracks. He's a 1994 (birthday), so it's hard to call him a late-bloomer."

But the BCHL is glad to have him. One of the most consistent Jr. A leagues when it comes to churning out top talent, the BCHL has also been a springboard for players such as New Jersey's Travis Zajac, Colorado's David Jones and Phoenix's Kyle Turris.

Khaira will likely play another full season with the Spruce Kings before heading off to college and given what he's done as a freshman, that's a pretty scary notion for the rest of the league.

2009-10 Annual Player Awards

The Prince George Spruce Kings recognized their achievements on the ice with the presentation of the annual player awards. In front of over 150 fans, volunteers and other members of the hockey club a total of eleven trophies were presented on Monday.

The awards presentation started with a thank you to the billet host families and the volunteers and that led into the first award of the night to the Volunteer of the Year, Edna Stitt. With over fifteen years of volunteer work with the Spruce Kings as an off-ice official, Stitt has given tirelessly to the Spruce Kings.

The second trophy was the Craig Dziuballe memorial for Outstanding Community Service presented to RJay Berra, who also heard his name called out for the Scholastic Player of the Year and the Seventh Man. The awards recognized Berra’s commitment to the team and himself to excel both on the ice and in the classroom.

The other multiple award winner was Sam Muchalla who picked up this year’s scoring title, Most Dedicated Player and MVP. In his third season, Muchalla finished fifth in the BCHL scoring race with 29 goals and 58 assists. With a three season career total of 161 games, 64 goals and 117 assists, Muchalla has his name in the Spruce Kings record book for games played, goals, assists and points.

Another player that played himself into the top ten categories for defenceman was Justin Fillion who won the Defenceman of the Year award. Nick DeSousa shot out the lights in the second half of the season to score almost four times as many goals from his rookie season and was recognized with the Most Improved Player of the Year award.

Lyndon Martell won Rookie of the Year; the youngest player on the roster joined the Spruce Kings at the quarter mark of the season and finished with 44 games played, 13 goals and 18 assists. The Most Inspiration Player award was handed out to Zac Rasmussen; sometimes seen as an agitator on the ice, “Raz” backed up his character with big points in his final year scoring 25 times including 5 game winners.

The night ended with the recognition of four graduating players including the three twenty year olds Joe Morgan, Zac Rasmussen and Brad Bourke as well as the nineteen year old Sam Muchalla who has committed to a four year scholarship to Northern Michigan set to begin in the fall of 2010.

Spruce Kings Looked to the Future at the Trade Deadline

It is never easy at this time of the year with player's playing lives hanging in the balance while the powers that be discuss possible scenarios to make their teams better. Some want to be better right away and find that one piece that can complete the puzzle and compliment their core while others have to look to next season and beyond. For the Spruce Kings, they were the latter but with a condition that they don't want to completely give up on the current season and that was evident by the final moves on trade deadline day.

Widely rumoured to be going, Wes McLeod ended up proving all the arm chair general managers correct, but who would have expected the Spruce Grove Saints to win this lottery. The Saints are leading the Alberta Junior Hockey League and are ranked second in the country with an impressive record of 37 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie and 3 overtime losses for a total of 78 points. Not a shoe-in to win the league championship but well on their way, the Saints are 15 points up on their next closest competitor - the Grande Prairie Storm - with sixteen games remaining in their regular season.

The addition of Wes McLeod gives the Spruce Grove Saints the most NCAA committed players on an Alberta Junior Hockey League roster with five. Perhaps best of all for McLeod, who has only played for the Spruce Kings in his Junior A career, there are two other players committed to his school - the University of Alaska Anchorage. Brett Cameron is another 19 year old that will be moving on in the fall of 2010 with Wes to play for the Seawolves. Scott Allen is also 19 years old but has an option to play one more year of junior before moving up to the college level.

Wes McLeod spent the better part of three seasons with the Spruce Kings and became the centre of attention because of his play and skating style. Selected twice to represent the Prince George Spruce Kings at the BCHL All Star game, McLeod has also played in the CJAHL Prospects Game and represented Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge. Wes is a soft spoken and unassuming individual off the ice but a fierce competitor on the ice.

The only other 19 year old player to be moved off the Spruce Kings roster as part of a trade deadline deal saw goaltender Steve Papciak head to the AJHL with the Canmore Eagles. After Alex Wright was acquired by the Prince George Cougars of the WHL, the Spruce Kings struck a deal with the Okotoks Oilers of the AJHL that brought Papciak over the Rockies to play in the BCHL. Papciak played in eight games with the Spruce Kings compiling a record of 4 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie before missing a handful of games due to an injury.

Three twenty year old players were also dealt on this day with Josh Pineiro being the only player to be traded within the BCHL; Brooks Robinson was traded to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons and Marcus Watson to the Grande Prairie Storm. Pineiro was a mid-season acquisition from the Alberni Valley Bulldogs last year and has played in 70 games for the Spruce Kings. During his stay with Prince George, Pineiro scored 9 goals and added 27 assists.

Perhaps his biggest goal was scored in overtime on October 6th to give the Spruce Kings a 2-1 win over the Millionaires. Pineiro's goal celebration saw him slide through centre ice banging on an imaginary drum for members of the Blue Man Group to see. The musical group was so impressed with the game and the goal celebration that they requested a dressing room visit and gave the entire team tickets to their show the following night.

For the second consecutive trade deadline, Brooks Robinson is heading from a royal family in the BCHL to a team in the northern division of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Last year at this time saw Robinson dealt from the Powell River Kings to Grande Prairie where he eventually helped the Storm win the league championship, this year Robinson will be leaving the Spruce Kings to head farther north in Alberta to play for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.

Robinson led the Spruce Kings with points from the beginning of the season, finishing with 18 goals and 40 assists. His 58 points was good enough to put him in the top ten among the league leaders tied for ninth spot with Mark McMillian of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Robinson's gift was in the faceoff circle and finding the open man as evident by the number of assists he tallied over 44 games. The forty helpers he tallied with the Prince George Spruce Kings is fifth among the league leaders this season.

Marcus Watson was the only other player traded before the trade deadline going to the Grande Prairie Storm. Watson only played in eleven games with the Spruce Kings, but in that short time managed to average better than a point a game finishing with 3 goals and 11 assists. Watson was no stranger to Prince George having played here with the Cougars before being sent to the Langley Chiefs.

In his final game with the Spruce Kings, Watson was able to play against his former team. Although he recieved a warm welcome on the video screen, the same couldn't be said about the reception he recieved from his former teammates. On one rush around the Chiefs net, Watson was caught with a clean hip check that put the speedy forward horizontal to the ice surface level with the dasher. The check was hard enough to dislodge the glass behind the goal resulting in a ten minute stoppage in play.

All five deals were made with the Spruce Kings getting future considerations in return for the players. It will be interesting to see what players the Spruce Kings will get next year to compliment their roster as they will now finish out the season with still a strong core of players. I expect to be seeing a few of the holes filled for the remaining games with at least a couple of the players that the team has listed as their affiliate players or APs.

The core that remains are still confident that they can make a push for the playoffs as one of the four teams vying for the three bottom playoff spots. That core includes Sam Muchalla, Zac Rasmussen, Joe Morgan and Brad Bourke who will all finish their Junior A careers with Prince George. Justin Fillion, RJay Berra and Nick DeSousa are second season veterans that will also be called upon to fill leadership roles. The departure of the five players will provide a great opportunity for the rookies and younger players to elevate their game, push for a playoff spot and gain some much needed experience for seasons to come.

Trade deadline day is never easy for the players or those that try so hard to make sure they do the absolute best they can for the player and for the team. Perhaps lost in all of this is the thanks that needs to be given to Ed Dempsey and Mike Hawes who worked very hard over the past few days to make sure the best interests of all the players was taken into consideration before any trade was made. I wish only the best for Wes McLeod, Steve Papciak, Josh Pineiro, Brooks Robinson and Marcus Watson. I also firmly believe the players that remain have what it takes to make it to the playoffs and once the second season starts anything is possible.

Taking a Closer Look - Part 2: The Returnees

Adam Baldassarre, ’89 (F) – Last season Adam Baldassarre was characterized as a pinball crashing into as many players as he could during his shifts; this season Adam has adopted a more of a pick your battles approach. The new look for Adam has helped this player find a smoother skating style that has put him in the right places at the right times. UPDATED - Unfortunately for Adam, he was released in the week prior to the start of the season. The Spruce Kings hockey operations staff had to make the tough decision because of the league requirement to carry only six 20 year old players.

Joe Becker, ’90 (F) – Entering his sophomore season, Joe Becker has worked hard during the offseason with long time friend Jordy Christian to find speed in his game. He showed that speed as well as strength on the puck during training camp. Unfortunately Joe was unable to show anything during the preseason because of an injury that he is currently working on getting back to one hundred percent.

RJay Berra, ’90 (F) – The subject of an off-season trade scenario almost too unbelievable to be real, RJay Berra found himself on three team rosters before finally returning to the Spruce Kings just before the start of training camp. The ordeal showed us a great deal of maturity in RJay as he fought through the changes and remained focused on being ready for the season no matter what. With a rejuvenated desire to play hockey, RJay played himself onto the top line during the final preseason game.

Colten Derickson, ’89 (F) – A player who continually evolves and shows new things, Colten Derickson is used to proving his spot on the roster. For Colten and the Spruce Kings it started two seasons ago when he came to the Spruce Kings as a free agent in the late stages of the regular season. This year Colten has improved his physical play and play making decisions; that depth may be what it takes to keep one of those limited overage roster spots.

Nick DeSousa, ’90 (F) – A high flying forward that can seemingly make something out of nothing, Nick DeSousa has shown a more patient approach around the net during the preseason. Noticeably stronger after working hard over the summer, Nick has added that dimension to his game this year to go along with his already good vision and puck handling skills. Add in that patience and this may very well be the pay off season for Nick with bigger numbers in his sophomore season.

Justin Fillion, ’90 (D) – Last year’s Rookie of the Year will be a key player on the blue line this year, Justin Fillion will be another defenceman expected to carry much of the work load along with Wes McLeod. Not afraid to jump up on the rush and go to the net himself, Justin will have to be a leader and work closely with his ‘D’ partners to ensure that the back end is still taken care of.

Wes McLeod, ’90 (D) – This veteran is returning for his third season with the Prince George Spruce Kings after deferring his scholarship to the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Although Wes McLeod could have attended his NCAA school this year, the situation presented with the Spruce Kings was just too appealing to pass up on. Top ice time and a role as one of the top four D-men , if not the number one guy, will be immensely beneficial for this player that has received NHL attention.

Joe Morgan, ’89 (F) – With a hard hitting feisty style, Joe Morgan will be a leader on the team this year. Joe has the ability to turn a game with a hard hit or a big play; this could be the power forward that the Spruce Kings have been looking for. He’s not afraid to go to the tough areas on the ice or get involved with the physical aftermath of being there. With a quick release on a hard shot, Joe has the ability to find the net on every shot and find himself as one of the top offensive producers.

Sam Muchalla, ’90 (F) – What is there not to say about this player? Sam Muchalla is this year’s franchise player and the reason some others were brought into the organization. Committed to Northern Michigan next season, look to Sam to take his game to another level and continue where he left off last season as the team’s leading scorer and among the top five in the league. Playing a game bigger than he is, Sam is a handful for the opposition with his skating, puck handling and ability to take and deliver a hit.

Andrew Pickering, ’89 (F) – This skilled forward was acquired from the Trail Smoke Eaters at last season’s trade deadline and impressed right away. Andrew Pickering has been playing the preseason as the left winger on the top line with Sam Muchalla and Brooks Robinson. Focused and driven to secure a scholarship, Andrew wants to show what he can do as a player and a team mate.

Josh Pineiro, ’89 (D) – The only twenty year old on the blue line is Josh Pineiro, this American born player came into camp with a desire to hold onto his overage roster spot. Josh showed his potential last year on the blue line especially in special team situations. This summer he has worked hard at building muscle mass along with speed and agility; skills that should improve this player’s already good puck moving abilities.

Brooks Robinson, ’89 (F) – A highly sought after centreman, Brooks Robinson was acquired in the offseason from the Grande Prairie Storm after spending three seasons in the BCHL, most of that with the Cowichan Valley Capitals. A good puck handling forward that can make and finish plays, Brooks comes to the Spruce Kings with a scholarship to Quinnipiac for next season. Brooks has been playing the consistently on the top line with Sam Muchalla and Andrew Pickering where he will be called upon to dominate in the faceoff circle under most situations.

Evan Smith, ’89 (G) – Now with his third BCHL team, Evan Smith can finally take on the role of being the number one goaltender. Evan is extremely encouraged by the calibre of goaltenders that have come out of the Spruce Kings organization over the past few seasons and what they have gone on to achieve. His desire is to earn a spot in a class with Michael Wall, Michael-Lee Teslak, Brad Thiessen and Kevin Genoe as well as secure a NCAA scholarship in his last year of junior eligibility.

Coming Full Circle

Reporters and sports writers everywhere are using the cliché of writing the September standard essay on summer activities and I'm no better as I used it to tee up my interview with RJay Berra earlier today. Catching up with the Prince George Minor Hockey product in a rink in the Lower Mainland, Berra was heard chuckling about what he has gone through this summer.

The chuckle wasn't to mask nerves, but could only be characterized as relieve ... relieve that a whirlwind tour of the BCHL had come to an end. The tour is an interesting one with Berra showing up on three team rosters before coming full circle and ending up on the roster of the team he last played for. This is one of those stories that can only happen if all the cards fall in just a certain way.

It has now been learned that the Merritt Centennials, with Al Glendenning filling the roles of general manager and head coach, were very impressed with Berra. So much so in fact that they decided they were going to take Berra as their pick for the future considerations in the Alex Goodship trade. Now part of the rules of this poker game is that the future considerations can't be executed until the end of the season.

Just days after the Vernon Vipers hoisted the RBC Royal Bank Cup, the Merritt Centennials went through a shakeup in the hockey operations office that saw a new general manager come in. Shortly after arriving in Merritt, Joey Bouchard contacted the Spruce Kings informing them that Berra was now property of the Centennials. Despite an attempt to keep Berra in Prince George, the Spruce Kings had to concede and the first roster move for RJay was completed.

For whatever reason, it became apparent that Berra was not going to fit in to the plans of the new Merritt Centennials and almost as quickly as Berra showed up on their roster, he was off it. On June 1st, less than two weeks after acquiring him, the Merritt Centennials struck a deal with the Burnaby Express that saw the Cents get a younger player and Berra a spot on his third team.

Through all of this RJay remained upbeat and focused on the task at hand of using the summer to prepare for a new season of the game he loves. While in Vancouver Berra worked out and also skated with Andrew Pickering and Adam Baldassare not realizing that Ed Dempsey had begun talks with the Burnaby Express to bring him back. Talking with Ed after the trade, he told me that summer holidays were probably as much to blame as anything as to why the proceedings took so long to finalize.

But finalize it is exactly what the Spruce Kings hockey operations office was able to do late last week. RJay told me that the Burnaby Express head coach and general manager Dave McLelland used the words persistent when telling him that he was going back to the Spruce Kings. Berra was in Prince George at the time playing tennis with his brother and says he couldn't be happier; although his exuberance may have left the younger sibling hoping for a trade to New Zealand.

Not Too Far Away Now

It isn't hard to see that the hockey season isn't very far away now with everything that is happening around the Coliseum these past few days. The Spruce Kings office has been busy after a few weeks of down time during the dog days of summer. There is going to be a lot to write (or blog) about over the next couple of days and I will try and get it all out there.

The Spruce Kings Hockey School is starting its final week and has been fielding requests for last minute registrations (can still fit a couple into the 12 - 14 age group). Speaking of the hockey school, that is Nick Drazenovic in a Spruce Kings jersey participating in the Junior Conditioning Camp during the second week of the School. Dave Simoes also showed up during the week and helped to push those junior and major junior hopefuls hard before they head off to their respective camps.

Talking with Nick, it sounds like he has a busy few weeks ahead of him as he will be in Edmonton this week before heading to Peoria and then St. Louis. Watching the Prince George minor hockey product on the ice was a treat as Nick had a ton of hustle and great puck sense. A trio of young men that came down from Whitehorse to skate in the Junior Conditioning Camp said they got a lot more than they bargained for and were excited they had the opportunity to skate, practice and scrimmage with the calibre of players that they did.

I will have a bit of an article on the main Spruce Kings website once the camp is done, but the early reports that are coming in speak quite favourable for the level of instruction and what the students have taken away from the rink so far. A big thank you has to go out to Bayne Koen, the Spruce Kings assistant coach drafted up a daily practice and drill schedule for the age groups. Of course the instructors deserve all of the thanks for their hard work both on and off the ice through the two weeks so far.

In the hockey ops office the ringer on the phone has been getting a work out too as other coaches and general managers touch base with Ed Dempsey and Mike Hawes. A lot of the conversations are simply catching up and going over schedules and other hockey related matters, but of course there have been a few trade talks as well and the Spruce Kings have worked a few deals that have changed their roster.

The most recent addition is Brooks Robinson, a highly respected forward that has played the majority of his junior career on the island splitting duties with the Cowichan Valley Capitals and the Powell River Kings. It was the Coastal Division Kings that traded Robinson to Grande Prairie at the trade deadline where Brooks played in the Storm's final 16 regular season games and 19 post season games.

Another name that will show up on the Spruce Kings roster when the season starts is that of RJay Berra. I know what you are thinking, RJay was on the Spruce Kings roster last year. True, he was, but in what can only be described as an interesting story, RJay also appeared on the roster of two other BCHL teams this summer. After spending the off season in Vancouver working, RJay is in the process of packing up his bags for his return to Prince George and I hope to speak to him on Monday and have that interview available on here shortly afterwards.

Expect another media release from the Spruce Kings this week as well announcing a neutral site location for the team's second exhibition season game. It is perhaps the worst kept secret as everyone at the base of Hudson Bay mountain already knows and is waiting to purchase tickets once they go on sale. Insurance and a few other pieces of red tape had to be sorted out before it could become official, but it is expected to be made official early next week that the Spruce Kings and the Quesnel Millionaires will play at the Smithers Civic Arena on September 2nd.

Okay that is it for now, more details on all of those stories and more are promised for the days ahead. In the meantime however, I am going to be working on some more sponsorships for the Spruce Kings broadcast. Hey, if you would like to show your support of the Spruce Kings with an ad in the game program or on the radio broadcast, drop me a line. Don't wait though as the game program goes to print next week and available spots in the game are limited.