The sa国际传媒 Hockey League begins its defiant new era as an independent league when training camps open today.
Shaking off what it felt were restrictive rules under Hockey sa国际传媒, the BCHL left the national governing organization June 1 and is now free to recruit players from across the country and world.
The effect has been immediate for the Victoria Grizzlies with two Slovakian Under-18 players reporting to training camp today at Juan de Fuca Arena as morning fitness sessions will be followed by scrimmage games at 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. The first exhibition game is Sunday against the Nanaimo Clippers at 2 p.m. at Juan de Fuca Arena.
“We were assembling the puzzle pieces all summer and now we begin the process of putting them together,” said Grizzlies GM and head coach Rylan Ferster. “It was a busy and challenging summer with the new rules.”
They include the allowance of two European players plus unrestricted access to Canadian players from across the country of any age from 16 to 20.
The new rules allowed for the Grizzlies to add defenceman Richard Baran and forward Tobias Pitka, who have both represented their native Slovakia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup premier international U-18 tournament.
“[Baran] is a big guy with skills and [Pitka] will be looked upon to provide offence,” said Ferster.
Meanwhile, Hockey sa国际传媒 released a document Thursday it says “clarifies significant differences for participants in sanctioned and non-sanctioned hockey programs, including player safety, insurance, eligibility, playing rules, high-performance opportunities and recognition by government.”
The document outlines 20 benefits that it says are available to participants in Hockey sa国际传媒-sanctioned programs and leagues and are either not provided or not guaranteed with non-sanctioned programs. The BCHL is now non-sanctioned.
“With the beginning of the 2023-24 hockey season upon us, we felt it was important and frankly necessary to inform Canadians about the differences between participating in sanctioned and non-sanctioned hockey,” said Darren Cossar, Hockey sa国际传媒 senior vice-president of member engagement, in a statement.
“We hope this document will inform parents and participants of the benefits available to them with membership in sanctioned hockey, and the variance and risks should they choose to participate outside of it.”
Ferster said he had “no issues” and heard no concerns from parents when he was recruiting players from across the country this summer.
The heart of the conflict is a glaring discrepancy regarding 16- and 17-year-old players. They are not allowed to play for out-of-province teams in Junior A — the category BCHL clubs were listed under within Hockey sa国际传媒 prior to June 1 — unless their parents reside in that province or relocate to it. There are no such family-residency requirements for 16- and 17-year olds in major-junior hockey in the WHL, OHL or QMJHL.
“We are entering a new era that will eliminate barriers and change the landscape of junior hockey in sa国际传媒,” said BCHL chairman Graham Fraser, also majority owner of the Penticton Vees, when the BCHL bolted Hockey sa国际传媒 in June.
“The rules were set against us and we didn’t understand why. We didn’t understand these barriers. They made no sense. This has been a long time coming. We did everything we could to stay within the system. We had to take this move.”
If players play in the BCHL, they are not permitted to join a Hockey sa国际传媒-sanctioned team or league during that same season, after Sept. 30. BCHL players would be eligible to return to Hockey sa国际传媒-sanctioned teams and leagues the following season.
The 61-year-old BCHL, upon leaving Hockey sa国际传媒, has obtained its own insurance that it says “is relative to our previous coverages with Hockey sa国际传媒.”
There were 411 BCHL alumni on U.S. collegiate NCAA rosters last season, which accounted for nearly one-quarter of all the players in Division 1. A total of 104 former BCHL players skated in the 2023 NCAA Div. 1 tournament, including 14 on the champion Quinnipiac team. The Island teams in the 17-team BCHL are the Grizzlies, Clippers, Cowichan Valley Capitals and Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
