In a bit of a twist, goaltender Oliver Auyeung-Ashton will be facing his Victoria Grizzlies teammates, forwards Chase Pirtle and Tobias Pitka, in the sa国际传媒 Hockey League Top Prospects game tonight at Rogers Rink in Salmon Arm. Auyeung-Ashton was an emergency addition to the Interior Conference team to replace Johnny Hicks from the Brooks Bandits, who signed recently with the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League.
The six-foot-four Pitka, on the Slovakia long roster for the 2025 world junior championship and committed to Boston College of the NCAA, and Pirtle, committed to the Cornell Big Red of the NCAA, will be on the Coastal Conference team in the Top Prospects game. The Cowichan Valley Capitals have been resurgent this season and were rewarded with Camden Charron and Hayden Russell named to the Coastal crew for the Top Prospects game. They will be joined by Cayden Tremblay and 17-year-old NCAA Dartmouth College-bound Crofton-product Wyatt Blace of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, Penn State Nittany Lions-committed Chase Hull of the Nanaimo Clippers and Wyatt Davis of the Powell River Kings. Grizzlies defenceman Dan D’Alessandro, committed to Ivy League Princeton, will miss the Top Prospects game due to injury.
There is expected to be a sizable contingent of scouts on hand. Players ranked by Central Scouting for the 2025 NHL draft received automatic roster spots while players who are already drafted, as well as players no longer draft eligible, were not considered.
Pirtle and Auyeung-Ashton will also play in the three-on-three BCHL all-star game tournament Saturday in Salmon Arm with Colin Winn, Brady McIsaac and Tremblay from Alberni Valley, NCAA New Hampshire-bound Luca Primerano of Cowichan Valley, Cole Lonsdale of the Nanaimo Clippers and Calvin Beard of the Powell River Kings.
“It kinda validates some of the work you’ve put in this year,” Pirtle said in a statement.
“I’m super happy about the opportunity,” added last seaon’s BCHL top rookie.
And what is an all-star weekend without the skills competition? The six-foot-two Pirtle, who combines size with speed and is fourth in the BCHL with 44 points, will take part in the accuracy-shooting drill. Lonsdale of the Clippers is in the fastest skater competition and Primerano of the Capitals, Tremblay of the Bulldogs and Beard of the Kings in the hardest-shot competition. McIsaac of Alberni Valley will be in the accuracy-shooting sweepstakes with Pirtle. There are no players from Island teams in the agility-passing event.
Auyeung-Ashton and Winn will be among the goaltenders involved trying to repel rubber in the breakaway goaltending competition.
Former NHLers Geoff Courtnall of Victoria and Vancouver Canucks colour analyst Dave Tomlinson will be featured in the BCHL alumni game.
The Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League prospects/all-star game — in association with the BCHL — is also part of the mix this weekend in Salmon Arm.
ICE CHIPS: The Grizzlies beefed up their blue line by adding six-foot-six Charles Cote, who comes with ample major-junior experience from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League in three seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic, making the playoffs each year. The native of Laval, Que., has also been invited to the NHL rookie camps of the Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames. “[Cote] is the kind of veteran presence to bolster our back end,” said Grizzlies GM and head coach Rylan Ferster. … The Grizzlies also traded defenceman Oscar Pantzare to the Penticton Vees for future considerations.
