The general manager of the Coquitlam Express says a new bar has been set for the development of junior hockey players in British Columbia.
Tali Campbell said a recent decision by BC Hockey to elevate 45 Junior B teams that operate in three leagues across the province to Junior A status means players in those leagues should have access to better coaching, more practices and improved resources to advance their abilities.
“Many Junior B clubs have operated with a high regard to developing players with multiple practices, proper coaching, proper gym sessions, etc., but there are many that did not,” said Campbell, whose Express play in the 17-team BC Hockey League, the province’s former Junior A circuit that split away from BC Hockey and Hockey Canada on June 1 to operate independently. “This new standard is going to make sure they do.”
Campbell said BC Hockey’s decision to start the teams at a second tier and mandating they achieve certain standards for the player experience before ascending to the top tier of Junior A will make them more accountable “for development, structure and the overall way of operating their clubs.”
It’s an impact Campbell will also feel directly. In addition to his Express duties he’s a part owner of the Nanaimo Buccaneers that play in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, one of those that’s been boosted.
Campbell said the changes mean the Express won’t be able have an official relationship with local Pacific Junior Hockey League teams like the Port Moody Panthers and newly minted Port Coquitlam Trailblazers that allows them to affiliate players who can be called up in case of injuries or to demonstrate their skills at a higher level of hockey.
Instead, the Express has formed its own affiliate U18 team. Coquitlam HC will operate in partnership with the hockey academy program at nearby Centennial Secondary School and play in the Junior Prospects Hockey League that has 13 teams in B.C. and Alberta.
Still, Campbell added, there’s room to strengthen bonds between the Tri-Cities’ three junior organizations.
"I look forward to continue working with Peter [Meng], Terry [Morrison] and Brian [Wiebe] with the Port Moody Panthers as we have done for the last three years and I look forward to working with Rob and the Ross brothers in Port Coquitlam to help however we can to assist their programs within the new rules.”
Campbell said during the 2022–23 season, 80 per cent of the affiliated players called up to the Express came from a Junior B team and he anticipates some may become part of the BCHL team’s lineup for the coming season.
“We’re all in the business of developing players,” he said. “This is what we will continue to do.”
Pathways
The PJHL has developed players that have gone on to bigger and better things in recent years.
In 2021, Carson Latimer became the first Panthers' alumus to be drafted to the NHL, selected by the Ottawa Senators 123rd overall.
Several have also moved on to play at the collegiate level in Canada and the U.S., including Panthers' graduating goaltender Adam Goody with the University of Minnesota-Crookston in NCAA Div. II hockey.
Campbell said he still believes the BCHL is the best avenue for athletes looking to get into NCAA Div. I hockey south of the border, but he's holding out hope for the new junior 'A' tier 2 system.
"The BCHL has a long standing history of being the number one college-bound league in Canada and that won't be changing," he said. "Under the new standards, Junior A Tier 2 will become stronger, but it will not be the BCHL."
