Latest news with #Vees
CTV News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Vees force Game 6 with 3-2 win over Bandits
The Vees forced a Game 6 in the BCHL Interior Conference Final Friday, defeating the Brooks Bandits 3-2 (Photo:
The Province
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Province
Busy Vees: Penticton playing in BCHL semifinals, making WHL expansion draft picks this week
Vees GM/coach Fred Harbinson said: "I think we've covered everything we need to cover, and we haven't compromised the current team." Get the latest from Steve Ewen straight to your inbox Penticton Vees general manager and coach Fred Harbinson. Photo by Garrett James Photography Penticton Vees general manager and head coach Fred Harbinson will have his multi-tasking skills on overdrive this week. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The Vees are in the BCHL semifinals. They were down to 2-0 to the Brooks Bandits in the Junior A circuit's best-of-seven championship qualifier going into Game 3 Monday night in Brooks, which is 190 kilometres southeast of Calgary. Game 4 is in Brooks Tuesday, while Game 5, if necessary, would be in Penticton on Friday. Harbinson and Co. are also leaving the BCHL this summer and signing on under the Vees banner as an expansion franchise with the WHL. The major junior loop holds its expansion draft on Wednesday, along with the first round of its annual entry draft. The remaining rounds of the entry draft are set for Thursday, as well as the two-round U.S. priority draft. With the expansion draft, the Vees are eligible to select one player from each of the league's 22 existing teams. Pre-draft trades can be made in lieu of a selection. Penticton will get the protected lists from the other clubs on Tuesday, and teams can protect either 17 players (14 players ages 17-19, three 20 year olds) or 16 players (no limit on 20 year olds). 'You're always busy in this business, but this is another level obviously,' Harbinson said Monday morning. 'We're in the middle of a series that didn't start the right way for us, and giving us just 24 hours with everyone's list is a little bit taxing. 'But we think we've got everything covered. This isn't something that was just dropped on us. We've been going at it the last couple of months, and I think we've covered everything we need to cover, and we haven't compromised the current team. We've done a good job of preparing for this series. Finishing this season strong is very important to us.' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Vees will be permitted to dress four 20 year olds next season — which is one more than usual — and that also includes the league playoffs. They're the first WHL expansion team since the Edmonton Oil Kings were added for the 2007-08 season. The Oil Kings selected four 20 year olds, five 19 year olds, three 18 year olds and five 17 year olds in their expansion draft. Four teams swung pre-draft trades with Edmonton so they didn't lose a player off in the draft process. This expansion has a complication that Edmonton's didn't have, since the NCAA opened up scholarship rules to allow players from the WHL for the first time this coming season. Keeping your college eligibility had been the main drawing card of Junior A leagues like the BCHL, and the NCAA switch spurred on the Vees' move to the WHL. Mazden Leslie, who was a 19-year-old defenceman this past season with the Vancouver Giants, provides an example of the challenges the change in NCAA regulations brings with Wednesday's expansion draft. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Leslie has said that if he doesn't sign a pro contract this summer, he'll spend his 20-year-old season beginning next fall with the Bowling Green State University Falcons rather than return to the Giants. Leslie could be moved to the Giants' college exempt list and not count against the team's 50-player protected list after the expansion draft but not until then. If things didn't work out in pro or college and he returned to the WHL at some point this coming season, he'd be an automatic top-pairing defenceman. He finished second in scoring among blue liners across the league in the regular season this year with 72 points, including 21 goals. If the Giants protect Leslie, chances are they'd want to protect a fourth 20-year-old as well, as cover for them. And that would mean they'd protect one less player overall. The Vees were awarded the fourth pick in the first round of the WHL draft. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The WHL is slated to add another expansion team next summer, with a squad going into Chilliwack in preparation for the 2026-27 season. The league is taking applications for ownership and WHL commissioner Dan Near explained via text Monday that there's a 'number of interested parties,' and that the league is 'very pleased with the interest level and enthusiasm from prospective ownership groups thus far.' No word on when they might come to a decision. Chilliwack is home to the BCHL's Chilliwack Chiefs who, oddly enough, are currently facing the Victoria Grizzlies in the other league semifinal, for the right to to meet either Penticton or Brooks in the championship series. The Grizzlies and Chiefs are knotted at 1-1 going into Game 3 Tuesday in Victoria. Chiefs principal owner Moray Keith has repeatedly said that he's not interested in owning a WHL team. The Chiefs are expected to remain in Chilliwack next season before moving elsewhere. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It was both the city council and the WHL that were interested in putting a team in Chilliwack. They've had the WHL before in the city, with the Chilliwack Bruins playing there from 2006-11 before moving to Vancouver Island to become the Victoria Royals. The league's never announced what the Vees' expansion fee, but various league sources have put it at $15 million. Penticton (41-8-5-0) and Brooks (40-10-2-2) had the BCHL's best records during the regular season, followed by Chilliwack (37-12-5-0). Victoria (28-17-8-1) was ninth. Penticton lost in last year's best-of-seven Fred Page Cup league championship, falling in six games to the Surrey Eagles. The Vees had won the two years previous. The league no longer competes for a national title. They announced in May 2023 that they were leaving Hockey Canada and becoming an independent league. @SteveEwen SEwen@ Read More Vancouver Canucks News News Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Whitecaps
