Season ticket holders in on the act
Team’s future ‘is very bright,’ Fred Harbinson tells crowd at gathering
The Penticton Vees don’t lose players — they promote them. That was one of the messages Vees president, GM and head coach Fred Harbinson had for a gathering of season ticket holders Tuesday at Valley First Vault restaurant at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Harbinson said developing and preparing young players to move on to the next level — primarily to NCAA Division 1 university programs — is an integral part of what the Vees do.
The Vees send more players to top university programs than any club — not only in the B.C. Hockey League but in junior-A hockey leagues across the country.
“A lot of teams talk about losing so many players after a season,” Harbinson said. “We don’t look at it that way.”
This coming season is a rarity. Though the majority have secured NCAA commitments already, the Vees figure to have 13-15 returning players.
“The future — for 2017-18 and beyond — is very bright,” said Harbinson, going into his 11th season at the helm.
With that, Harbinson announced the signings of several high-end prospects to go along with the splendid core of returnees.
With the graduation of veteran all-star goalie Mat Robson, the Vees needed to address their depth between the pipes.
1999-born goalie Adam Scheel comes to Penticton after spending the past two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in Plymouth, Mich. Scheel recently won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2017 Under 18 World Hockey Championship in Slovakia.
Scheel is committed to the University of North Dakota.
“He’s from the same program as (former Vees standout goalie) Hunter Miska,” said Harbinson. “They play against top NCAA Division 1 teams during the season.”
Reinforcing the blue-line are Garrett Ewert, Ryan O’Connell and 2001-born Luke Reid.
Reid, who turns 16 in September, played the last two seasons with the Battlefords Stars in the Saskatchewan Midget 3A Hockey League. This past season Reid had 23 points in 39 games and has verbally committed to the University of North Dakota.
Some familiar names highlight the forward crop that is coming in for the 2017-18 season, as Jack Barnes, Cassidy Bowes, Cameron Hillis, Ryan Sandelin and Lukas Sillinger will play for the Vees in the fall.
Barnes 17, and Bowes, 18, both played next door at the Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) for their Midget Prep Red team.
Barnes is the son of former NHL forward Stu Barnes, while Bowes bagged five points in 18 playoff games for the Vees as an affiliated player this past season.
Hillis played at St. Andrew’s College, racking up 37 goals and 99 points in 73 games. Hillis also played for Team Canada Red at the 2016 World Under-17 Challenge in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and is committed to Providence College.
Sandelin, 18, is here after a successful high school career in his hometown of Hermantown, Minn. In March, Sandelin helped the Hermantown Hawks repeat as Class A Minnesota state champions and he was named to the all-tournament team. Sandelin is committed to Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Lukas Sillinger is the younger brother of Vees’ co-captain Owen Sillinger. He led the Regina Pat Canadians and SMHL in scoring, with 78 points in 40 games, and was named to the SMHL First AllStar Team. Sillinger and the Pat Canadians won the SMHL championship and finished fourth at the TELUS Cup, the national midget championship, in Prince George.
The Vees are awaiting a decision by top prospect Massimo Rizzo, a forward who played for Penticton as a 15-year-old during their thrilling playoff run.
Rizzo is deciding whether to return to Penticton or join the Kamloops Blazers, who picked him in the first round of last year’s WHL Bantam Draft.
Harbinson said he is optimistic Rizzo will return to the Vees and go the university route.
The coach said the Vees will announce a few more recruits for 2017-18 in the coming weeks and months.
After integrating a virtually entirely new group of assistant coaches last year, Harbinson said the staff will remain intact for the coming season.
Assistant coach Steve Cocker, who has been with the Vees for two seasons, has been elevated to the position of assistant GM.
“Steve organized our Spring Camp on the weekend and he’s going to be doing a lot of recruiting work,” said Harbinson. “He’s got a bright future with a chance to work at the highest level of this game.”
ATTENDANCE: While announcing a new Season Ticket Memberships program, Harbinson was delighted to announce the Vees averaged 3,035 fans per game for the regular season and playoffs in 2016-17.
“We outdrew a lot of CHL (major junior) teams,” said Harbinson. “It’s remarkable for a town this size.”
The Vees attracted 93,000 fans in their national-championship winning season of 2011-12. The Vees shattered that mark this year with a total attendance in excess of 136,000 fans.
He cited Peter Bros. Construction stepping to the plate in a big way three years ago by providing free admission to Vees games to students and children.
“It was massive . . . a real game-changer,” said Harbinson, noting the Vees averaged 577 students/children per game this season. “It’s boosted our attendance and the atmosphere in the building, while providing a real positive environment for the kids.”