Vees acquire over-age forward to bolster offence
The Penticton Vees added a veteran forward in a trade on Tuesday and they are hoping to land another today.
Andre Ghantous, a 1998-born right-winger who racked up eight points as the Trail Smoke Eaters beat the Vees in seven games in the second round of last year’s playoffs, was acquired from the Alberni Valley Bulldogs for forwards Ryan Miotto and Henri Schreifels.
“(Ghantous) made it to the Interior Division final last year and consistently played an impactful game in our division,” said vees president, GM and head coach Fred Harbinson. “He certainly made a huge impact against us. He plays hard, he’s got a lot of skill and was very productive on Trail’s power play.”
Harbinson said the 1999-born Miotto, who had two points in the Vees’ five games this season, was a good two-way player. He won an RBC Cup with the Chilliwack Chiefs last season.
The 2000-born rookie Schreifels is a player with a lot of potential, though he failed to garner a point in three games.
“You’re not getting a player like Ghantous for nothing,” said Harbinson. “It’s always an arms race within the division and he could easily have gone to one of our rivals like Vernon or Wenatchee.”
Harbinson said the Vees were looking “long-term” with the trade, and stressed it wasn’t reactionary to a 2-3-0 start to the BCHL regular season.
“I thought we played our best game of the year on Saturday (a 3-2 loss to Prince George),” said Harbinson. “It was a game we deserved to win.”
He said the Vees are the youngest team in the league, though he stressed it was more about maturity as a player than age.
“It’s a little different than in major junior where you have another year or two to work with younger guys,” said Harbinson. “Sometimes you have young guys who are here for one year and gone to (university).”
Ghantous was dealt to Alberni in the offseason as the future considerations in a deal Trail made with the Bulldogs before the Jan. 10 deadline.
Ghantous, however, wanted to stay in the Interior Division and Alberni ultimately granted him his wish.
Ghantous, from Glendale, Calif., spent the past two seasons with the Smoke Eaters.
As a rookie in 2016-17, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Ghantous scored nine goals and 44 points in 57 games. Last year, he tallied 19 goals and 44 points in 58 games before busting out with 14 points in 15 playoff games.
The Vees needed to upgrade their offence after learning forward Cassidy Bowes won’t be back this weekend as anticipated.
The 19-year-old did not get clearance from doctors to resume full-contact practice after having off-season shoulder surgery.
There is also nothing new to report on the status of captain/forward Massimo Rizzo, who suffered a lower-back injury in off-season training and hasn’t skated since.
Bowes at least practised with the Vees in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday, but the coach believes he is at least a few weeks away.
“We’re thinking it might be a month before both guys return, but it’s hard to be definitive,” said Harbinson.
The Vees are working on another deal for a 20-year-old forward from the major-junior ranks, with Harbinson noting he should know for certain at some point today.
“The good thing in this case is we won’t have to move anyone else out since we have a (roster) spot open,” said Harbinson.
The coach said the moves would enable the Vees to utilize something more resembling the four-line pressure game they like to play.
“Right now, with only going with two or three lines regularly, it’s hard to ask guys to play that kind of game,” he said. “Getting a couple of proven veterans is also going to help our young guys a lot.”
Harbinson said there is a lot of trade chatter currently going on within the Interior Division and the BCHL in general. Already, every team has lost at least twice in the Interior, while the last-place Vees have only lost three games.
Translation: All seven teams in the division believe they have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs this season.
“Nine times in the 11 years I’ve been here an Interior team has gone to the RBC Cup,” said Harbinson. “If you can get out of this division, anything is possible. There is a lot of stuff going on right now, but we’ve just got to worry about ourselves.”
With the RBC Cup being held in Brooks, Alta., this year, it’s not an opportunity the Vees or anyone else in the BCHL want to miss.
“We always go for it every year, but it’s definitely a little added incentive when it’s being held out west,” said Harbinson.
ICE CHIPS: Ghantous isn’t expected to arrive until Friday but should be able to suit up when the Vees visit the Merritt Centennials that evening. On Saturday, Miotto and Schreifels will be back in Penticton as Alberni Valley is the visitor for the Vees’ home opener. Game time is 6 p.m.