‘Outlaw’ BCHL poaching players a growing concern for MJHL clubs

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This article was published 13/06/2023 (858 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The tremors triggered by the B.C. Hockey League’s recent split with Hockey Canada are rumbling toward the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

One star player — 19-year-old Portage Terriers right-winger Austin Peters — has already committed to playing for the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs and others may soon follow.

The BCHL, officially branded an outlaw league since divorcing itself from Hockey Canada on June 1, is no longer required to provide compensation for players coming from sanctioned leagues. So, the cost of acquiring star players has never been cheaper.

Swan Valley Stampeders general manager and head coach Barry Wolff said Tuesday the threat to MJHL rosters is very real.

“I think you’ll see those kind of high-end skilled guys leaving,” said Wolff, who has spent much of his coaching career in the BCHL.

“It’s unfortunate there’s no compensation and I guess in our world, we would hope that some way, some how they would honour something because basically they can phone any of your guys and take them.

“On the flip side, we can do the same to their players but the chances of that happening is a little tougher.”

While it’s not uncommon for the MJHL to lose top players to higher-profile leagues such as the BCHL or Alberta Junior Hockey League, the ease of moving to the BCHL has never been simpler.

Peters, who was eighth in league scoring with 62 points in 53 regular-season games and was subsequently named the most sportsmanlike player at last month’s Centennial Cup tournament, said he considered a tryout with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars and eight offers from North American Hockey League teams before settling on the Chiefs.

“They’re definitely a really great organization,” said Peters, a Winnipegger. “So, I had to take a lot into consideration. I have been with the Terriers for two years and I do have only two years left of junior and I feel like (the Chiefs) can give me the best shot at fulfilling my goal of being a (NCAA) Division I athlete.”

One hitch in the arrangement is a Hockey Canada rule that will prohibit a BCHL player from suiting up in a sanctioned league elsewhere in Canada during the 2023-24 season.

“It definitely is risky with that new rule for sure — after Sept. 30 you can’t play anywhere else in Canada — but I definitely have trust in this coach and I feel like it’ll go my way,” said Peters. “And if I keep playing like I did last year, it should go pretty well.”

Terriers GM and head coach Blake Spiller understands Peters’ motivation for leaving but worries about the difficulty of building and maintaining a competitive team.

“I wouldn’t say he tried to talk me out of (leaving) but he’s definitely been there for me,” said Peters of Spiller. “And I’m really grateful for what he’s done for my hockey career… But he did just let me know that if I wanted to come back to Portage (before Sept. 30), it was always an option and I’m always welcome, which was really nice to know.”

Another concern for MJHL team will be that BCHL franchises will not be bound by the roster deadline of Jan. 10.

“The huge concern that we have is all of a sudden if (BCHL teams) want to come Jan. 11 and take your player, they can,” said Spiller. “And we have no control over that. So it’s not a good situation. I think there’s a lot of uncertainty as to how it’s all gonna go.”

Wolff believes his contingent of returning veterans will all come back but there are no guarantees.

“That’s the scary part of losing somebody after Jan. 10,” said Wolff. “Obviously you can’t replace that person at that time… so if there’s a team there that’s looking to make a push and they need one more goalscorer or something, they could come and take your top guy.”

That threat to the MJHL may be limited by new rules in the BCHL that have increased the number of Americans allowed per roster from six to 10 and the number of Europeans from zero to two.

Steinbach Pistons GM and head coach Paul Dyck doesn’t expect to lose any roster players to the BCHL in the short term, even though veteran forwards Ty Paisley and Nic Mikan are trying out for the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and defenceman Warren Clark will bypass his 19-year-old season to enrol early at St. Cloud State University.

“Is it a possibility that we’re going to lose some guys down the road?” said Dyck. “That’s very likely… I think there’s definitely a risk involved right now considering they’re not under the Hockey Canada umbrella and the (Canadian Junior Hockey League) umbrella. And there’s really not a safety net for the players if they get cut later on in the process.”

Dyck said promises of a roster spot and regular playing time in the BCHL don’t always materialize.

“Teams can say what they want, but there’s still a responsibility on the player to perform and if he doesn’t, you know, that’s where some of the job security might be lost,” said Dyck.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14