BCHL

BCHL Today: Caps make a deal, sign four new players, Eagles confirm King’s commitment to Denver

Written by Brian Wiebe on

Johnny Howie, Grande Prairie Storm, Mike Vandekamp, Geoff Grimwood, BCHL, AJHL, Jackson Murphy-Johnson, Vincent Bernier, QCHL, Sorel-Tracy Rebels, Daron Cyr, Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, Shawn Milord, Matt Mazzocchi, Calgary Flames U18 AAA

Capitals make three-player trade with Grande Prairie

The Cowichan Valley Capitals connected with the Grande Prairie Storm on a trade that sees 2002-born defenseman Jackson Murphy-Johnson and future considerations head to Vancouver Island for 2000-born forward Cole Broadhurst and 2001-born defenseman Johnny Howie.

Murphy-Johnson, who’s from Burnaby, BC, spent 2019-20 with the Trail Smoke Eaters, where he posted a goal and four assists in 38 games as a rookie. He was traded to the Storm in a separate deal earlier this off-season.

Broadhurst is a three year veteran with the Capitals. The Ladysmith, BC product had 14 goals and 21 assists during his 157 games in Cowichan. He was suspended for a dozen games by the BCHL for shooting a puck at Powell River goaltender Derek Krall during warm-up on March 6.

Howie is from Carp, Ontario, and had a goal and six assists in 41 games with the Caps as a rookie in 2019-20.

Capitals general manager and head coach Geoff Grimwood told Kevin Rothbauer of the Cowichan Valley Citizen the suspension was a big part of deciding to trade Broadhurst.

“There’s no question the suspension played a role in our decision. To have a 20-year-old sitting out 12 games at the start of a shortened season isn’t a good situation. We felt a fresh start was a good opportunity for him.”

Rothbauer’s story is available here.

Both Broadhurst and Howie are reunited with former Capitals boss Mike Vandekamp, who was hired as GM and head coach in Grande Prairie earlier this year.

Cowichan Valley adds four new players

The Capitals also added four new players on Monday, including 2001-born forward Vincent Bernier. The St-Hyacinthe, Quebec product had 13 goals and 22 assists in 34 games for the Sorel-Tracy Rebels of the Ligue de Hockey Collégiale AAA du Québec.

The Caps also added 2002-born defenseman Daron Cyr of Sturgeon County, Alberta. Cyr spent 2019-20 with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers U18 AAA and put up five goals and 10 assists in 29 games.

He also played three games with the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the Alberta Junior Hockey League as an affiliate player but didn’t have any points.

The Caps signed 2001-born forward Shawn Milord, who was a teammate of Bernier’s with the Sorel-Tracy Rebels in the QCHL. Milord, from St-Cesaire, Quebec, had 20 goals and 47 assists in 68 games for the Rebels over the last two seasons.

Lastly, Cowichan Valley picked up 2002-born forward Matthew Mazzocchi of the Calgary Flames U18 AAA team. The Calgary product has spent the last two seasons with the U18 AAA Flames, scoring 19 goals and 19 assists in 57 games.

He was an affiliate player for the Drumheller Dragons of the AJHL in 2018-19 and scored one goal in two games.

Eagles confirm King’s commitment to Denver

BCHL Today wrote about Surrey Eagles 2001-born forward Carter King‘s commitment to the University of Denver on Friday. The Eagles announced on Sunday that King is off to Denver in September 2021.

King, who’s from Calgary, had 18 goals and 15 assists in 58 games as a rookie with the Eagles in 2019-20.