AJHL, BCHL, Coastal Conference, NCAA

Express trade Connell to Grande Prairie of the AJHL

Written by Brian Wiebe on

 

The Coquitlam Express have traded 2001-born forward Cooper Connell to the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League for future considerations.

Connell hails from West Vancouver, BC, and is headed to Bentley University to start his NCAA hockey career this fall.

He posted six goals and 13 points in 11 games for the Express during the 2020-21 BCHL training season, which was tied for seventh overall in league scoring.

In 56 games last season, Connell put up 17 goals and 43 points in his sophomore year in Coquitlam. As a 17-year-old rookie in 2018-19, he had four goals and nine points in 51 games.

Connell is an alumnus of the Vancouver Northwest Giants U18 AAA program, finishing with 11 goals and 36 points during the 2017-18 BC U18 AAA League season.

The most up-to-date list of BCHL trades is here on the BCHLNetwork Trade Tracker.

Brian's been involved in the BCHL in a variety of capacities for 17 years. From 2002 to 2012, he served in several roles around the Merritt Centennials organization, including as team president, board member, beat writer, colour commentator, webmaster, media and communications coordinator and marketing assistant. He's been writing about the BCHL since 2008 and served as colour commentator on the TSN 1040 broadcasts in 2012-13. BCHLNetwork is one of Brian's many passion projects that he balances around his full-time job as an instructor in the Radio Arts and Entertainment Program at BCIT in Burnaby.