The Oceanside Generals, following a successful 2021-22 campaign, are recruiting new players for the coming Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League season.
Team officials have been doing some wheeling and dealing lately to land players they feel will help a squad that last season lost in the VIJHL final to the eventual-winners Peninsula Panthers.
The Generals signed two young forwards, Finlay Klippenstein of Nanaimo and Ty Gyori from Rimbey, Alta. They have traded one of their key players from last season, goaltender Aaron Kaner, who will join the Surrey Knights of the Pacific Junior Hockey League in exchange for the rights of forward Brandon Melsness, who the Generals traded to the Nanaimo Buccaneers for a player development fee.
The Generals have also made a couple of trades with the Buccaneers. Forward Oren Louie, who last season had nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points, will join the Buccaneers for a player development fee. The Generals will acquire forward Euan Morrison while the Buccaneers will get defenceman Brad Cimaglia and a player development fee.
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The Generals also acquired the rights to forward Colson Newton from the Bucs, in exchange for a player development fee.
The VIJHL 2022-2023 season is set to start in early September. The schedule will be reduced to 48 games, with non-divisional rivals to face each other four times, up from two in 2021-2022. The balance of the 48 games will be played inside the divisions.
“Divisional games are always exciting, but this move allows a little more diversity in the schedule,” said VIJHL president Simon Morgan. “Fans always love seeing the out-of-division teams pay a visit to their local rink and this will limit the need for a team to see the same divisional opponent for nine or 10 games in a season.”
The decision to drop to 48 games will provide VIJHL players with a little more rest in-season and allow clubs to have more prime night home games.
The Generals will hold their Development Ice Times begin later this month from June 20 to Aug. 11 in Parksville and Nanaimo. Cost: $125 for 10 sessions or $15 drop-ins (pre-registration is required for all ice times). To register, visit https://forms.gle/myDLT3nMDhQkZKuh9. For more information call Rick Hannibal at 778-998-4867.