Thursday News
| Niagara IceDogs barking for support... Brent Sutter is stepping down from Red Deer to coach the Devils... Craig Bedard named assistant coach in Prince Albert... Golden Rockets back on the ice in KIJHL... |
posted by Marc Foster at 7/12/2007 06:11:00 AM
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Anonymous said ... (12:05 PM, June 22, 2008) :
post a commentthe Golden Rockets arent playing in the WHA? Ricky Smith is the CEO of the WHA and this new team? Or did I read it wrong nad he was previous owner?
Hull and Smith bought this team last year and it continued to play in the KIJHL as the renamed Golden Jets. Because of the WHA's checkered past on not making good on promises, the people dealing with Hull and Smith were smart enough to make the sale conditional on the ability to get the team back for a $1 if they screwed up.
..and this was in the Watertown, NY Daily Times yesterday about one of the two announced eastern WHA teams - The Hockey Farm.
Hockey Farm plans stymied by district
NORFOLK — Student-athletes who will attend the Hockey Farm Academy in August do not have a place to go to high school. The School District voted 13-2 against...
My prediction..by September this coast to coast hockey league will be pared down to the Pioneers and the 5 WHA owned BC teams. There is still that matter of finding 100 players willing to cough up the $$ to play in small town BC, when they can play superior Jnr B hockey for a fraction of the cost. By Xmas the Pioneers could very well be playing with themselves.
wow I didnt know that aboput the "farm". I really thought it was a good idea and thinking outside the box
-Ballgame
The reason the Hockey Farm players will not be allowed to attend high school is because the school district has a ban on non-district, tuition paying students. This has nothing to do whatsoever with the WHA.
The post regarding the WHA and your prediction is quite interesting. Do you really have any idea how many teams the WHA has? Or how about what it cost to play in the WHA?
Last year the cost to play in the WHA was ZERO Dollars! The only cost was for billet fees, $400 Canadian. They currently have eight teams confirmed for the Western Division with two additional teams pending.
Also, who might these superior Jr. B teams be since USA Hockey pretty much made all the major Jr. B leagues Tier III Junior A?
You might want to do a little research before you start trashing the league.
Blu, thank you for help emphasize my points quite nicely. It is now the middle of July. We don't know the teams, where they are playing and how much it is going to cost. I can guarantee you it won't be ZERO this year and I bet it will be at least double the cost of playing BC Junior B. Schooling here in Canada (which the WHA is saying is a priority in their league) starts the beginning of Sept. And if you hope to get in a 50 game schedule, league play will also have to start shortly thereafter. There has to be warning bells going off in the heads of even the most gullible of hockey parents and/or their kids.
When I was referring to superior Jnr B leagues I am just going on my Cdn personal experience - BC and Ontario
BC Junior B has 31 teams. All 6 BC players on the 25 man Team Canada roster playing in the Russia 8 game series in Aug. played Junior B hockey prior to moving up to Tier 1/Tier 11 including #3 NHL draft pick Kyle Turris. The 8 team Jnr B Vancouver Island Hockey League had 6 former players selected in the NHL draft this year. The BC Jnr B KIJHL had 1 player directly drafted in the NHL draft last year.
The 25 teams and 3 leagues that make up Ont. Jnr B have 21 NCAA Div 1 commitments listed for next year and had 2 players directly drafted in the NHL draft this year.
Junior B hockey here is by no means perfect but Tier 3 Jr A and Independent Jr A hockey is still a step below Ont and BC Jnr B . Tier 1 and 2 Jnr coaches know it, NCAA knows it, scouts know it and even a number of US parents who send their kids up here to BC to play Jnr B instead of wannabe Jnr A know it.
As for the Hockey Farm WHA team, I guess all the hype about academics and the way their website is laid out led me to believe that the players would be boarding at the "farm" and paying over $30,000+ if 15-17 (still in highschool) and only $18,000+ if varsity age (out of school 18-20). But then again I could be delusional. I thought I also saw on their web site that there are over a million North American hockey players competing for 1200 NCAA Div 1 roster spots :)
Taken from the web site
Fees and Payment Policies
The cost for a full year term for an international student-athlete is $44,500 US funds. For Canadian and American students the cost is $33,500 US. This includes room and board, tuition for the local high school where applicable, and participation in the Hockey Program including travel, meals, helmet, pants, gloves and team fees. Not included are transfer fees, book costs, refundable damage deposit, travel costs to and from home at holiday and break periods, hockey sticks, incidental spending for each student. The Post Graduate fee (Varsity Student-Athletes 18-20) is $18,900.
WHA kids will be paying for hockey soon
cant call that shit hockey!
and that hockey farm? please. lets all play T3JA!!!
HOWS IT GOING HOCKEY FANS !!
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PIONEERS RUNNING SCARED? (GOING TO WHA)
WHO HAS THE BEST NORPAC TEAM?
Blu: Cost to play in WHA? Last year was virtually zero. This year it will be a heck of a lot more. No figures published so far as I know. Heard numbers in $5,000 territory as being in the minimum range; WHA furnishes the pants, shirt and socks; Player brings the rest. In other words, it won’t be zero this year.
Anon: Pioneers are in the same boat as the rest of the league so far cost goes, but that’s not much different from what they paid last year (At least for the majority who did pay) Their problem may prove to be one of having other teams to play.
I agree that it is getting along toward drop-the-puck-time, with a lot of work remaining to be done. Still time, though. Let’s take a look about September 15th, and see what’s going on then, and how many teams have ice, jerseys, and coaches to guide them to glory.
Anon: As for who’s the best in Nor Pac? Who knows at this point! Every year is a rebuilding year. Kids age out. Kids go to different teams or leagues or tiers. New kids come in and take their places. The staff makes the picks and brings their leadership, and the better staffs generally can recruit and build the better teams.
That said, it is reasonable to expect the upper tier to be similar to last year’s based on currently known conditions. Camps are still ahead of us and rosters are not set. Bozeman, Coeur d’Alene, and Helena were atop the east and likely will be again. Eugene, Seattle and Tri-cities will likely be the top of the west. (Alphabetical order in posting, showing no bias) The 06-07 bottom half will probably be the same as last year as a result. Have a couple new teams in the mix, and they likely will be in the bottom tier, too, as it is pretty hard to come into a league with an all new team and make waves. Not impossible, though. Look at last year’s (well half a year’s, anyway) Tucson Tilt of the WSHL. Beyond that, who knows? At least a couple teams will have new coaches and new philosophies. Again, let’s wait for the puck to drop in a few games so we get the feel for the new season.
The only thing that we do know is that it won’t be the Pioneers.
Also, would not be the least bit surprised to see the Pios come back into the NorPac’s fold if WHA fails. They would probably be welcomed. Nobody holds the malfeasance directly against the kids and their folks. They just can’t bring the adult leadership with them, as they done been banned.
NewFan
Also, would not be the least bit surprised to see the Pios come back into the NorPac’s fold if WHA fails. They would probably be welcomed. Nobody holds the malfeasance directly against the kids and their folks. They just can’t bring the adult leadership with them, as they done been banned.
New Fan -- the adult leadership of the Pios did change, but when NORPAC did not answer with regard to their application to play this coming fall, they accepted WHA's offer. At that point, one did step back in (Joe Loftgren).
Only one player signed as a result of the dispersal draft and Pios staff conversations with the returning players indicates they will be back with the Pios aside from those moving up to the next level.
Thanks for the update.
Heard that one lad signed with Helena, but haven't heard of anyone else. Your info likely is accurate. Not surprising, given the quality of team that they put on the ice last year. "Tribal instincts" run strong.
.. to know for sure (players post dispersal draft), we'll wait and see who shows up at main camp over labor day weekend ready to play for a new coach and a new league.
If their investors blog on IHUB is right the WHA is maybe down to 5 teams - Squamish - 8000 population, Oliver and Armstrong - less than 5000 population and Lumby -population 1500 - Osoyoos may/may not be toast. The nearest rival, Squamish is 280 miles away and you have to drive through Seattle, Vancouver BC and along the Vcr-Whistler hwy that is now under reconstruction for the Olympics. I think the Pioneers least worry is putting a team together.
whats the status of the other teams that played in WHA last season? What about Bellingham?
The following is attributed as being a quote and paraphrase from Ricky Smith. It alludes to Bellingham, which is why I post it. It is from Osoyoos Times 7/4/07, for that it's worth.
“We are going to play this season in Osoyoos, and I’m excited about it,” Smith says.
He added that the Osoyoos Spurs team will play in an expanded seven-team WHA league that will include last year’s squads in Armstrong, Lumby, Squamish and New Westminster, B.C., a new team in Fort Vancouver, Washington (to replace last year’s Bulls team in Bellingham, Washington), and a new team in Oliver, B.C. – the Oliver Road Runners.
This is the most recent thing I have seen attributed to Smith. I don't know where all the eastern teams, or the announced western teams (except for Ft Van) went, but doesn't look like he is currently braggin 'em up.
The whole article talks about WHA getting their bills paid in Osoyoos and re-upping for another year.
Also: WHA MAY have a defaualt judgment agains Briner, et al, the third party defendents in their little war. Briner didn't show at a hearing and had not responed. The order for default judgment has been at least accepted by the court clerk. At this point I do not know if the clerk signed it, and am fairly sure that the judge hasn't.
What does it all mean? Who knows! Iven if the judgment is entered, there may be a "blood and turnip" problem with Briner, et al.
Anyhow -- looks like WHA is paring their grand plan back some, and maybe a lot.
Shore don' look like no 16 teams across US and Canada, do it?
More: What happened to the announced two more west franchises(Kent WA and Sherwood OR rumored) with the alleged big time CA owner? Nothing heard lately. Poor Ft Van, with the loss of Bellingham, now doesn't have an opponent within a 325 mile radius. Those kids are going to be suffering "bus lag" if there is such a thing.
They better sell their Greyhound and get a Huey.
Maybe it won't be so bad, though, The season may only be 35 games, like last year.
NewFan
Squamish Population: 16,199 Sell out most games....doesn't include Brackendale which is like rural Squamish .New Arena in the works
Armstrong Population: 4,531 Town only not rural Great crowds near capcity in new arena
Lumby Population: 1,766
not rural Rural unknow but near sell out every game old arena having discussion about a new one
Oliver Town Population: 4,369
Rural Oliver 3800
Oliver OIB Reserve 1200
Just under 10,000 ion Oliver region all with 7-10 minutes of Arena.
Good Arena
Town of Osoyoos Population: 4,963
Rural Osoyoos 1,200
great Arena
Plus large amount of 55 plus stay here over winter months Snowbirds
If you are going post something get it right Just shows your incompetent and NORPAC I saw alot of those games, River City and many poor teams like the Quake and 14 hr bus rides one way from coast !! and dumpy arenas as well Valley Ice Arena in Beaverton with house league quality players on the teams Looks like a gouge and Now Tier 3 What a joke Some teams maybe but all those teams in Norpac is a joke and I think they are scared of the independant leagues. And the alterior motives of siome of the posts are completely hilarious i knever heard of this blog someone sent it in a link and they can keep it as the posters 85% of what I read here is so left field and out of context this Marc Foster Junior Hockey Blog could end up sued for some of the blantant rhetoric that is posted here
why are they not playing in New West this year ????????????????
Is it that there is money owed????
They have not payed the bills in Osoyoos yet so as of today they have no contract signed to play here. So why are they counting Osoyoos in when the bills have not been payed and there is no contract yet signed on the arena.
Ricky Smith Is A such a Big lyer, he and Romilys Stole A litlle Girl seven years ago Angela Smith Briceño,(12years old)they trick her real mother in Venezuela and tuck her from her side, they (romilys and Ricky)force de documents of identity and take her(Angela)out of the country, the police in Venezuela are looking for both of then, be care full!!!