Blazers September 2023

Blazers chasing 5th straight division title

New-look Blazers take aim at B.C. Division title

athan Behm does not picture his Kamloops Blazers taking a step back.

“I don’t think that’s anybody’s mindset around here,” said Behm, the 16-year-old forward from Calgary. “That’s a bad mindset to go with. You want to go for the same results, if not better. We’re ready to have a good year.”

Last season, the Blazers won their fourth consecutive B.C. Division title, were eliminated by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL Western Conference final and played host to the 2023 Memorial Cup, placing last in the four-team national major junior hockey championship tournament.

Much of the guts of that team have been removed.

Logan Stankoven, Matthew Seminoff, Caedan Bankier, Ethan Brandwood, Jakub Demek, Ryan Hofer, Daylan Kuefler and Olen Zellweger are among key contributors who either graduated from junior hockey or moved on to the pro ranks.

“It feels a little strange, to be honest,” said Fraser Minten, the 19-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs’ pros-

Npect who sits at or near the top of the Blazers’ leadership group and depth chart this season. “I’ve never been here without Stanks, Banks, Semi, Kuefs, Brando. Those guys were my best friends, so it’s a little sad to be here without them.”

Blazers’ head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston set the tone during exit meetings in June and his message was echoed during interviews on Sept. 5, when the club wrapped training camp at Sandman Centre.

“We had lots of good discussions over the summer, me and Cluey and a couple other guys that are going to be in the leadership group, with Syd [Dylan Sydor] and [Logan] Bairos,” Minten said. “We don’t want to take a step back here. We want to compete for the division title again this year and be playing meaningful games in the spring. We’re confident we have a lineup that can still do that.”

Minten gave a nod to Behm when asked for insight on players who have shone during camp, noting the 13th overall pick in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft is “super smart, hard to check and fun to play with.”

Clouston pointed to significant improvement in Behm’s compete level and said it is clear hard work took place during the sum-

mer break, a short one for the Memorial Cup-host Blazers.

Shea Van Olm, a 19-yearold forward from Calgary, received similar praise from Clouston and is expected to move up in the lineup from the fourth-line role he played in 2022-2023.

“He’s had a great camp, factored into scoring in pretty much every scrimmage he was involved in,” Clouston said. “He looks stronger. His test scores went way up.”

Van Olm’s off-season regime included building a seniors home while working for a construction company.

“I think it added onto my conditioning, walking up and down stairs and carrying stuff,” said Van Olm, the club’s resident dressingroom DJ. “Over the years, I’ve played with some really talented guys, a lot of guys that are moving onto pros. I’ve tried to take a lot from them and pick their brains. I think the off-season is such a crucial part of being a hockey player and I think I took it up another level this summer.”

Connor Levis is one of two Blazers’ forwards picked in Round 7 of the 2023 NHL Draft in June. The 18-year-old Winnipeg Jets’ draft pick returns to help bolster the Blazers up front.

Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect Fraser Minten (right) wants to help his Kamloops Blazers win the B.C. Division title for a fifth consecutive year. ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

MARTY HASTINGS STAFF REPORTER sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

See FINNIE, D7

Imports arrive to bolster blue line

Blazers selected two defencemen in the CHL Import Draft in July.

Blazers picked Matteo Koci, a 2005-born rear guard from Karlovy Vary, Czechia, who stands 6-feet tall and weighs 170 pounds.

season for HC Energie

Karlovy Vary U20, racking up seven goals and 20 points in 36 games.

Keller replaces Sandland as director of player personnel

Aaron Keller has been promoted to the position of director of player personnel for the Kamloops Blazers, a job that will see him oversee the Western Hockey League team’s scouting staff, WHL Prospects Draft and 50-man player list.

Finnie: ‘Don’t count us out’

From D3

Emmitt Finnie, an 18-year-old forward who was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in June, enjoyed a late-season surge in 2022-2023 and much is expected of him this season.

KURESH JOINS BLAZERS

Rebecca Kuresh has been hired as athletic therapist for the Kamloops Blazers.

Keller, who has been a development coach with the team since retiring from his playing career and returning to Kamloops in 2017, has spent the last four years as technical director of the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association.

“People are counting us out,” said Finnie, who rode a 10-game point streak into the 2023 WHL playoffs and pushed it to 15 games in the post-season. “I think we can have a really suc cessful team this year. I see myself as a leader this year. I’m going to have to step into a bigger role offensively and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

He played for Czechia last season at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the Under-18 World Championships.

1995. He spent 17 seasons playing pro hockey in Japan, including playing in eight World Hockey Championship tournaments for the country.

Logan Bairos returns to help anchor the blue line in his 20-year-old campaign.

past 16 seasons with the Portland Winterhawks. Meanwhile, Jason Pashelka returns for a fifth season as head scout in Alberta.

He toiled for Czechia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August, notching four points in five games.

Kuresh, from Calgary, toiled most recently in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for the Canmore Eagles

She will work alongside longtime Blazers’ athletic trainer/equipment manager Colin (Toledo) Robinson.

Most recently, he competed for Czechia at the Under18 World Hockey

Blazers’ head coach and GM Shaun Clouston told KTW he is impressed with both imports, who appear ready to play in the WHL and are adapting well to life in Canada.

Following his playing career, Keller spent three seasons as an assistant coach in Japan with the Oji Eagles, where his responsibilities included scouting and recruiting prospects.

“Rebecca comes highly recommended to us,” Blazers’ general manager and head coach Shaun Clouston said. “We believe she will be a great fit with our players and our staff.”

Keller, who is from Kamloops, played four seasons with the Blazers from 1992 to 1996, winning Memorial Cups in 1994 and

The Blazers have also promoted B.C. scout Scott Blakeney to the position of senior head scout for the province and have hired Brad Davis as head scout in Manitoba.

“The vibe might be a little bit different, but it is still very winning-focused,” Bairos said. “We’re all trying to prove ourselves. I want to be a leader on this team and try to affect this team for the better.”

Blakeney returns for a fifth season with the Blazers and Davis joins the hockey club after spending the

Leaving the club is assistant general manager/director of player personnel Robbie Sandland, who has joined the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins as an amateur scout, with his primary responsibility being to scout amateur players in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.

Bairos highlighted strides made by 17-yearold rearguard Harrison Brunicke, whose steady development last season and sizeable contribution during the playoffs and Memorial Cup have him on the 2024 NHL Draft radar.

Kamloops Blazers’ import defenceman Matteo Koci (right) clears the zone in pre-season action against the Victoria royals earlier this month at Sandman Centre. ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

AARON KELLER ROBBIE SANDLAND

Imports arrive to bolster blue line

The Kamloops Blazers selected two defencemen in the CHL Import Draft in July.

In Round 1, the Blazers picked Matteo Koci, a 2005-born rearguard from Karlovy Vary, Czechia, who stands 6-feet tall and weighs 170 pounds.

Koci played last season for HC Energie Karlovy Vary U20, racking up seven goals and 20 points in 36 games.

He toiled for Czechia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August, notching four points in five games.

Most recently, he competed for Czechia at the Under18 World Hockey

Championships.

The Blazers nabbed 2005-born defenceman Vojtech Vochvest of Czechia in Round 2. Vochvest, a 5-foot11, 180-pound blueliner, played last season for BK Mlada Boleslav U20, tallying one goal and six points in 52 games.

He played for Czechia last season at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the Under-18 World Championships.

Blazers’ head coach and GM Shaun Clouston told KTW he is impressed with both imports, who appear ready to play in the WHL and are adapting well to life in Canada.

Finnie: ‘Don’t count us out’

From D3

Emmitt Finnie, an 18-year-old forward who was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in June, enjoyed a late-season surge in 2022-2023 and much is expected of him this season.

“People are counting us out,” said Finnie, who rode a 10-game point streak into the 2023 WHL playoffs and pushed it to 15 games in the post-season. “I think we can have a really successful team this year. I see myself as a leader this year. I’m going to have to step into a bigger role offensively and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Logan Bairos returns to help anchor the blue line in his 20-year-old campaign.

“The vibe might be a little bit different, but it is still very winning-focused,” Bairos said. “We’re all trying to prove ourselves. I want to be a leader on this team and try to affect this team for the better.”

Bairos highlighted strides made by 17-yearold rearguard Harrison Brunicke, whose steady development last season and sizeable contribution during the playoffs and Memorial Cup have him on the 2024 NHL Draft radar.

Kamloops Blazers’ import defenceman Matteo Koci (right) clears the zone in pre-season action against the Victoria royals earlier this month at Sandman Centre.

ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW