Heinen Nominated for CJHL Rookie of the Year

More accolades yesterday for the Eagles captain, Danton Heinen, as the Canadian Junior Hockey League announced the 18 year-old Langley product is one of five nominees for the CJHL Rookie of the Year award.

Heinen, the BCHL Rookie of the Year and Most Sportsmanlike Player, finished with 62 points during the regular season and was Surrey's co-leader in playoff scoring with 7 points from six games.

Heinen is up for the award against Neil Doef (Smiths Falls, CCHL), Chris Gerrie (Olds, AJHL), Ryland Pashovitz (Humboldt, SJHL) and Jake Walman (Toronto Canadians, OJHL).

The full release from the CJHL is available here. The winner will be announced next week.

A brief news release from the team follows:

The Surrey Eagles congratulate captain and leading scorer Danton Heinen on being named as one of five nominees for Canadian Junior Hockey League Rookie of the Year.

Heinen, from Langley, led all BCHL rookies in scoring during the 2013-14 season with 62 points (29-33), and was named Eagles captain in mid-January, The 18 year-old University of Denver commit appeared in all but one of Surrey's 58 regular-season games, compiling only 8 minutes in penalties.

Heinen was awarded the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy for BCHL Rookie of the Year, and the Bob Fenton Trophy, which is awarded to the league's Most Sportsmanlike Player, in March.

The CJHL, which comprises the 10 Junior "A" leagues in Canada including the BCHL, will announce the winner during the week of May 5th.

Surrey Eagles season-ticket packages are now available. Visit www.surreyeagles.ca for details on our new pricing structure for 2014-15 or call (604) 531-GOAL (4625) for more information.

Eagles Unveil New Ownership/Management Structure

The Surrey Eagles announced this morning a change in organizational structure that sees former majority owner Chuck Westgard take 100% possession of the club. Westgard has bought out his partners and in doing so, has enlisted the services of a sports management company to oversee the day-to-day operations of the club going forward.

A renewed commitment to community engagement and local recruiting is also part of the club's vision going forward, and personally, I think it's the right move. A resonating commentary from fans in each of my stops in the BCHL has been one of nurturing, developing and showcasing local talent, and the Eagles are re-affirming their commitment both to that, and to increasing their presence and involvement in our community.

As an organization, I think there's a lot of excitement about the possibilities that lay ahead with the Eagles, and with the 2014-15 slowly inching its way forward, time is definitely of the essence.

The full release from the team follows:

SURREY – The Surrey Eagles Hockey Club are ushering in a new era with a revitalized ownership and management structure.

Eagles owner Chuck Westgard has bought out his partners to gain 100 percent control of the team. In addition, Westgard has enlisted the services of a sports management company to carry out the day-to-day operations of the club going forward.

“Our vision is for the Surrey Eagles to be champions on the ice as well as champions in the community,” Westgard stated, “and it’s clear that change needed to come to our organization.”

“Our plan going forward is for the Eagles to place renewed emphasis on community engagement and involvement, and that focus on the community will stretch to our roster too,” Westgard added. “We want our club to feature life-long Eagles supporters, which is why we plan on building our roster with the very best LOCAL talent our region has to offer.”

This change will ensure the Surrey Eagles will remain a viable, integral part of the community as they prepare for their 24th season in the BCHL. More information on the team’s organizational structure going forward will be made public in the coming weeks.

Eagles Acquire Blanchard From Vees

 

Step one of the Surrey Eagles' off-season transition was finalized Friday, as the team announced the acquisition of forward Josh Blanchard (96) from Penticton. The move finalizes the trade made in January involving Nic Pierog and Anthony Conti, as Blanchard now joins the Eagles a year ahead of his pending commitment to NCAA Division I St. Cloud State.

Blanchard, from Kelowna, put up 7 points in only 28 games played with the Vees in 2013-14 as he missed some time with injury, but comes to the Lower Mainland as a speedy, skilled addition to Surrey's roster. He scored 29 times two seasons ago with the major midget Okanagan Rockets in their trip to the BCMML final, and put up his first BCHL goal in that season's playoffs as an AP call-up to the Vees.

Welcome to the Eagles Josh!

The full release from the Eagles follows:

The Surrey Eagles are pleased to announce the acquisition of forward Josh Blanchard (96) from the Penticton Vees.

Blanchard is the player named as future considerations from a January 4th transaction that saw Surrey acquire forward Anthony Conti (95) from the Vees in exchange for forward Nicolas Pierog (93).

Blanchard, a native of Kelowna, recently completed his rookie BCHL season with Penticton. In 28 games played, the 17 year-old amassed 3 goals and 7 points. During the 2012-13 season, the 5’8” forward scored 29 goals and 55 points with the major midget Okanagan Rockets, the BCMML finalists in 2013.

Blanchard is committed to NCAA Division I St. Cloud State for the 2015-16 season.

“We’re excited to add another skilled forward in Josh Blanchard to our program,” stated Eagles head coach/general manager Peter Schaefer. “He comes here having already attracted the attention of a top NCAA program, and we’re certainly counting on him to figure prominently in our squad next winter.”

The Eagles would like to extend a warm welcome to Josh Blanchard as he becomes the most recent addition to the organization.