In Trevor Sprague's view, major midget hockey in northern B.C. has gotten a reprieve.
Two weekends ago, the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League rejected proposals for expansion teams in Williams Lake and Quesnel. Had the bids been approved, the two Cariboo cities would have gained membership for next season.
The KIJHL is a junior B league for 16- to 20-year-olds. Meanwhile, the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League - of which Sprague's Cariboo Cougars are a part - caters to 15- to 17-year-olds. If Williams Lake and Quesnel junior B clubs were competing with the Cougars in the recruitment of northern-based talent, the potential for overlap would exist. With only so many players to go around, Sprague - general manager and head coach of the Cougars - had been concerned about a possible negative impact on the highly-successful Cariboo program.
But, KIJHL governors turned down the Williams Lake and Quesnel applications, partly because of scheduling and travel concerns.
"I guess it means a little bit longer life for major midget in northern British Columbia," Sprague said on Tuesday. "That's what it comes down to."
While the KIJHL won't be operating in Williams Lake and Quesnel next season, Tom Bachynski, the league's franchise committee spokesman, told the Williams Lake Tribune the applications were "excellent." In an interview with the Tribune's Greg Sabatino, Bachynski added that the KIJHL needs to "seek consultation" regarding whether or not expansion would benefit the league's business plan. Bachynski, president of the KIJHL's 100 Mile House Wranglers, also said the consensus among the governors was that Williams Lake and Quesnel would eventually be part of the league.
Currently, the KIJHL has 20 teams, with 100 Mile House as the northernmost location. 100 Mile was added to the league for the 2013-14 season, and, last season, won the playoff championship title for the first time.
In the interests of being as competitive as possible in the shortest amount of time, the Wranglers have been stocking their lineup with older players - 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds, and therefore haven't been battling the Cougars for players. In fact, the Cariboo program has proven beneficial to the Wranglers, as several Cougar graduates have gone on to skate for the 100 Mile House team. The 2015-16 championship club, for example, featured former Cariboo Cats Todd Bredo, Brett Harris and Tyler Povelofskie, as well as former affiliate player Jordan Low. This season, Cariboo grads skating for 100 Mile are Bredo, Riley Coish and Colton Thomas.
Coincidentally, one of Sprague's current players, forward Ty Kolle, is the son of the man spearheading the effort to bring the KIJHL to Quesnel, Matt Kolle. Sprague said the elder Kolle is a supporter of major midget hockey.
"He understands the true development of a kid between 15 and 17 with his own son," Sprague said. "He'd be a guy that, if he did get a junior B team, his team would be 18 to 20. I know Matt very well and he wants to win a championship."
While the Wranglers currently seek out older players, and while Sprague expects the same would be true of a Quesnel franchise, there are never guarantees for the future. Philosophies and strategies can change, and if junior B teams in this region decide to pursue 16- and 17-year-olds, the Cougars could still take a serious hit.
"If they're looking to have older teams and let us keep doing what we're doing, I think it can work," Sprague said. "If they're going to go after the 16-, 17-year-olds, well then it's not going to work. You're going to look at us probably turning into a Kootenay or a North Island scenario."
In the BCHMML, the Kootenay Ice and North Island Silvertips have traditionally struggled because they are in direct competition for players with the KIJHL and the Vancouver Island Junior (B) Hockey League respectively.
In the event that junior B hockey gains a foothold in the northern part of the province, and if those teams start fighting the major midget Cougars for players, Sprague said another possibility - besides becoming a weak sister in the league - exists.
"If it isn't going to work with the junior B teams, you'd probably just look at (establishing) an academy (program) because then we don't have to deal with just northern British Columbia," Sprague said. "We can go out to the world and say, 'Hey, here we are,' and get our players that way."
Historically, the Cougars have been a top team in the BCHMML. Sprague, his staff, and others before them have dedicated themselves to making the organization successful, and part of that success is borne from strong recruiting in the Cariboo and northern regions. The lack of a junior B option on this side of 100 Mile House has also helped.
Currently, the Cougars are in first place in the 11-team league with a 27-4-1-0 record. From April 24-30, they will host the Telus Cup national midget hockey championship tournament.
When it comes to junior B hockey, Sprague's ideal scenario would be to change the age range for eligibility.
"I think there's been some thought, even with Hockey Canada at some point, that junior B goes from 17, 18, 19, 20, 21," he said. "I think that would be a better fit for overall development between 15 and 17."
