After one year in North Seattle, the B.C. Hockey League is taking its annual Showcase back to the Fraser Valley, with a little help from the Vancouver Canucks.
The 2024 BCHL Showcase will take place Oct. 13-17 in Chilliwack and a few minutes down the road at the home of the Canucks’ AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. The NHL’s Canucks will act as co-hosts for the event, which will see all 21 BCHL teams playing two games each. The games will be split between the Chilliwack Coliseum, home to the BCHL’s Chiefs, and the Abbotsford Centre, home to the AHL Canucks. The Showcase is designed to be a one-stop shopping event for NCAA coaches and NHL scouts.
The Victoria Grizzlies will get a heavy dose of the Interior Conference at the Showcase, playing the defending Interior Conference champion Penticton Vees on Oct. 16 at 4 p.m., then the Salmon Arm Silverbacks on Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. Both games are at the Chilliwack Coliseum.
Members of the NHL Canucks’ organization will also be in attendance, as well as notable alumni.
“We are thrilled to have the support of the Vancouver Canucks as co-host of this year’s Showcase event,” BCHL commissioner Steven Cocker said in a statement on Friday.
“With the support of an NHL team for the second year in a row [Seattle Kraken were co-host of last year’s event] and the ability to host Showcase games in a professional building like the Abbotsford Centre, as well as a top-notch facility in Chilliwack, we think the 2024 Showcase will provide a heightened experience for our players, as well as the hundreds of scouts that will attend.”
The Cowichan Valley Capitals will kick off the Showcase, taking on the Vernon Vipers on Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. at the Abbotsford Centre. The Capitals will face the Trail Smoke Eaters on Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. at the Abbotsford Centre.
The Alberni Valley Bulldogs will also play on Oct. 13, taking on the Cranbrook Bucks at 7 p.m. at the Abbotsford Centre. The Bulldogs will then face the Prince George Spruce Kings on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Abbotsford Centre.
The Nanaimo Clippers begin their Showcase on Oct. 15 when they take on Cranbrook at 10 a.m. at the Abbotsford Centre. The Clippers will then face Salmon Arm on Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. at the Chilliwack Coliseum.
New to the BCHL Showcase this year is a Junior Prospects Hockey League U-18 Showcase which will take place in the latter stages of the BCHL Showcase.
The BCHL regular season begins Sept. 20 with the Grizzlies visiting the Powell River Kings.
