It is what every hockey coach dreams about in February.
“Anytime you can add experience and depth this time of year at the deadline is invaluable,” said Victoria Grizzlies GM and head coach Rylan Ferster.
That’s exactly what the Grizzlies of the B.C. Hockey League got this week with the addition of 20-year-old hometown product Julian Cull, who came out of the Juan de Fuca Minor Hockey Association and the Westshore Wolves of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.
It is not so much Cull’s 168 regular-season Western Hockey League games with the Vancouver Giants that intrigued Ferster, although those will certainly come in handy during the stretch drive, it’s more the winger’s 16 WHL post-season games with the Giants.
“He understands what it takes in the playoffs,” said Ferster.
“This is a really good signing for us. It’s a quiet, sneaky good pick-up.”
The five-foot-11 Cull had 24 points in 168 regular-season WHL games for the Giants over three seasons. It’s that kind of experience that counts in stretch drives leading to the playoffs.
“In the standings right now, if you have a good weekend you could be in second place, but if you have a bad weekend you could be in fifth place,” said Ferster.
The Grizzlies had it more on the latter side last weekend, opening with two losses before a goal by Oliver Genest with eight seconds remaining in regulation time gave Victoria a 2-1 win Sunday over the Rivermen in Langley to salvage the three-games-in-three-days stretch that began with losses against Powell River and Chilliwack.
“Although last weekend did not start the way we wanted, I thought Sunday in Langley was a real character win for us and we showed real passion and energy in rebounding,” said Ferster.
“More than anything this time of year, it’s about the process.”
The Grizzlies (21-15-1) head into another big weekend by hosting two very good teams at The Q Centre, the Vernon Vipers from the Interior Conference (22-14-1) tonight and the Nanaimo Clippers (21-13-2) on Saturday night, the latter a pivotal Coastal Conference match-up as the teams battle for potential home-ice advantage in the playoffs.
Only three points separate the second-place Alberni Valley Bulldogs from the fifth-place Grizzlies in the Coastal Conference with the Bulldogs on 46 points, Chilliwack Chiefs 45, Clippers 44 and Grizzlies 43. The sixth-place Coquitlam Express is keeping within hailing distance on 37 points. The Surrey Eagles have run away and hid atop the Coastal table with 58 points.
The BCHL trade deadline is Saturday at 4 p.m.
ICE CHIPS: An NHL reunion broke out on the Powell River Kings bench as former Vancouver Canucks forward Cliff Ronning has been named assistant coach and joins head coach and former Edmonton Oilers’ and New York Rangers’ Stanley Cup champion Glenn Anderson. “This game has given me a lot and I’m happy to give back by contributing to player development at the junior level,” Ronning said in a statement. “Now it’s time to go to work and make the playoffs. There is nothing like playoff hockey.” The Kings are last in the Coastal Conference and four points adrift of both the Rivermen and Cowichan Valley Capitals, who hold down the last two playoff positions.
