BCHL action on Oct 13, 2023. Vernon Vipers vs Salmon Arm Silverbacks. An Okanagan rivalry game saw plenty of action at both ends of the ice as there were eight total goals scored. A two goal effort from Isaac Tremblay #39, lifted the Vipers over their rivals by a final score of 5-3.
| Hank Cleaves | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | L | LW | 6’4″ | 181 | Dartmouth | 2024 | Riverside, CT | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Big, powerful forward who has good speed and size. Plays a hard game, but also has skill to go with it. Not afraid to grab pucks low in the defensive zone and skate it through the neutral zone, into the offensive zone, creating offense. Was good along the walls as he was able to turn his back to his opponents, protecting the puck and utilizing slip plays to his linemates. Was continuously able to take pucks to the net and ‘attack’ the hard areas. Good net front presence that caused problems for the defenders and goaltender.
| Linden Burrett | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | R | D | 6’1″ | 157 | Surrey, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Showed good signs of skill and passing abilities. Zipped hard passes and was able to breakout his team well from his own end. In the offensive zone, showed confidence by slipping into pop areas, where he was able to catch and release pucks. A couple times got low in the offensive zone, and was able to jam pucks into the goaltenders feet, creating offense this way.
| Casy Laylin | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | BCHL | R | F | 5’8″ | 170 | St. Thomas | 2024 | St. Michael, MN | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B
Comments: An offensive threat whenever he is on the ice. Uses his speed to enter the offensive zone, drive wide and filter pucks to the net. What makes him dangerous is his ability to deceive his opponents, whether it be with a quick shot off the rush or a slip pass to his teammates (especially off transition plays). Scored a goal in the 1st period by going hard to the net off a faceoff play, showing good hand-eye coordination and tipping a puck past the defender from the high slot area. Assisted on the Silverbacks 2nd goal of the game by picking up a loose rebound, and making a no-look backdoor pass. Showed great vision and IQ to know where his teammate was.
| Cole Longacre | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | BCHL | L | D | 6’2″ | 193 | Merrimack | 2024 | Sewell, NJ | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Taller, left shot defenseman who was able to get shots through to the net in the offensive zone. Owns a longer reach was able to evade shot blocks. At times, threw pucks towards the net blindly, but it seemed to find a way there most the time. Additionally, in the defensive zone he was able to also use his long reach to break up plays and disrupt plays, particularly along the walls and net front.
| Joseph Monteiro | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | BCHL | L | C | 5’11” | 195 | Providence | 2024 | Hudson, MA | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Speedy forward who challenged his opponents all night long. Consistently caught pucks in the neutral zone and attacked wide with speed. Had the ability to keep control of the puck, while his feet were moving. He also did this by changing the angle of his hands, holding them out wide, avoiding stick checks. Was able to throw pucks into scoring areas, and without the puck, got to the hard areas as well.
| Tristan Allen | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | BCHL | R | D | 5’11” | 183 | RIT | 2024 | Kamloops, BC | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Solid at both ends of the ice as he’s reliable defensively and chips in offensively too. Showed confidence in his skating ability by gapping up the ice and not retreating back into his own zone. Instead, read the play (off rush scenarios) and held his gap as long as he could, limiting his opponents zone entries/ or good looks on net. Additionally, had good puck retrievals, gaining control of pucks, and moving them up ice. Took strides while passing allow him to bypass the forecheck and get up the ice for the second wave of offense. Once in the offensive zone, showed good vision from the blue line and was able to get to open space, allowing him to get shots on net.
| Ryan Gillespie | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | BCHL | R | C | 6’0″ | 177 | Clarkson | 2024 | Toronto, ON | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Good, 2-way forward. Stopped on pucks in the defensive zone and committed to shot blocking. Was solid defensively, which in turn allowed him to gain possession of pucks and move them up ice to play offense. Made plays off the rush as either the puck carrier or the receiver. A good mix of grit and skill, winning puck battles and making plays from there.
| Isaac Lambert | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | BCHL | L | LW | 6’1″ | 182 | Maine | 2024 | Victoriaville, QC | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Created a lot with his speed and hard-work on the forecheck. Has long, effortless strides that allow him to gain momentum and chip pucks deep with the intention to get them back. Not afraid to lay the body to create separation and did an excellent job all night at getting pucks behind their defenders, laying the body, creating turnovers and getting pucks to the net. With his long reach, he was able to poke loose pucks, win battles and get to the hard areas (particularly in front of the net). Not only did he play well in the offensive zone, he hunted pucks back into his own zone as well. Committed to playing the right way, back-checking and stopping on pucks in the defensive zone.
| Ethan David | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | G | 6’3″ | 195 | Vancouver, BC | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Plays with swag and confidence. Carries himself well in the net, as his body language is evident. As a bigger frame, relies both on his size and athleticism to make saves. Moves well side to side, specifically post-to-post as he utilizes his RVH properly, sealing the low part of the ice and letting his upper body cover the upper part of the net. At times, played deeper due to his size, but could afford to get to the top of the paint, especially with traffic in front. Shows a good mixture of new and old school, relying on reads. Made some big stops to preserve the win.
| Owen Kim | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | R | RW | 5’8″ | 160 | Holy Cross | 2024 | North Vancouver, BC | 2004 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Did a good job along the defensive zone walls. For example, sank low enough to support his defenseman, collected pucks and didn’t panic. Instead, held onto them and found his teammates that were able to move onto his passes with speed, ultimately leading to a quicker breakout. As a smaller player, showed signs of skill and ability to make plays, but at times was also limited to the outside, which made it hard for him to get ‘inside the game’.
| Maks Percic | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | R | D | 6’2″ | 203 | Michigan Tech | 2024 | Maribor, SLO | 2004 | 2023-2024: C+2021-2022: B- |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Was rock solid all night. His skating ability along with his puck control was what made him effective. Managed the puck well in his own end by collecting pucks, not panicking, using his edge-work and getting pucks out of the zone. Understand when to high flip the puck, or make clean breakout passes whenever he was pressured or not. Showed good hockey IQ and was smooth on the back-end.
| Lukas McCloskey | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | R | D | 6’3″ | 205 | Irvine, CA | 2005 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Bigger, right shot defenseman who was able to get pucks towards the net and avoid shot blocks. Filtered out wide enough to find shooting lanes and was able to allow sifting shots to get towards the net with traffic.
| Luke Pakulak | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | R | RW | 6’4″ | 205 | Clarkson | 2024 | Surrey, BC | 2003 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: For a big body, moves well. Keeps his feet moving in all three zones and is extremely hard to defend against. Salmon Arm had good gaps all night, but with his combination of speed and strength he was able to bull-doze his way into the offensive zone and force his opponents to retreat, creating more time and space for himself and his linemates. Goes to the hard areas, whether that be in front of the net or in the corners. Wins battles because he is hard on his stick and can use his body to his advantage. Scored the 1st goal of the game by out muscling his opponent, getting to the net and tipping in a puck net front.
| Isaac Tremblay | Vernon Vipers | BCHL | L | F | 6’0″ | 165 | St. Lawrence | 2024 | Sherbrooke, QC | 2004 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Scored the 2nd goal of the game for the Vipers on an end to end play that displayed what his game is all about. Speed, skill and finish. Corralled a puck in the defensive zone, weaved in and out of traffic, changing his body angle (along with his hands) to avoid checks… once entering into the offensive zone he crossed over, deceiving the defender, going all alone on the goaltender and ripping a bullet of a shot, top shelf over the goaltenders shoulder. His release to go along with his quick moves was impressive as it was quick, hard and accurate. Once he gets going, he is a threat as his speed is hard to handle.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images