Salmon Kings spawn new contracts, prepare for season
The Victoria Salmon Kings, unfortunately, stumbled right out of the playoffs last season and missed their chance at winning the ECHL’s Kelly Cup. But that was last season.
Come Oct. 16, the long quest for the championship begins again as the team faces off against the Alaska Aces with three away games in a row in the northernmost American state.
“I’m really excited to play Alaska,” says Salmon Kings returning forward Adam Taylor. “They are our rivals and it should be a lot of fun.”
The Salmon Kings’ organization’s top brass had a busy summer, during which they signed a number of new forwards and defencemen.
“The turnover of players is so big that there’s only a few players coming back this year,” says Taylor. “But the league is tight. You’re travelling a lot together, so you have to learn to be a team quick or you’re not going to be a good team.”
One of their brightest moves of the offseason was resigning Wes Goldie. Goldie led the team in goals last season, tallying 48 over 72 games; and in 11 playoff outings he managed to put away five goals and rack up eight assists.
General manager and head coach Mark Morrison also made a smart decision when he decided to resign defenceman Patrick Coulombe, formerly a Vancouver Canucks prospect.
The 5’9” blueliner may find himself in a small frame, but he can definitely punch above his weight, and he posted six goals and 16 assists last season; decent numbers for a defenceman. But it’s Coulombe’s work ethic that makes him a real asset.
One of the newly acquired forwards that Salmon Kings fans should keep an eye on is Yannick Tifu, a skilled playmaker and consistent offensive threat.
Tifu arrived in Victoria from Florida, where he played with the Everblades.
During the 2008/09 campaign he scored six goals and added 27 assists in just 24 games. Together Goldie and Tifu could be a colossal combination on the power play and even a dominating tandem during regular shifts.
Another new acquisition to watch out for this year is Bear Trapp (yes, that’s his real name). Trapp is making his ECHL debut and spent the last four years hammering it out in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), where he played for the Sacred Heart University Pioneers.
During Trapp’s final season with the Pioneers he rang up 33 points in 36 games.
Morrison and his staff were also busy this summer ironing out a different kind of contract—an extension to their affiliation agreement with the Vancouver Canucks.
Morrison and Canucks general manager Mike Gillis renewed their agreement, which will see the Salmon Kings hockey operations work alongside Gillis and his scouts and coaching staff to develop future National Hockey League (NHL) and American Hockey League (AHL) players for another year.
The Salmon Kings also renewed their affiliation with the Canucks AHL farm team, the Manitoba Moose.
Both relationships help the Salmon Kings with the promotion of their club and give the staff insight into how to run a professional and successful hockey team.
The Salmon Kings’ first home games don’t begin until Oct. 21 when they face off against Bakersfield for a three-night stint at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The Victoria ECHL hockey club is also blowing out Salmon Kings season tickets to students for only $424.
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