Sports Ramblings

Second-year TWU Men’s Basketball Coach Aaron Muhic added to his backcourt announcing the signing of Victoria’s 6’3” Guard Ben Reddy.

He will graduate from Lambrick Park Secondary and is coming off an injury-shortened Grade 12 season.

He only managed to play in three games, but averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game.

Muhic stated to the media “I am very excited for Ben Reddy to be a part of our program as he is a very skilled player who knows how to win and is very tough.”

He continued “Coach (Ed) Somers has a great program at Lambrick Park and has done a great job with developing Ben as a basketball player. Ben is a great fit and I know he will be a really good player.”

He (Reddy) plans to study business at TWU said: “I was drawn to TWU because of the Christ-centered education and basketball program.

When I visited last summer and witnessed the way practices were ran and the great attitudes of the players and coaches, it certainly made my decision easier.

Coach Muhic was also one of only a few coaches who still believed in me and my game after I got injured.”

With Reddy, Muhic now has six incoming athletes who will join the Spartans this fall, including wing players Daniel Stead (Langley) and Aaron Paetkau (Parksville, B.C.) and guards Justin Robinson (Maple Ridge, B.C.), Josiah Meppelink (Langley) and Nigel Boyd (Richmond, B.C.).

Giant Moves

Giants GM Glen Hanlon moved Dakota Odgers (1996) to the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for a conditional eighth round pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.

Hanlon stated “Dakota has been a valuable member of our organization and our community during his time in Vancouver and we would like to thank him for his time with our club and wish him all the best in the future.”

Odgers comes from Spy Hill Saskatchewan joined the Giants on November 20/2014 after being acquired from the Swift Current Broncos.

He played 121 games in a Giants uniform over parts of two seasons, accumulating 11 goals and 11 assists.

Bowen Byram signs WHL Player Agreement

The Giants selected Byram with the third overall pick in last month’s WHL Bantam Draft.

Giants GM Glen Hanlon stated “In signing Bowen, we add an impactful number one defenseman which is something that all teams look for.

Bowen plays an up-tempo game and will bring speed and skill to our roster.” Byram spent the 2015/16 season with the Lethbridge Golden Hawks of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League.

The Cranbrook native tallied 22 goals and 37 assists in 34 games to lead the league in scoring by a defenseman.

The Golden Hawks won the AMBHL title before going on to capture a bronze medal at the Western Canadian Bantam AAA Championships.

“It’s just really exciting,” said Byram of signing with Vancouver. “I’ve been looking forward to this my whole life and my whole hockey career, and I’m just excited to get it going and be a WHL player.”

Pre-Season

The Vancouver Giants released their 2016 pre-season schedule on Wednesday. Vancouver will play six games in the exhibition campaign including one home game at the Ladner Leisure Centre and one home game at the Langley Events Centre.

The G-Men will also take part in the Everett Silvertips’ pre-season tournament.

• Friday, September 2nd at Spokane Chiefs. 3:00pm at Xfinity Arena in Everett, WA
• Saturday, September 3rd at Everett Silvertips. 7:00pm at Xfinity Arena in Everett, WA
• Saturday, September 10th at Victoria Royals. 2:00pm at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, BC
• Sunday, September 11th vs. Victoria Royals. 2:00pm at Ladner Leisure Centre in Ladner, BC
• Friday, September 16th at Kelowna Rockets. 7:05pm at Prospera Place in Kelowna, BC
• Saturday, September 17th vs. Victoria Royals. 3:00pm at Langley Events Centre in Langley, BC

Canucks to Flames

Calgary just hasn’t been the same the past few seasons and one knew that changes were on the horizon for possibly players and coaching staff.

Flames GM Brad Treliving made it official and announcement former Canucks Assistant Coach Glen Gulutzan (44) is now the Flames’ new bench boss.

Gulutzan becomes the 16th in franchise history and the successor to Bob Hartley (fired in May) due to Calgary having fourth-worst possession numbers of any team at a 46.5 shot attempts for percentage.

Gulutzan stated he’s gained invaluable experience over the past five seasons through learning from players and fellow coaches.

Gulutzan told the media “You create an emotional bank account with players.”