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Luke Lavery has been a fixture in the BCHL now for five seasons, but before his junior days, he developed as a youth hockey player in Nanaimo, B.C.
His early years were spent playing in the Nanaimo Minor Hockey system and he credits one of his coaches from those days as having a profound impact on him as a player. Jamie Wood, the father of former BCHLer and current Nashville Predator Matthew Wood, was one of Lavery’s coaches for seven years.
According to Lavery, to this day, he still reaches out to Jamie for advice, which the former women’s NCAA DIvision I coach is only too happy to give.
Matthew Wood was also a part of those Nanaimo minor teams and both he and Lavery developed a close bond.
“He is probably one of my best friends,” he said.
Wood recently finished his third NCAA season and, just last week, signed his entry-level NHL contract with the Nashville Predators, after being taken in the first round of the 2023 draft.
“We were talking that night and he was saying how crazy it was to go from the BCHL all the way up there so quickly,” said Lavery. “For the few of us that have been around him the whole time, it’s almost like we’re going to the NHL with him. It’s been unbelievable.”
“There was a group of us that got to play together for six or seven years straight and I still keep in touch with them almost every day. Whether they’re still playing hockey or not, they’re some of my best friends.”
After his minor hockey stint, as well as a year with the North Island Silvertips under-18 program, Lavery began his BCHL career as a 16-year-old in the 2020-21 pod season with his hometown Nanaimo Clippers. Despite the unusual circumstances of playing in empty arenas because of the pandemic, it was still a dream come true.
“I remember my first game like it was yesterday,” he said. “We went up to Alberni and there weren’t any fans in the stands, but I still got to put that Clippers jersey on for the first time. It was really special.”
After a couple of seasons of finding his way as a young player in junior hockey with the Clippers and then the Vernon Vipers, Lavery was acquired by the Cowichan Valley Capitals early in the 2022-23 season, which proved to be a turning point in his career.
He scored 17 goals in 42 games after joining the Caps that season, then put up 46 points in 54 games the following year.
“Just gaining experience was a big thing for me,” he said about his success in Cowichan. “I was really happy to get back closer to home as well. I think, with the opportunity I was given there my first year there, I just made the most of it. Once I came back for the next season, I knew I was ready to be one of the main guys and a leader on that team. It worked out pretty well for me. I will always cherish my time there because that’s really where I broke out in this league.”
Heading into his fifth and final year of junior hockey, his BCHL career came full circle as he was re-acquired by the Clippers, allowing him to close out his time in the league with his hometown team where he grew up going to games every Friday night.
2024-25 got off to a rocky start in Nanaimo as the team struggled out of the gate and looked in danger of missing the playoffs at the midway point of the season. That all changed after the Christmas break when the Clippers seemingly flipped a switch and became one of the top teams in the conference. They went 19-5-3 from Dec. 28 onward and comfortably found themselves in the playoffs as the six seed by season’s end.
“We just came back from Christmas with a different mentality, knowing that no one was going to feel sorry for us,” he said. “In our dressing room, we feel like we can dominate every night. Every day is a fun day to come to the rink.”
Lavery and his teammates now shift their focus to their first round playoff matchup against the Cowichan Valley Capitals, by far the most improved team in the BCHL this season.
The Caps finished third in the Coastal Conference and hold home-ice advantage in the first round, although the Clippers had the edge in the season series, winning five of seven matchups.
“It’s going to be an electric series,” said Lavery. “We had a great seven games against them in the regular season. They were all tight. We’re just really looking forward to this. It’s going to be the best team wins, and we think that’s us. We’re going to go out there and play our game. It’s going to be a great series to watch and it might go the distance.”
After five seasons in the BCHL, when asked what the perfect ending to his BCHL career would be, the response was simple.
“There’s only one answer to that and it’s to win this thing,” he said. “It’s been five years, so I think it’s time. I think we have the group inside that room to do it and I know the guys want it.”
