The BCHL held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) over a series of video conference calls over the last month and the league’s Board of Governors has approved several new initiatives and protocols for the 2020-21 season.
In Part 1, we outlined changes to on-ice procedures and player safety. In Part 2, we will go over the remaining significant items that came out of the meeting.
Cranbrook
The league officially welcomed the Cranbrook Bucks into the fold as its 18th franchise. The Bucks were announced as an expansion team for the coming season in October of 2019, but it became official as the league calendar flipped to the 2020-21 season on Jun. 1.
“Our ownership is extremely excited to become part of the BCHL and we can’t wait to drop the puck on our inaugural season,” said Bucks Owner and President Nathan Lieuwen. “It has been clear throughout this whole process that the league reflects our values of prioritizing player development, academics and supporting the community. The City of Cranbrook and the East Kootenays as a whole can hardly wait to see the BCHL come to Western Financial Place.”
Digital Gamesheets by GameSheet Inc.
The BCHL will be moving to the use of digital gamesheets starting in 2020-21. Among other benefits, transitioning to the online platform will assist the Department of Player Safety in developing a database of information. Previously, paper gamesheets would be filled out by hand and scanned and sent to the league office after a game.
The league will use the GameSheet Inc. platform after a successful trial at the 2019 BCHL Showcase Festival.
“We are continuing to look at ways we can modernize our day-to-day operations and this certainly does that,” said BCHL Executive Director Steven Cocker. “We look forward to working with Gamesheets Inc. on this new initiative.”
Bauer
The BCHL has extended its longstanding agreement with Bauer as the BCHL’s provider for equipment, jerseys, and apparel.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Bauer,” said Cocker. “The league has developed a great relationship with their team over the last few years and we look forward to building on that foundation.”
HockeyTech
The BCHL has also extended its agreement with HockeyTech who facilitates the league’s stats and standings, hosts the website for the league and its teams and also streams all BCHL games through HockeyTV.
“We are happy to have HockeyTech back on board going forward,” said BCHL Commissioner Chris Hebb. “They’ve provided us with excellent service over the years and fans can look forward to upgrades to the league and team websites as well as the BCHL’s HockeyTV page in the near future.”
