In the weeks leading up to the start of the 2022-23 season, we will be going team-by-team to profile new players coming in for the upcoming year. This will include recaps of offseason commitments and acquisitions, as well as scouting reports from the coaches.
We have moved into the Coastal Conference. Next up is the Chilliwack Chiefs.
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The Chilliwack Chiefs finished 2021-22 as the number-two seed in the Coastal Conference after a late-season surge helped them overtake multiple teams to earn that spot. After a hard-fought seven-game series win in round one against the Coquitlam Express, the Chiefs ran into a brick wall in Nanaimo Clippers goalie Cooper Black in the second round and ultimately bowed out.
Typically one of the youngest teams in the league year after year, Chilliwack should again rely on youth with a large group of new recruits coming into the lineup.
Head coach and general manager Brian Maloney has been behind the Chiefs bench since the 2016-17 campaign and has been the man in charge for the past four seasons. He breaks down his new recruits heading into the season.
New recruits
Sasha Teleguine (2002, F)
Hometown: North Attleborough, Mass.- Previous team: University of Connecticut (NCAA)
Teleguine will be familiar to Chiefs fans as he spent the 2020-21 pod season in Chilliwack where he put up 18 points in 20 games and won the Rookie of the Year award for the Chilliwack Pod. He played his freshman season at UConn last year and had a goal and two assists in 20 games, but decided to come back to Chilliwack to play another year of junior before deciding on his NCAA future.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“He had the option to stay at UConn or to transfer to another school, but they contacted us and felt it was a better idea for him to come back to junior and work on his play away from the puck. He’s arguably one of the quickest players you’ll see in our league next season. Not only is he quick, but he has good size. He’s a bit of a bulldog that can bowl right through you. We’re pretty lucky to have Sasha back and we expect him to be impactful right away.”
Casy Laylin (2004, F)
Hometown: St. Michael, Minn.- Previous team: Chicago Steel (USHL)
- College commitment: University of St. Thomas
Laylin posted a goal and five assists in 38 games last year with Chicago of the USHL. Prior to that, he was a star at St. Michael-Albertville High in his home state of Minnesota, racking up 63 points in 43 games over two seasons. He is the younger brother of former Prince George Spruce Kings forward Luc Laylin.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“He’s a smart player with some junior experience already. He’s coming from an organization in Chicago that gave him a good understanding of the fundamentals of the game, as well as a lot of good habits. Getting up to the pace of play of the BCHL is going to be the biggest hurdle for him. Once he’s got that, the IQ and everything else will take over from there.”
Duncan Ramsay (2004, D)
Hometown: Halifax, N.S.- Previous team: Kimball Union Academy (USHS-Prep)
- College commitment: University of Vermont
Ramsay was the captain of his prep school team last year. He finished his 2021-22 season with 27 points in 33 games to tie for the lead in scoring among Kimball Union defencemen.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“Ramsay is a big 6-foot-4, lefthanded defenceman with really good skating ability. He’s probably a defence-first guy with a really long stick, but he can get up the ice and we expect him to do that this season. He’s just good all around. We’re getting Abram Wiebe back this year and I see a lot of similarities between the two. Duncan is going to be a big presence on the ice.”
Austin McNicholas (2004, G)
Hometown: Clarence Center, N.Y.- Previous team: Salisbury School (USHS-Prep)
McNicholas put together an impressive season last year with Salisbury, posting a .926 save percentage and a 1.78 goals-against average over 17 games.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“He’s a pretty high-end, young and talented goaltender. Both him and Casy [Laylin] made Team USA for the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky tournament last year, but were unable to play in it due to COVID, so we’re pretty fortunate to have them in this league. He has really good posture in the net. Him and [returning goalie] Cole Savage are going to have a chance to go back and forth to push for playing time.”
Dylan Kinch (2004, F)
Hometown: Calgary, Alta.- Previous team: Edge School U18 Prep (CSSHL U18)
Kinch was a huge offensive producer for Edge School in Alberta last year, leading the team in all offensive categories. His 31 goals in 36 games were the most in all of the CSSHL, while his 60 points were third highest in the league.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“I played with his dad, so I know his family well and I’ve known Dylan since he was five years old. He’s an extremely smart player and is patient with the puck. It seems to follow him around and, when that’s happening, it usually means you’re a smart player. Like a lot of the kids coming into this league, getting him up to the pace of play in the BCHL will be the biggest challenge, but he has a chance to have some success in the league right away.”
Liam Steele (2004, D)
Hometown: Cobham, Great Britain- Previous team: Stanstead College Varsity (CAHS)
- College commitment: Cornell University
A dual English and Canadian citizen, Steele was the captain at Stanstead College last year where he totaled 37 points in 44 games across all competition. He also represented Great Britain internationally at the under-18 and under-20 tournaments in the lower divisions.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“There’s a lot to work with with Liam. He’s probably one of the most noticeable players that we’ve added. He’s pretty raw. He’s got the ability to get up the ice and be offensive, but also defend with the body and a good long stick. We’re pretty fortunate to get him in here and teach him the structure of our system, but also allow him to use his skillset and his ability to make some plays.”
Mason Kesselring (2004, F)
Hometown: Manchester, N.H.- Previous team: Cushing Academy (USHS-Prep)
Kesselring finished his 2021-22 season as Kushing’s second-leading scorer with 26 points in 25 games. His 13 goals were tied for the most on the team.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“He’s a tall centreman with offensive upside. He’s a kid that can control play offensively. He made some really good plays at the high school level. We’ll try to get his pace of play up and get him to play harder in all areas. Once he gets his feet wet in this league, we expect him to be a pretty good player.”
Brian Morse (2003, D)
Hometown: Fresno, Calif.- Previous team: Northstar Christian Academy (USHS-Prep)
Morse put up massive numbers at Northstar Academy in Minnesota last year. He was the team’s highest scoring defenceman in 2021-22 with 106 points in 81 games across all competition.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“I feel like he’s going to be a phenomenal player in this league, but it’s quite a big jump from playing high school hockey. He’s going to make a lot of plays and log a lot of minutes for us right away. He’s got quite a few schools that are interested in him right now. He’s a pass-first guy with a little bit of bite to his game. He’s going to be a nice fit on our defence corps since they all move extremely well.”
Dryden Kuramoto (2006, F)
Hometown: Burnaby, B.C.- Previous team: Vancouver Northeast Chiefs U18 AAA (BCEHL U18)
Kuramoto played at a point-per-game pace in his 15-year-old season with 26 points in 26 contests playing for a U18 Chiefs team that won the provincial title and played in the national championship tournament. He also played five games with the Chiefs last year as an affiliate and recorded one assist.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“He’s a pretty electric player. He’s small in size, but he did well in the games and practices that we had him. If he was getting bumped around physically, he was still beating guys to the net and getting underneath their hands. He’s small in stature, but he has the heart of a warrior. With his speed and offensive ability, you’re going to see him eventually turn into a fan favourite.”
Dalton MacGillivray (2004, F)
Hometown: Surrey, B.C.- Previous team: Delta Ice Hawks (PJHL)
MacGillivray was the PJHL’s fifth-leading point-getter in 2021-22, finishing his season with 70 points in just 36 games. His 30 goals were tied for third in the league, while his 40 assists were sixth most. He also scored twice in his six games up as an affiliate with Chilliwack last year.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“He’s got a really high IQ. The puck kind of sticks to him. He can make plays, but he also has some bite. He works hard to come up with a lot of loose pucks. He’s going to be a kid we can move all around our lineup. He’s going to be a good player in this league eventually.”
Bryan Jones (2004, F)
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio- Previous team: Northwood School (USHS-Prep)
Jones spent the past two seasons at Northwood School in New York. He was the team’s third-leading scorer in 2021-22 after putting up 38 points in 53 games.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“Brian is an extremely smart, 200-foot centreman with good size. He’s a kid that’s going to take some time just to fill out a bit. He thinks the game extremely well. His dad is the head coach at Clarkson University, so he’s a student of the game. We had him around a bit last year, just talking hockey, and he understands the game already at such a young age.”
Hunter Curtis (2005, D)
Hometown: Langley, B.C.- Previous team: Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U18 (BCEHL U18)
Curtis was highly productive on the back end for Fraser Valley last year, compiling five goals and 18 assists for 23 points in 34 games. He affiliated with the Chiefs for six games last season and scored his first BCHL goal.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“He’s a physical specimen for his age. He just turned 17, but he’s got the physique of a 19-year-old. He’s another player that really impressed us when we had him up, especially with his poise with the puck. There’s lots of room to grow with him.”
Darius Bachler (2005, F)
Hometown: Langley, B.C.- Previous team: Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U18 (BCEHL U18)
Bachler played at over a point-per game pace for the Thunderbirds last year, wrapping up his campaign with 36 points in 35 games. He got into five games with the Chiefs last year as an affiliate and registered one assist.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“Darius brings a lot of size and grit that will be a nice injection into our lineup. He’s shown an ability to score at the U18 level. He should be pretty good around the net. We’re looking forward to him coming in and pushing for ice time. We’re hoping he had a big summer and is ready to go play some junior hockey.”
Nico Grabas (2005, F)
Hometown: Burnaby, B.C.- Previous team: Burnaby Winter Club U18 Prep (CSSHL U18)
Grabas scored 15 goals and added 12 assists for 27 points in 26 games for BWC last season. He got into some BCHL game action last year as an affiliate with Chilliwack, suiting up for four games and chipping in with an assist.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“He’s got a little bite to his game. We love his work ethic. That’s always going to come with the Grabas family. We had his older brother last year for a few months and Nico is a lot like him. He’s going to be one of those 200-foot players that will be in the lineup because of his work ethic and his good habits. As he continues to gain his confidence, you’re going to see him produce offensively.”
Hunter McInnes (2005, D)
Hometown: Nanaimo, B.C.- Previous team: St. George’s School U18 Prep (CSSHL U18)
McInnes scored five goals and added 13 assists for 18 points in 30 games for St. George’s to finish second on his team in points by defencemen. He has seven games of BCHL experience under his belt from his time affiliating with the Chiefs last year. He had four assists in those games.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“We brought him in and were pretty blown away by how he handled the BCHL last year as an affiliate player. He came in and used his foot speed to get through checks and was able to make plays with his feet. He skates extremely well. He’s earned the right to be in this league and probably be an everyday player for us.”
Aaron Davidson (2002, F)
Hometown: Pattsville, Ont.- Previous team: Florida Eels (USPHL Premier)
Davidson is an intimidating presence at 6-foot-9. The 20-year-old put up 17 points in 41 games for Florida of the USPHL Premier league last year.
Maloney’s scouting report:
“What pops out right away is his size. We have an extremely young team coming in this year, which we always do in Chilliwack, but this year might be the youngest team that I’ve ever had here, so we wanted to add a bit of size and experience. He’s not only a big kid, but he skates really well for his size and he can shoot the puck with authority. We’re looking forward to him coming in and mixing with our younger, skilled players.”
Photo credits: Dan Hickling (Laylin, Ramsay, McNicholas, Kesselring, Jones), Dave Watling (Kinch), Julie Huntington (Morse), Greg Balloch/Delta Ice Hawks (MacGillivray), Darren Francis (Curtis, Bachler)
