Langley Rivermen have acquired Westshore Wolves of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL).
Announced in May, the deal comes a year after the Rivermen and the other 21 teams in the junior A British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) split with Hockey Canada, the national governing body for hockey in Canada, and less than a month after the 11 VIJHL teams did the same thing.
VIJHL teams had been promoted from Junior B to Junior A, Tier 2 teams by B.C. Hockey following the BCHL departure.
But, in April 2024, the VIJHL announced that it, too, would withdraw from the Hockey Canada framework and become an independent farm league for the BCHL beginning in the 2024-25 season.
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Rivermen co-owner Jamie Schreder said the Wolves will provide a “pathway for elite players to play hockey at a high level. This partnership will give younger players an opportunity to play games and practice with a BCHL team while continuing their development in the VIJHL.”
Co-owner Dana Matheson said the alliance “will allow the Langley Rivermen to develop and affiliate players from Westshore. We will build synergies with the Wolves in order to support both clubs. We’re very excited about the direction of the VIJHL, and how this league will work with the BCHL moving forward.”
Wolves play out of the Q Centre in Colwood, which holds 2,300 seats and is also home to the Victoria Grizzlies and Victoria Shamrocks.
The Wolves deal was one of several changes recently announced by the Rivermen, who have added to their coaching staff, and signed several new players, among them Langley’s Marco Oliviero, an 18-year-old 6’3” 185 lb. standout with the U18 Fraser Valley Thunderbirds last season, when not only made the U18 All-Star team, but he earned the most goals in the BCEHL award. In 36 games, Oliviero scored 35 coals and recorded 16 assists.
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Rivermen also announced an addition to their coaching staff.
New Assistant Coach Josh Spencer has worked with Rivermen head coach and general manager Chris Shaw before, at the 2022-2023 BC Hockey Program of Excellence.
Spencer, a native of St. Albert, Alberta has worked as an assistant coach with the Valley West Hawks/Giants, the Greater Vancouver Canadians U18AAA BCEHL, San Diego Sabers of the USPHL, and the White Rock Whalers of the PJHL.
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Last season, Rivermen made it to the BCHL playoffs, but fell to the Chilliwack Chiefs in the first round.
Four games in five nights saw three dramatic finishes in overtime, but the Chiefs closed out the series with a solid 5-2 win.
