Kamloops Blazers

Kamloops Blazers
City Kamloops, British Columbia
League Western Hockey League
Conference Western
Division B.C.
Founded 1966
Home arena Sandman Centre
Colours Blue, white and orange
              
Owner(s) Tom Gaglardi (majority)[1]
Shane Doan
Jarome Iginla
Mark Recchi
Darryl Sydor
General manager Matt Bardsley[2]
Head coach Serge Lajoie[3]
Championships 6 WHL championships: 1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995
3 Memorial Cup championships: 1992, 1994, 1995
Website www.blazerhockey.com
Franchise history
1966–1971 Estevan Bruins
1971–1981 New Westminster Bruins
1981–1984 Kamloops Junior Oilers
1984–present Kamloops Blazers

The Kamloops Blazers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team plays in the B.C. Division of the western conference, is based out of Kamloops, British Columbia, and play home games at the Sandman Centre. The Blazers originated as the Estevan Bruins in 1966, became the New Westminster Bruins in 1971, and relocated to Kamloops in 1981 as the Kamloops Junior Oilers. The Blazers have won the Memorial Cup three times in 1992, 1994, and 1995, and the Ed Chynoweth Cup six times.

History

Their franchise was granted in 1966 as the Estevan Bruins in Estevan, Saskatchewan. In 1971, it moved to New Westminster, British Columbia, and was known as the New Westminster Bruins. It then moved to Kamloops in 1981 and was known as the Junior Oilers until 1984, when they were given their present name, the Kamloops Blazers. The team moved from the Kamloops Memorial Arena to the new Riverside Coliseum, then renamed to the Interior Savings Centre, in 1992, and finally changed to the Sandman Centre in 2015, due to co-owner Tom Gagliardi also owning the Sandman hotels brand.

The team has won the most Memorial Cups of any team in the WHL with five, two as New Westminster (1977 and 1978) and three as Kamloops (1992, 1994 and 1995). The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) record is seven, held by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Toronto Marlboros, now known the Guelph Storm.

The franchise began in 1946 as the Humboldt Indians of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and moved to Estevan to become the Bruins in 1957. The franchise has won the President's Cup a record 11 times, once in Estevan, four times in a row in New Westminster and six times since relocating to Kamloops. The Blazers hosted the 1995 Memorial Cup, although they went in the "front door" by also winning the WHL championship that year.

The team was featured as a plot element in a book called Blazer Drive by Sigmund Brouwer.

WHL finals appearances

Memorial Cup appearances

Coaches

Notable head coaches in the history of the Kamloops Blazers include Ken Hitchcock, Tom Renney, Don Hay, Marc Habscheid and Dean Evason.

Players

Current roster

Updated October 12, 2018.[4]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Drafted
23 Canada Ryley Appelt LW L 18 2015 Edmonton, Alberta Undrafted
19 Canada Orrin Centazzo LW L 18 2018 Marwayne, Alberta Undrafted
34 Canada Carson Denomie RW R 18 2015 Regina, Saskatchewan Undrafted
31 Canada Dylan Ferguson G L 19 2013 Lantzville, British Columbia 2017, 194th Overall, DAL
16 Canada Zane Franklin (A) RW R 19 2018 Marwayne, Alberta Undrafted
35 Canada Dylan Garand G L 16 2017 Victoria, British Columbia Eligible 2020
2 Canada Devan Harrison D L 18 2015 Dysart, Saskatchewan Undrafted
27 Canada Nolan Kneen (A) D R 19 2014 Kelowna, British Columbia Undrafted
22 Czech Republic Martin Lang RW R 17 2018 Rokycany, Czech Republic Eligible 2019
32 Canada Jermaine Loewen (C) RW R 20 2013 Mandeville, Jamaica 2018, 199th Overall, DAL
42 Canada Kobe Mohr LW L 19 2018 Lloydminster, Alberta Undrafted
5 Canada Montana Onyebuchi D R 18 2018 Dugald, Manitoba Undrafted
21 Canada Jerzy Orchard C L 17 2016 Delisle, Saskatchewan Eligible 2019
9 Canada Josh Pillar C R 16 2017 Warman, Saskatchewan Eligible 2020
25 Canada Quinn Schmiemann D L 17 2016 Wilcox, Saskatchewan Eligible 2019
41 Finland Joonas Sillanpää D L 17 2018 Göteborg, Sweden Eligible 2019
24 Canada Luc Smith (A) C R 20 2016 Onoway, Alberta Undrafted
12 Canada Kyrell Sopotyk LW L 16 2016 Aberdeen, Saskatchewan Eligible 2020
17 Canada Brodi Stuart (A) LW L 18 2015 Langley, British Columbia Undrafted
6 Canada Sean Strange D L 18 2015 Saanich, British Columbia Undrafted
11 Canada Travis Walton LW L 19 2014 Abbotsford, British Columbia Undrafted
18 Canada Connor Zary C L 17 2016 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Eligible 2020
7 Canada Luke Zazula D L 18 2015 Langley, British Columbia Undrafted

NHL alumni

Totals include those who played for the franchise as the Kamloops Junior Oilers.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

SeasonGP W L T OTLGF GA PointsFinishPlayoffs
1981–827218531–320464374th WestLost West Division semi-final
1982–837246260–461356923rd WestLost West Division semi-final
1983–847250220–4673321001st WestWon championship
1984–857252172–4232931061st WestLost final
1985–867249194–4492991021st WestWon championship
1986–877255143–4962921131st WestLost West Division final
1987–887245261–399307911st WestLost final
1988–897234335–326309733rd WestLost West Division final
1989–907256160–4842781121st WestWon championship
1990–917250202–3852471021st WestLost West Division final
1991–927251174–3512261061st WestWon championship and Memorial Cup
1992–937242282–302253863rd WestLost West Division final
1993–947250166–3812251061st WestWon championship and Memorial Cup
1994–957252146–3752021101st WestWon championship and Memorial Cup
1995–967248222–343257982nd WestLost West Division final
1996–977228377–256285635th WestLost West Division quarter-final
1997–987237323–234253774th WestLost West Division quarter-final
1998–9972481113–2981951091st WestLost final
1999–0072363051244228784th WestLost West Division quarter-final
2000–0172352872289274793rd WestLost West Division quarter-final
2001–0272382554263230851st B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2002–0372392751261222842nd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2003–0472342882192182783rd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2004–0572263772161211614th B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
SeasonGP W L OTL SOLGF GA PointsFinishPlayoffs
2005–0672343323179196735th B.C.Out of playoffs
2006–0772402642245222862nd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2007–0872274122197253584th B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2008–0972333324242277723rd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2009–1072323325237284713rd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2010–1172293733219285645th B.C.Out of playoffs
2011–1272472023290211991st B.C.Lost Western Conference semi-final
2012–1372472023261180992nd B.C.Lost Western Conference final
2013–1472145323175305335th B.C.Out of playoffs
2014–1572283743214258634th B.C.Out of playoffs
2015–1672382554237218853rd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2016–1772422424243198903rd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2017–1872303714212237654th B.C.Out of playoffs

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ownership". Blazerhockey.com.
  2. ↑ "Matt Bardsley Named Kamloops Blazers General Manager". OurSportsCentral.com. 1 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "Kamloops Blazers Hire Serge Lajoie as Head Coach". OurSportsCentral.com. 25 June 2018.
  4. ↑ WHL Network, Western Hockey League, retrieved 2018-10-12
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