The BCHL season is ramping up and the Cowichan Valley Capitals are busy preparing.
The team's main camp began on Sept. 2 and runs through Sept. 5 and there's a new-look staff behind the bench.
Joining new head coach Cam Keith, whose appointment was announced at the end of June, is assistant coach and team co-owner Clayton Stoner.
"I’m very excited to get behind the bench and help develop these great athletes, while creating a winning culture in the Cowichan Valley," Stoner said. "Our staff is amazing from new hire and Coach of the Year, Cam Keith, to our president, John Dewar. It is a passionate group who will ensure we succeed on and off the ice. I look forward to meeting our supporters and getting to know the great people in our community."
Stoner is no stranger to the rink. Drafted in the third round, 79th overall, by the Minnesota Wild at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, he broke into the league in 2009 and played with both the Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks until his retirement nearly a decade later.
Former pro, Mike Stutzel, will also serve as an assistant to Keith, while Hunter Lang is set to return for a second season behind the bench as the Capitals' trainer and equipment manager.
Fans willing to travel can see the squad in action on Friday, Sept. 6 when they visit the Nanaimo Clippers at Frank Crane Arena.
On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Caps play host to the Victoria Grizzlies at the Cowichan Arena.
The team plays the annual Bill Dellebuur intersquad game for charity, at The Stick on Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets, $5 for kids and $10 for adults, are being sold in support of the Cowichan District Hospital Foundation.
The memorial game, held every year at the end of the Capitals' main training camp, honours the late Bill Dellebuur, a long-time Capitals' volunteer scorekeeper, who died in 2018.
On Friday, Sept. 13, the Capitals visit the Bulldogs in Port Alberni and Cowichan's exhibition season ends on Saturday, Sept. 14 with a home tilt against the visiting Powell River Kings.
