The Trail Smoke Eaters have finalized its training camp and pre-season schedules as it prepares to embark on its 2012-13 campaign.
In a bit of a twist to the upcoming season, the Smokies will run a two-day rookie camp immediately prior to the main camp at the end of August.
The three-day main camp will take place Aug. 24-26 at Cominco Arena. Unlike last season, the main camp will be preceded by a two-day rookie camp Aug. 22 and 23.
This camp will allow the Smoke Eaters coaching staff to evaluate prospects to retain for the main camp, and possibly into the BCHL season on the club’s 22-man roster.
Two days following the main camp potential players and coaches will jump into pre-season action with two games played in Chase against the Prince George Spruce Kings on Aug. 28 and 29.
The team will then travel to Merritt to take on the Centennials on Aug. 31 before heading for home where they’ll play their final pre-season game against Merritt on Sept. 1 at the Cominco Arena.
Smoke Signals:
The Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League have signed Smoke Eaters forward Luke Bertolucci to a standard player agreement.
Bertolucci was a 10th round selection, 200th overall by the Oil Kings in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. The Oil Kings are the defending WHL champions and represented the league in the 2012 Memorial Cup in Quebec.
Bertolucci, a native of Montrose, made 47 appearances with the Smoke Eaters during the 2011-12 season, scoring three times and adding 15 assists in his 16 year-old season.
•The Cominco Arena as well as every other BCHL rink will be outfitted with up-to-date streaming video hardware so fans can access each and every BCHL game online including all 16 games at the inaugural Showcase event in Chilliwack Sept. 7 to 9.
The BCHL and FASTHockey announced a long-term partnership offering a rich digital media experience to BCHL fans across the globe.
The partnership begins immediately with broadcasting set for the 2012-2013 hockey season.
Viewers will be treated to a world-class platform boasting breathtaking video, instant game archival for Video-On-Demand playback, advanced player features for live games, user-generated instant replays, and full social integration.