The Northwest Giants should still be a team to be reckoned with following the announcement of zone boundary changes to the Major Midget Hockey League by B.C. Hockey last week.
The defending seven-time regular season champs, which draws players from Burnaby, the North Shore, the Sunshine Coast and up to and including Whistler, will see New Westminster and players from East Burnaby moved over to the Northeast Chiefs catchment area next season.
“It’s not going to affect much of the zone,” said Giants head coach Clint Thornton, who believes postal codes bordering the municipality of Coquitlam and all of New West will be those directly affected by the boundary changes.
“It’s a tough situation, but something did need to change. I don’t know if changing the zones is the answer,” he said.
Other announced changes included North Delta association players now affiliated with the Valley West zone and Langley moved to the Fraser Valley zone.
On Vancouver Island, the Cowichan Valley association, which last season helped populate the South Island Royals, has been divided in two with affected players being moved to the North Island Silvertips.
“The changes were made to enhance the opportunities for more elite players to compete in the B.C. Major Midget League,” said managing director Joe Downing in a B.C. Hockey press release.
But Thornton is unsure whether boundary changes alone is the sole answer.
“I would like to see the best 220 players in the province playing major midget regardless of boundaries. If this is the first step, great, but I think more has to happen,” Thornton said.
That something more could include clubs being able to select from those players who are unable to make the 25-man rosters on other major midget teams, Thornton added.
The Giants will hold an evaluation camp in early August. The 2014/15 season is scheduled to begin in September.
