When the Langley Knights Junior B hockey team got squeezed out due to a lack of ice, it wasn’t clear if Langley could support another Pacific Junior Hockey League team.
But, in fact, it can.
At least that’s the belief of Brad Bakken and Burt Henderson, owners of the new Langley Trappers. They unveiled their new team late last week and today announced the dates for their prospect camp June 26 to 28 at the Langley Sportsplex.
The newest Junior B hockey team, designed for kids aged 16 to 20, will take up residence next season in Brookswood’s George Preston Recreation Centre, where they are expected to play their home games 7 p.m. on Wednesdays.
The Langley Trappers will join the league and become crosstown rivals to the Pacific Junior Hockey League champs, the Aldergrove Kodiaks, as well as the former Langley team, the Knights – now based out of Surrey.
This is the first new team added to the league since the 2008/09 season, when the Kodiaks were admitted, according to the PJHL website. However, at least three other teams are expected to join the league in the coming year or so.
When the Vancouver Giants came to Langley, and the Rivermen were shifted to their new home at George Preston, in what became known as The Lodge, the Knights struggled for ice time and moved west.
As mentioned, the Langley Trappers are currently on the hunt for prospective players, and Henderson is already out there scouting and recruiting to fill all 23 player spots.
“We’re literally starting from scratch, finding new players… it will definitely be challenging,” Henderson said.
“Hopefully we can put together a team that can compete,” he said, noting it may take a little time to piece together a new team that can gel on the ice.
“Come on out and try,” he said to prospective Trappers. ‘You never know… especially if you’re from Langley. We’re wanting some home-grown talent.”
He’s convinced there are a lot of good players out there looking for an opportunity, and “this gives them a chance,” Henderson said. “This is good for the league and players alike. And it’s great for Langley to have a team back in the community.”
Applications are online at www.langleytrappers.com.
Two hockey lovers bring it home
Bakken and Henderson have known each other for about five years, Henderson noting there’s a significant age difference between them but that they both share an incredible passion for the sport.
Last year, amongst much talk about the need for restore another Junior B team in Langley – and with some serious prompting from Henderson’s father (John) and uncle (Roy) who own the Langley Rivermen Junior A team –Bakken and Henderson decided to “give it a shot and see if we can do something.”
Neither are strangers to the ice or competitive hockey.
Bakken, 28, has ties to the local hockey community having played junior hockey with the Langley Chiefs and later Trinity Western University’s Spartans, but his career was not restricted to just local ice.
He has an extensive hockey background, having played in all the junior leagues operational in Western Canada including the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, the British Columbia Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Bakken went on to play in the Alberta Collages Athletic Conference winning a championship with the Mount Royal Cougars. He then played in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League for three years as the team captain, while obtaining a corporate communications degree from TWU.
He then went on to start developing young hockey players, specifically in shooting and skating techniques and pursue a passion in coaching.
Likewise, Henderson – now 41 – started playing hockey at about age four, and has never stopped.
He grew up playing minor hockey at the Burnaby Winter Club, spent two years playing juniors in Kelowna and Bellingham, then three years in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets. That sparked a pro career that spanned 13 years. He started on the east coast, playing with the Birmingham Bulls, then moved to the Cincinnati Cyclones before devoting eight years to playing in Japan, then wrapping up his on-ice career with two years playing for Newcastle in England.
Returning home to the Lower Mainland, Henderson landed himself an assistant coaching job at Simon Fraser University, then back at his old stomping grounds at the Burnaby Winter Club eventually working alongside his coaching mentor John Batchelor.
This duo will share ownership of the team, but have varying responsibilities.
Henderson takes no the road of head coach and general manager, while Bakken will serve as assistant coach and assistant GM.
