Vancouver Giants

Vancouver Giants
City	Langley, British Columbia
League	Western Hockey League
Conference	Western
Division	B.C.
Founded	2001
Home arena	Langley Events Centre
Colours	Black, red, silver and white
General manager	Barclay Parneta[1]
Head coach	Michael Dyck[2]
Championships	Ed Chynoweth Cup 1 (2006) Memorial Cup 1 (2007)
Website	vancouvergiants.com

The Vancouver Giants are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Inaugurated in 2001–02, the Giants have won one President's Cup (now known as the Ed Chynoweth Cup) in 2006 and one Memorial Cup in 2007 in their 16-season history. Their home rink was the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, an arena previously used by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Vancouver Canucks. Effective with the 2016–17 season, the team relocated to the Langley Events Centre in the Township of Langley, a suburb of Vancouver.

The ownership group consists of British Columbia-based businessmen Ron Toigo and Sultan Thiara, the estate of Hockey Hall of Fame member Gordie Howe and Canadian big band singer and actor Michael Bublé.^[3] Pat Quinn was also a part-owner until his death on November 23, 2014.

History[]

Led by majority owner and British Columbia-based businessman Ron Toigo, the City of Vancouver was granted a WHL franchise for the 2001–02 season. In their inaugural campaign, the Giants compiled 13 wins, 49 losses and six ties. The first goal in franchise history was scored by Tyson Mulock in a loss to the Kamloops Blazers.

The following season, the Giants went 26–37–5–4, good for fourth in the B.C. Division, and made their first playoff appearance, but lost in the first round to the eventual President's Cup champions, the Kelowna Rockets, in four games. Second-year forward Adam Courchaine led the team in scoring with 85 points. His 43 goals stood as a single-season franchise record for six years until second-year forward Evander Kane broke it in 2008–09.^[4]

In the 2003–04 season, the Giants continued to improve, posting a 33–24–9–6, which marked their first winning season. After defeating the Kamloops Blazers in the first round, the Giants lost in the second round to the expansion team Everett Silvertips in six games. Adam Courchaine led the team again in scoring, finishing ninth overall in the League. Hometown rookie Gilbert Brule, the first overall pick in the 2002 WHL Bantam Draft, scored 60 points and earned the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL's best first-year player.

In the 2004–05 season, the Giants went 34–30–4–4 and Brule emerged as a WHL star, finishing third in League scoring with 87 points, which remained a franchise record until overager Casey Pierro-Zabotel snapped it in 2008–09.^[5] Courchaine tallied 78 points and finished seventh in League scoring, marking the first time that the top ten WHL scorers would feature two Giants players. In the playoffs, the Giants lost in the first round to Kelowna. Despite the early exit, the Giants drew many fans to the Coliseum that year due to the NHL lockout; Game 6 against the Rockets drew 16,183 fans.^{[citation needed]}

The 2005–06 season featured the Giants' most significant improvement in the standings, becoming one of the WHL's top teams. They finished the season 47–19–0–6, first in the B.C. Division and third in the League overall. In the first round of the playoffs, the Giants beat the Prince George Cougars in five games, then the Portland Winterhawks in the second round, also in five games. In the third and final round, they won eight-straight, sweeping both the Everett Silvertips and Moose Jaw Warriors en route to their first-ever President's Cup. Gilbert Brule had returned to the team midway through the season after starting 2005–06 with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets and earned the airBC Trophy as the playoff MVP after scoring 16 goals and 30 points in 18 post-season games, including five goals and 12 points in the finals.

By winning the WHL league title, the Giants earned their first Memorial Cup appearance in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Giants finished the round-robin tied for third, then defeated the Peterborough Petes in a tie-breaker in order to move on to the playoffs, but lost to the Moncton Wildcats in the semifinal. Brule scored 12 points in five games, earning the Ed Chynoweth Trophy as tournament leading scorer. He was also named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team along with Giants defenceman Paul Albers.

The Giants were chosen by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) prior to the 2006 Memorial Cup to host the 2007 edition. They finished the season, once again, atop their division and fourth overall in the League. The season featured a goaltending controversy in which starter Dustin Slade would begin the season splitting time with emerging goalie Tyson Sexsmith. Slade, frustrated with having to relinquish starts, would leave the team in November to pursue a professional playing career.^[6] With Sexsmith, who finished first in the WHL in goals against average (GAA), as their starting goalie, and a balanced offence that included the likes of Milan Lucic, Michal Repik and mid-season acquisitions Wacey Rabbit and Kenndal McArdle, the Giants made their way once again to the WHL final. The series went the distance against the Medicine Hat Tigers, but the Giants lost the seventh and deciding game in double overtime, failing to win their second consecutive WHL title. However, due to their automatic bye into the Memorial Cup as hosts, the Giants avenged their seventh game loss against the Tigers, defeating Medicine Hat 3–1 in the Cup final, capturing their first-ever Memorial Cup title. Lucic earned the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP, while linemate Michal Repik led the tournament in scoring — edging Lucic by one goal — to capture the Ed Chynoweth Trophy. Defenceman Cody Franson also joined Lucic and Repik on the tournament All-Star Team.

As defending Memorial Cup champions the following season, the Giants won the B.C. Division for the third consecutive year and posted a franchise-record 106 points (49–15–2–6), enough for third in the League. Third-year forward Spencer Machacek, named team captain after incumbent captain Milan Lucic would play with the Boston Bruins of the NHL, led the team in scoring with 78 points, 14th overall in the League. On defence, Jonathon Blum, also a returnee from the Memorial Cup-winning team, finished second among League defencemen in scoring, tallying 63 points, a single-season franchise-record among defenceman. In goal, Sexsmith once again led the WHL with a stellar 1.89 GAA. The Giants' run for a third consecutive Memorial Cup appearance, however, was cut short; after sweeping the Chilliwack Bruins in the first round, the Giants were ousted by the Spokane Chiefs in six games.

A dominant 2008–09 season established several records for the Giants. The club set a WHL record by clinching a playoff berth just 46 games into the season. The mark was previously set by the Everett Silvertips, who clinched a berth after 48 games in 2006–07.^[7] Individually, overager Casey Pierro-Zabotel broke the team marks for single-season assists and points, surpassing and Gilbert Brule, respectively,^[5][8] while second-year forward Evander Kane bettered Adam Courchaine's single-season goals total.^[4] Team captain Jonathon Blum also surpassed Courchaine to become the franchise's all-time assists leader.^[9] Finishing the season with a franchise-high 57 wins and 119 points, the Giants came within three points of their first Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the top regular season team, behind the Calgary Hitmen.

Awards and trophies[]

Championships[]

Individual[]

WHL[]

Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy

Coach of the Year

• Don Hay – 2008–09

CHL[]

Players[]

NHL alumni[]

NHL draftees[]

Note that these are the players who were drafted into the NHL while playing for the Vancouver Giants

• (Drafted by Washington Capitals in 2002; sixth round, 179th overall)
• Robin Kovar (Drafted by Edmonton Oilers in 2002; fourth round, 123rd overall
• Adam Courchaine (Drafted by Minnesota Wild in 2003; seventh round, 219th overall)
• Andrej Meszaros (Drafted by Ottawa Senators in 2004; 1st round, 23rd overall)
• Triston Grant (Drafted by Philadelphia Flyers in 2004; ninth round, 286th overall)
• Mark Fistric (Drafted by Dallas Stars in 2004; first round, 28th overall)
• Gilbert Brule (Drafted by Columbus Blue Jackets in 2005; first round, 6th overall)
• Cody Franson (Drafted by Nashville Predators in 2005; third round, 79th overall)
• J. D. Watt (Drafted by Calgary Flames in 2005; fourth round, 111th overall)
• Milan Lucic (Drafted by Boston Bruins in 2006; second round, 50th overall)
• Jonathon Blum (Drafted by Nashville Predators in 2007; first round, 23rd overall)
• Michal Repik (Drafted by Florida Panthers in 2007; second round, 40th overall)
• Spencer Machacek (Drafted by Atlanta Thrashers in 2007; third round, 67th overall)
• Tyson Sexsmith (Drafted by San Jose Sharks in 2007; third round, 91st overall)
• Lance Bouma (Drafted by Calgary Flames in 2008; third round, 78th overall)
• James Wright (Drafted by Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008; fourth round, 117th overall)
• Brent Regner (Drafted by Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008; fifth round, 137th overall)
• Evander Kane (Drafted by Atlanta Thrashers in 2009; first round, 4th overall)
• Craig Cunningham (Drafted by Boston Bruins in 2010; fourth round, 97th overall)
• Brendan Gallagher (Drafted by Montreal Canadiens in 2010; fifth round, 147th overall)
• David Musil (Drafted by Edmonton Oilers in 2011; second round, 31st overall)
• Marek Tvrdon (Drafted by Detroit Red Wings in 2011; fourth round, 115th overall)
• Jordan Martinook (Drafted by Phoenix Coyotes in 2012; second round, 58th overall)
• Brett Kulak (Drafted by Calgary Flames in 2012; fourth round, 105th overall)
• Mason Geertsen (Drafted by Colorado Avalanche in 2013; fourth round, 93rd overall)
• (Drafted by Edmonton Oilers in 2013; fourth round, 94th overall)
• Tyler Benson (Drafted by Edmonton Oilers in 2016; second round, 32nd overall)
• Ty Ronning (Drafted by New York Rangers in 2016; seventh round, 201st overall)
• (Drafted by Calgary Flames in 2018; fourth round, 122nd overall))
• (Drafted by Arizona Coyotes in 2018; sixth round, 158th overall)
• (Drafted by Washington Capitals in 2018; sixth round, 161st overall)
• Bowen Byram (Drafted by Colorado Avalanche in 2019; first round, 4th overall)
• (Drafted by Colorado Avalanche in 2019; seventh round, 202nd overall)
• (Drafted by Florida Panthers in 2020; third round, 87th overall)
• (Drafted by Ottawa Senators in 2021; second round, 39th overall)

Ring of Honour[]

• Brett Festerling (inducted on December 7, 2010)
• Andrej Meszaros (inducted on December 27, 2010)
• Mark Fistric (inducted on January 23, 2011)
• Gilbert Brule (inducted on January 28, 2011)
• Milan Lucic (inducted on February 25, 2011)
• Cody Franson (inducted on February 17, 2012)
• Evander Kane (inducted on March 7, 2012)
• Brendan Gallagher (inducted on February 15, 2014)
• Lance Bouma (inducted on November 20, 2015)
• Craig Cunningham (inducted on December 2, 2018)

Franchise scoring leaders[]

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history as of 2017–18.^[10]

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Giants player

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	P/G
Brendan Gallagher	RW	244	136	144	280	1.15
Adam Courchaine	C	241	126	147	273	1.13
Craig Cunningham	LW	295	86	136	222	0.75
Ty Ronning	RW	285	127	91	218	0.76
	LW	280	107	107	214	0.76
Jonathon Blum	D	248	49	155	204	0.82
	RW	213	81	121	202	0.95
	RW	268	91	107	198	0.74
Gilbert Brule	C	165	87	98	185	1.12
	LW	281	62	122	184	0.66
Tyler Benson	LW	190	61	123	184	0.97

Current roster[]

Updated December 17, 2020.^[11]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace	Drafted
–			D	L	20	2020	Calgary, Alberta	Undrafted
27			D	R	21	2019	Kamloops, British Columbia	Undrafted
29			D	L	18	2017	Kelowna, British Columbia	Eligible 2021
44		Bowen Byram (A)	D	L	20	2016	Cranbrook, British Columbia	2019, 4th Overall, COL
14			C	L	21	2020	Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta	2018, 217th Overall, WSH
5			D	R	19	2017	Prince George, British Columbia	Undrafted
–			C	R	20	2020	Edmonton, Alberta	Undrafted
22			D	R	20	2019	Kelowna, British Columbia	Undrafted
41		(C)	D	R	21	2015	Regina, Saskatchewan	2018, 161st Overall, WSH
15			C	R	21	2019	Vancouver, British Columbia	Undrafted
17			C	R	19	2020	Cudworth, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
38			LW	L	21	2019	Ostrava, Czech Republic	Undrafted
36			RW	R	17	2018	Flin Flon, Manitoba	Eligible 2022
4			D	L	21	2019	North Vancouver, British Columbia	Undrafted
31			G	L	20	2016	Souris, Manitoba	2019, 202nd Overall, COL
8			C	L	21	2018	Fort St. John, British Columbia	Undrafted
10			LW	L	18	2018	St. Albert, Alberta	2021, 39th Overall, OTT
19			LW	L	19	2017	Whitecourt, Alberta	Undrafted
16			C	L	19	2017	West Vancouver, British Columbia	Undrafted
33			G	L	18	2018	Tees, Alberta	Eligible 2021
42			C	R	19	2017	Surrey, British Columbia	2020, 87th Overall, FLA
–			D	L	19	2020	Ilava, Slovakia	Undrafted

Season-by-season record[]

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

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Points	Finish	Playoffs
2001–02	72	13	49	6	4	198	365	36	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2002–03	72	26	37	5	4	217	292	61	4th B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2003–04	72	33	24	9	6	215	196	81	2nd B.C.	Lost Western Conference semi-final
2004–05	72	34	30	4	4	212	205	76	3rd B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2005–06	72	47	19	0	6	252	156	100	1st B.C.	Won WHL Championship; Lost Memorial Cup
2006–07	72	45	17	3	7	245	143	100	1st B.C.	Lost final; Won Memorial Cup
2007–08	72	49	15	2	6	250	155	106	1st B.C.	Lost Western Conference semi-final
2008–09	72	57	10	2	3	319	151	119	1st B.C.	Lost Western Conference final
2009–10	72	41	25	3	3	267	211	88	1st B.C.	Lost Western Conference final
2010–11	72	35	32	1	4	236	251	75	2nd B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2011–12	72	40	26	2	4	255	234	86	2nd B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2012–13	72	21	49	2	0	197	299	44	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2013–14	72	32	29	7	4	234	248	75	3rd B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2014–15	72	27	41	2	2	189	251	58	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2015–16	72	23	40	5	4	199	273	55	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2016–17	72	20	46	3	3	183	296	46	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2017–18	72	36	27	6	3	233	257	81	3rd B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2018–19	68	48	15	3	2	228	162	101	1st B.C.	Lost final
2019–20	62	32	24	4	2	189	166	70	3rd B.C.	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21	22	12	10	0	0	71	59	24	2nd B.C.	No playoffs were held

WHL Championship history[]

• 2005–06: Win, 4–0 vs Moose Jaw
• 2006–07: Loss, 3–4 vs Medicine Hat
• 2018–19: Loss, 3–4 vs Prince Albert

Memorial Cup Finals history[]

• 2007: Win, 3–1 vs Medicine Hat

Team records[]

Team Records for a single season
Statistic	Total	Season
Most points	119	2008–09
Fewest points	36	2001–02
Most wins	57	2008–09
Fewest wins	13	2001–02
Most goals for	319	2008–09
Fewest goals for	183	2016–17
Fewest goals against	143	2006–07
Most goals against	365	2001–02

Individual player records for a single season
Statistic	Player	Total	Season
Most goals	Ty Ronning	61	2017–18
Most assists	Casey Pierro-Zabotel	79	2008–09
Most points	Casey Pierro-Zabotel	115	2008–09
Most points, rookie	Kevin Connauton	72	2009–10
Most points, defenceman	Kevin Connauton	72	2009–10
Best GAA, goalie	Tyson Sexsmith	1.79	2006–07
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played

See also[]

• List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
• Vancouver Canucks

References[]

External links[]

• Vancouver Giants Official Web Site