Cougar Society

The Cougars operate as a non-profit organiza-

tion. What this means to our players is that all

generated revenues are put directly back into

improving the Cougar program. Among other

things, our players are outfitted with custom

cougar gloves, bags, helmets and pant shells

as well as workout gear and gym bags.

Our team executive is responsible for all deci-

sions regarding the operations of the hockey

club. This group of 10 individuals have over 70

years experience with the Vancouver Island

Junior Hockey League and more importantly,

none of these key decision-makers have chil-

dren in, or financially profit from the Cougar

program.

The Hockey

The Victoria Cougars take a tremendous amount of pride in providing our players with a first class hockey

experience. Over the past decade very few Junior B programs have endured the success the cougars have

seen. As a team, the Cougars have secured 8 Andy Hebenton Trophies in the last 10 years as the leagues

regular season champions and have advanced to the Cyclone Taylor Cup as the league playoffs champions

in 7 of the last 11 seasons. Individually, our success on the ice has resulted in tremendous opportunities

and development for our players. Over the past 5 seasons alone, the Cougar family has seen more then 25

players move on to Junior A or the Collegiate level including WHL,BCHL, NCAA & ACHA.

Our Program

In many cases, the Cougars operate like a Junior A Organization. With 4 regularly scheduled practices, 2

dryland training sessions, and 2 video sessions included in the weekly schedule, our staff is dedicat-

ed to providing the best possible opportunity for our players to succeed on and off the ice. Our players are

given complementary gym passes granting them access to a state of the art gym, pool, hot tub, and sauna

located right across the parking lot of the Archie Browning Sports Center. For any games away from home,

the team provides a professional bus service as well as pre-game and post-game meals.

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen… Others make it happen” - Michael Jordan

Suneil is approaching his 10th season with the Victoria Cougars. Prior

to the Cougars, Suneil spent time as the head coach of the U16 & U17

BestEver Program and with Team BC in the Western Canada Challenge.

He has spent 6 seasons as an Assistant coach with the Powell River

kings and 5 years working with the Victoria Royals. Suneil was brought

on prior to the 2009-10 season as an associate coach and spent 7 sea-

sons as the cougars 2nd in command before finally taking the reigns

prior to the 2016-17 season. Last year Suneil guided the Cougars to a

35-12-1 record, his first League Championship as a head coach and a

Silver Medal at the Cyclone Taylor Cup. (250-588-8419)

Brody is approaching his 8th season with Cougars Organization. Prior

to joining to Cougars coaching staff in 2013-2014, Brody spent 4 sea-

sons playing as member of the Cougars. During his tenure, he be-

came the youngest captain in team history, helping the Cougars claim

back to back league titles followed by 2 silver medals at the Cyclone

Taylor Cup. Brody currently holds the VIJHL record of 118 points in a

single season and he brings his offensive flare to coaching staff.

Over the past several seasons, Brody has endured much success

working with the forward group and establishing the #1 ranked power

play in the league. (250-883-9579)

After retiring from professional hockey, Bill elected to join the Cougars coaching

staff following the 2008-2009 season. Bill spent several years playing in Europe

and brings a tremendous amount of experience to the coaching staff. Bill has

worked tirelessly with Cougars goaltenders over the years and has seen many of

them progress onto higher levels.

Jake is Entering his 5th year as an Associate coach with the Cougars. Prior to the

2014-2015 season Jake spent 4 years as a member of the cougars including one

year as team Captain. As a member of the Cougars, Jake contributed to 3 consec-

utive league titles and 2 silver medals at the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Jake is known

as one of the most dominate defenceman in league history and is accountable

for working with the Cougars defencemen as well as operating the #1 ranked

Penalty Kill in the VIJHL. Jake is currently a Corrections Officer for the BC

Corrections Department with aspirations of becoming a Police Officer.

Jake returns to the Cougars coaching staff for his third season. Jake played for

the Cougars and was an integral part of a championship team that saw the Cou-

gars receive the Silver Medal at the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Jake is a smart coach

with a keen eye on analytics. Jake currently works at Pearson College and is an

active member of his community.

The Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) is made up of 9 teams, 5 teams in

the South division and 4 in the North. Its inaugural season dates back to 1965-66 and it

is one of three Junior B leagues in British Columbia. The VIJHL is known as a develop-

ment league for the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), the Western Hockey

League (WHL) and other various collegiate programs. The regular season is made up of

48 games followed by playoffs consisting of three best of seven series. The winner of

the VIJHL advances onto the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Over the past several years the VIJHL

has seen many NHL players pass though, some of the most recent include

Jamie Benn - Peninsula Panthers / Dallas Stars

Jordie Benn - Peninsula Panthers/ Montreal Canadians

Matt Irwin –Saanich Braves / Nashville Predators

Clayton Stoner –Campbell River Storm/ Anaheim Ducks

Adam Cracknell –Saanich Braves / Dallas Stars

Tyson Barrie –Colorado Avalanche

The City

Victoria is located on the south-

ern tip of Vancouver Island and

boasts some of the best scenery

and entertainment you will find

anywhere. A plethora of beaches,

movie theatres, workout facili-

ties, tourist attractions and much

more can be found within a short

driving distance from just about

anywhere in the city. As no one

can endure a full hockey season

without a little extra fun, our city

provides an excellent opportunity

for our players to remain active

and enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

The Rink

The Cougars are proud to call the Archie Browning Sports Center home. For the past decade the Cougar

family has developed a tremendous working relationship with the rink staff and facility. As the primary

partner to the rink, the Cougars have recently purchased a new sound system, a jumbo Tron equipped

with the ability to display in game live replays, as well as an updated fully HD broadcast system. To pro-

vide the ultimate hockey experience, we have also recently renovated our dressing room. Inside, you

will find individual player stalls, trainers table, stick rack, suit room, bathroom, washing machine / dryer

and 2 flat screen TVs. The Cougars also have free access to a state of the art gym located just across

the Archie Browning Parking lot at the Esquimalt rec center.

Located 20 minutes from the Archie Browning

Sports Center, the University of Victoria offers

innovative programs for more than 20,000 stu-

dents. The 2016 Times Higher Education (THE)

World University Rankings place UVic among

the top 250 universities around the world. UVic

offers more then 160 graduate programs includ-

ing; Business, Engineering, Social Sciences,

and Law. For more information on the Universi-

ty visit www.uvic.ca

The 2017-2018 Cougars featured 6 students

who enrolled at the University of Victoria

With two campus’ in Victoria, Camosun

serves approximately 19,000 learners a year

in certificate, diploma, bachelor's degree,

trades and continuing education programs.

Their impact as a college extends well be-

yond their highly skilled, job-ready graduates.

They provide contract training opportunities

for local business; research, innovation and

prototyping services for industry; and well-

trained co-op students for employers. For

more information on Camosun visit

www.camosun.ca

For high school students, Victoria offers a

variety of schools for you. As an Organiza-

tion, it is our promise to find a school that

not only works geographically, but also

meets your educational needs

Active in the Community

Our players participate actively in all

types of community events around

town. Activities include Anti-Tobacco

presentations to elementary schools,

helping with Boy Scouts activities,

walking in the Township of Esquimalt

Light Parade and teaching skills and

playing hockey with young kids at our

pond hockey sessions. The leadership

and public speaking skills gained are

something that will help players outside

of hockey.

We believe that our club isn’t just

about playing hockey. We strive to

position our players to become

productive citizens in our community.

Other events include supporting the

Lions Club, Rotary, and Esquimalt

Silver Threads events. Further, we

look to have our players put back into

community by participating in minor

hockey developmental skills

sessions. We believe we have been

successful in this, all the while

respecting our player’s time commit-

ments to activities outside hockey.

Team Fees & Billets

Everyone selected to the Cougars roster is expected to pay player fees as well as billeting fees while

they are in Victoria. The cougar team fees include all ice times, gear, apparel, travel, food and gym

passes. For players from outside the city we offer a billeting option. For information on billeting, please

feel free to contact Bernie Waddick at berniewaddick.cougars@gmail.com

Media

All Cougars games are broadcast in High Definition at www.hockeytv.com. HockeyTV provides quality

video, instant archival for video on demand playback, advanced player features like pause, rewind, and

fast forward for live games, user generate instant replays, and integrated editing suite to empower its

partners to deliver a total digital experience to their fans that is second to none. Our broadcasting tan-

dem would rival many of those in Junior A. Jordan Smith and Tom Arlidge have been teaming up for the

broadcast for more then 5 years now and continue to improve their product each and every year. Jordan

provides our viewers with pre game and post game interviews, up to date stats and pretty much every

other fun fact there is to know about the VIJHL. We can also be found on Instagram, Facebook and Twit-

ter with live updates and news on the team.

2013 –Travis Stephens - Coquitlam Express (BCHL)

2013– Dyson Mayo –Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

2013– Michael Herringer - Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

2014 –Brandon Egli—Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)

2014– Sam Rice - Oklahoma Central University (ACHA)

2014– Brandon Workun –Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL)

2014–Graham Zagrodney –Lindenwood University

2015 - Michael Fretz –Fitchburg State (NCAA)

2016 –Jack Long –Powell River Kings (BCHL)

2016 –Nathan Looysen –Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)

2016 - Nico Sommerville –Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)

2016 –Jack Long –Powell River Kings (BCHL)

2016- Anthony Cuirro-University of Arizona (ACHA)

2016 –Austin Wilk –Lindenwood University (ACHA)

2016 –Ryan Carson - Lindenwood university (ACHA)

2016 –Brett Lervold –Indiana Tech University (ACHA)

2016 –Jesse Kestenbaum - Cumberland GRADS (CCHL)

2017—Tyler Vanuden –Port Alberni Bulldogs (BCHL)

2017 –Grayden Hohl –Oklahoma Central University (ACHA)

2017—Tyler Pang - West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)

2017 –James Scott –Markham Royals (OJHL)

2017 –Liam McCloskey - Kindersley Klippers (SJHL)

2018 –Darwin Lakoduk –Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)

2018 - Rowan Miller - Powell River Kings (BCHL)

2018 –Kyle Wade - University of Arizona (ACHA)

2018 –Sean Patten –University of Colorado (ACHA)

Recent Cougars Moving up