Vancouver Giants
The Vancouver Giants are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Langley, British Columbia, and they play in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team was founded in 2001 and has a rich history in junior hockey. They won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions and the Memorial Cup as Canadian junior champions, showing their skill and teamwork.
Originally, the Giants played their games at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, a famous old arena that once hosted the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks. In 2016, the team moved to the modern Langley Events Centre, where they continue to excitement fans with their exciting games and strong performances.
History
The Vancouver Giants are a Canadian ice hockey team that began in 2001. They were first based in Vancouver but moved to Langley in 2016. Early on, they had a tough first season but quickly improved. In 2006, they won their first league championship and followed that up by winning the Memorial Cup, a big tournament for junior hockey teams, in 2007.
The team had many successful years, winning several division titles and making deep playoff runs. They set a team record with 57 wins in one season and returned to the league final in 2019. In 2022, they made history by drafting Chloe Primerano, the first female skater chosen in a major Canadian hockey draft.
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. | Did not qualify |
| 2002–03 | 72 | 26 | 37 | 5 | 4 | 217 | 292 | 61 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2003–04 | 72 | 33 | 24 | 9 | 6 | 215 | 196 | 81 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
| 2004–05 | 72 | 34 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 212 | 205 | 76 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2005–06 | 72 | 47 | 19 | 0 | 6 | 252 | 156 | 100 | 1st B.C. | Won Championship |
| 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 semifinal |
| 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 quarterfinal |
| 2011–12 | 72 | 40 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 255 | 234 | 86 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2012–13 | 72 | 21 | 49 | 2 | 0 | 197 | 299 | 44 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2013–14 | 72 | 32 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 234 | 248 | 75 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2014–15 | 72 | 27 | 41 | 2 | 2 | 189 | 251 | 58 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2015–16 | 72 | 23 | 40 | 5 | 4 | 199 | 273 | 55 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2016–17 | 72 | 20 | 46 | 3 | 3 | 183 | 296 | 46 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2017–18 | 72 | 36 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 233 | 257 | 81 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 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 held due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021–22 | 68 | 24 | 39 | 5 | 0 | 185 | 254 | 53 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
| 2022–23 | 68 | 28 | 32 | 5 | 3 | 188 | 238 | 64 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2023–24 | 68 | 32 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 222 | 249 | 68 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2024–25 | 68 | 34 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 252 | 246 | 76 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2025–26 | 68 | 25 | 39 | 2 | 2 | 196 | 282 | 54 | 6th B.C. | did not qualify |
Championship history
The Vancouver Giants have played in some important hockey championships. In the 2005–06 season, they won the WHL Championship series by beating the Moose Jaw Warriors 4 games to 0. The next year, in 2006–07, they lost to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Later, in 2018–19, they lost again in the WHL Championship series to the Prince Albert Raiders.
They also played in the Memorial Cup finals and won in 2007, beating the Medicine Hat Tigers 3 games to 1.
Canadian Hockey League champion Western Hockey League playoff champion | Western Conference Champions B.C. Division Champions First place in regular season |
Players
Some players from the Vancouver Giants have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). Here is a list of those players:
- Tyler Benson
- Mario Bliznak
- Jonathon Blum
- Lance Bouma
- Gilbert Brule
- Bowen Byram
- Craig Cunningham
- Brendan Gallagher
- Mason Geertsen
- Triston Grant
- Brett Festerling
- Mark Fistric
- Cody Franson
- Evander Kane
- Matt Kassian
- Brett Kulak
- Andrew Ladd
- Milan Lucic
- Spencer Machacek
- Kenndal McArdle
- Jordan Martinook
- Andrej Meszaros
- Brendan Mikkelson
- David Musil
- Tristen Nielsen
- Brent Regner
- Michal Repik
- Marek Schwarz
- Justin Sourdif
- Nick Tarnasky
- Tomas Vincour
- James Wright
The team also has a Ring of Honour for special players. Some of these honoured players include:
- 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)
Here is a list of players who were chosen in the first round of the NHL entry draft:
| Year | # | Player | NHL team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 28 | Mark Fistric (D) | Dallas Stars |
| 2005 | 6 | Gilbert Brulé (C) | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 2007 | 23 | Jonathon Blum (D) | Nashville Predators |
| 2009 | 4 | Evander Kane (LW) | Atlanta Thrashers |
| 2019 | 4 | Bowen Byram (D) | Colorado Avalanche |
| 2023 | 16 | Samuel Honzek (LW) | Calgary Flames |
Team records
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Giants player
Awards
WHL
Coach of the Year
CHL
| 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 | |||
| Franchise scoring leaders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Mitch Bartley | LW | 280 | 107 | 107 | 214 | 0.76 |
| Jonathon Blum | D | 248 | 49 | 155 | 204 | 0.82 |
| Darren Lynch | RW | 213 | 81 | 121 | 202 | 0.95 |
| Jackson Houck | RW | 268 | 91 | 107 | 198 | 0.74 |
| Gilbert Brule | C | 165 | 87 | 98 | 185 | 1.12 |
| James Henry | LW | 281 | 62 | 122 | 184 | 0.66 |
| Tyler Benson | LW | 190 | 61 | 123 | 184 | 0.97 |
Rookie of the year Defenceman of the year | Regular season plus-minus leader Humanitarian of the year | Regular season scoring champion |
Memorial Cup scoring leader | Memorial Cup MVP Milan Lucic – 2007 | Jonathon Blum – 2009 |
Keep exploring
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