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

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.

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:

Team records

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

Awards

WHL

Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy

Coach of the Year

• Don Hay – 2008–09

CHL