Grizzlies not giving up
Even though he remains under contract to the Chilliwack Bruins, Victoria Grizzlies general manager Jackson Penny is confident Evan Pighin will be in the BCHL come September.
If all goes according to Penny’s plan, Pighin will be released by the Chilliwack Bruins and sift all the way through the Western Hockey League’s other 21 teams on the waiver wire.
Then, the high-calibre forward who scored 48 points in 53 games with the Bruins last season will be free to join the Victoria Grizzlies.
“He’ll go through waivers I’m sure,” Penny said confidently. “At the end of the day if he doesn’t want to play for that team and he wants to go to school here, no one’s going to hold up anyone from playing hockey.”
The 20-year-old Pighin’s BCHL rights were acquired by the Grizzles earlier this month from the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in a trade that saw 20-year-old Keenan Desmet go the other way.
In just 21 games Pighin had 24 goals and 21 assists with the Silverbacks to start the 2007-08 season before jumping over to the Bruins.
Darrell May, the GM of the Bruins has said all along that the Bruins have had no intentions of releasing Pighin and May has yet to change his comment.
For now Penney is holding fast to Pighin’s decision to play and live in Victoria this year.
Pighin has gone so far as to enroll at Camosun College.
“I made it clear to (the Bruins) it was a situation I could acquire his rights and that’s what I did. (Pighin’s) brought to my attention that he wants to play here, he wants to go to school here and he wants to get on with things,” said Penney.
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