2012-13 record: 47-20-2-3 (Lost to Portland in Conference Finals)
The Kamloops Blazers started off hot, gaining at least a point in every game for the first five weeks. A mid-season lull, combined with provincial rival Kelowna's home winning streak saw them lose their grip on the B.C. Division title at the end. However, the Blazers would rediscover their momentum in time for the playoffs, beating Victoria and Kelowna before falling to Portland in five games. For all of the talk about their offensive talent, their defense was actually ranked fourth in the league, behind only Edmonton, Portland, and Kelowna. Dylan Willick, Brendan Ranford, and Kale Kessy are leaving, since they were the three overagers at the end of the season, and Cole Cheveldae was traded to Prince Albert in the offseason, leaving a major hole to fill in goal, something that now falls onto the shoulders of Taran Kozun. Tim Bozon is expected back, which should ease the pain of rebuilding, but it is likely that either Colin Smith or JC Lipon will not be coming back as an overager this year, since two spots are spoken for at the moment. Even then, offensive consistency was an issue last season, and it came back to haunt them in the Portland series. Coaching is also an unknown, as Guy Charron stepped down and Dave Hunchak takes over, but without a proven track record.
Prediction: 7th in the West
Kamloops will be where Vancouver was last year, as they will be going younger this season and likely without many of their proven players from last season. It is possible that they could miss the playoffs, with an improving Everett team and a Seattle team that can score quite a bit.
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