Local talent fuelling Port Coquitlam Trailblazers turnaround 

If you look closely, you’ll notice three mountains in Port Coquitlam Trailblazers logo. 

The first mountain has the shortest peak. It’s followed by a mountain with a taller peak and a pair of ridges that spike up and down, overlooking a bridge that resembles the Coast Meridian Overpass. 

To any observer, it may look like any ordinary mountain range in the Tri-Cities. But to Ryan Ross, general manager of the Trailblazers, it illustrates the significant turnaround for the local Junior A hockey club in its second season in the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL). 

The first mountain — the smallest one — represents last season, when the city got a PJHL team and showed that Junior A hockey can work in Port Coquitlam, he said. The club routinely attracted hundreds of people to the stands who came out for a losing team. 

“One of our last home games of the year, we had one of our highest attended games. . . . We had six wins at that point, it made no sense,” Ross said, adding the town is made up of loyal fans that echo support for similar clubs in rural communities. 

“It’s a small town surrounded by big cities,” he said. 

The next mountain stands for the challenges the club had to overcome after a seven-win inaugural season. 

“It’s a higher climb, that was us having a better record this year, making the playoffs, trying to go on a run for a championship,” Ross said. 

The Trailblazers capped off the 2024/25 PJHL regular season last weekend, knocking off the North Vancouver Wolfpack to clinch the final playoff spot in the Tom Shaw Conference. 

The game also marked the club’s 27^th victory of the season — solidifying a 20 win and 42-point turnaround from a last place finish in the PJHL standings in 2023/24. 

There were lots of growing pains on and off the ice last year, said Ross, which could explain the club’s struggles in its inaugural season. The Trailblazers were founded in January 2023 and began play later that year, becoming one of the youngest teams in the PJHL. 

The turnaround began at last year’s PJHL trade deadline, where the Trailblazers prioritized experienced, local players — some of whom went through the Port Coquitlam Pirates minor hockey system.  

Ross’ brothers, Greg and Jeff, won an Under-15 provincial title with the Pirates in 2023, showing that there was talent in the Tri-Cities for the club to eye. 

Ross, who coached the Port Coquitlam Pirates U-18 team for three years himself, targeted Markus Jack and Robbie Toor — 19 and 20 year-old Port Coquitlam natives, respectively — that he believed would bring a positive locker room culture to the team. (Toor and Jack ended up combining for 74 points in 75 combined games.) 

“We wanted to make sure the rink was somewhere that the guys could come, be happy, and there was a good, winning culture,” Ross said. “The first year, we didn’t really have that, I think it was just so thrown together.” 

Heading into this year, the team wanted to get even more experienced, Ross said. 

Aside from Jack and Toor, not many other players from the 2023/24 roster returned for year two. 

The club recruited heavily in the summer — focusing on Tri-Cities-based players who played in the Western Hockey League (WHL), British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) or Alberta Junior Hockey League (AHJL) that wanted to come home and still play the sport. 

The Trailblazers had 11 players who hail from the Tri-Cities on its roster this year. 

Originally from Langley, Ross said the Tri-Cities is filled with kids who are keen to work hard, which was a key aspect he wanted to ingrain on the team.

“PoCo is kind of that blue collar-type town, I think that leads into their work ethic,” Ross said. “A lot of kids that come from the Tri-Cities are very hard working and have a very good work ethic.”

With the playoffs on the horizon, the club has already achieved one major milestone: making the playoffs, according to Ross. Now, he’s energized to finally give back to a fan base that supported the club through the lows in its young existence. 

“We know our fans and our community will be behind the players and our team,” he said. “If we can have a good run for them and bring home a championship, that would be amazing.” 

The Trailblazers are scheduled to play their first postseason game on Friday night in North Vancouver, a team they split four games against in the regular season. 

The best-of-three series will shift to Port Coquitlam on Sunday evening. Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m.