A beloved former Vancouver Canuck may soon become a regular visitor to Coquitlam’s Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
The Coquitlam Express announced Friday it’s signed 18-year-old forward Cole Bieksa to join the BC Hockey League team next season.
Bieksa is the son of retired Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who ended his playing career as an Anaheim Duck and is now a commentator on Hockey Night in Canada.
Cole Bieksa has been playing in the Fairmont Prep program in Southern California since 2021-22 where he has 73 points in 55 games with its U18 teams this season.
Express general manager Tali Campbell said Bieksa is a “tenacious” player who can make plays and score goals in the offensive zone but is “also very defensively sound.”
Cole Bieksa is eligible for the 2026 NHL draft.
Kevin Bieksa played 10 seasons in Vancouver before being traded to the Ducks on June 30, 2015. He played three more seasons in Anaheim and ended his playing career after the 2018 playoffs.
In 2022, Vancouver re-signed Bieksa to a one-day contract so he could officially retire as a Canuck on Nov. 3 of that year when his two NHL teams played each other at Rogers Arena.
Kevin Bieksa joined Hockey Night in Canada as a game analyst in 2020 and in 2024 he won a Canadian Screen Award for his broadcasting efforts after twice being nominated in 2021 and 2022.
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