Dear Friends, Fans and Supporters,
For those of you I have not met, I am pleased to introduce myself and look forward to meeting you soon. For those of you I have met personally, many thanks for being so kind and gracious to me and my family.
My name is Nicole Brandenburg and I am the proud Owner of the Nanaimo Junior A Buccaneer Hockey Team, member in good standing in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL). The Buccaneers play all home games at the Nanaimo Ice center (NIC).
Upon returning to Canada my Family chose to relocate to Nanaimo for its scenic beauty, lifestyle and desired opportunities to embrace a sports community full of passion for its local teams. As self-confessed entrepreneurs we also decided to invest our time, energy and resources into the very fabric of Canadian culture, Hockey, which led us to the Buccaneers in 2022. Although our efforts on the ice have fallen short of our goals and expectations thus far, we are not deterred. Our commitment to grow from our experiences in the sports arena is unwavering.
We have come to realize our journey to ultimate success on and off the ice is not a simple and straight line. We acknowledge we must be better in all aspects of our operations in order to earn your respect and trust.
We live and work here. We are your neighbors, business partners, volunteers motivated to contribute positively to the economy and enrich the opportunities of our aspiring youth in Hockey. We intend to be a positive influence on these players’ athletic and academic opportunities while providing our loyal fans with a fun and entertaining product at an affordable price. We care passionately for our players, volunteers, staff, sponsors, billets and fans.
As we move forward I am delighted to announce former Nanaimo Clipper Coach Bill Beswick has agreed to join us as we set a new course of direction for the 2024 – 2025 season. As a veteran Head Coach at the BCHL level Bill has earned a well deserved reputation for assembling and leading teams at the Junior level. Bill has guided hundreds of players to NCAA institutions, won Championships, Coached in over 1200 games, Coached NHL Draft picks and scouted for the St. Louis Blues. We are proud to have Bill join us effective immediately to assume duties of President, Alternate Governor and Head Coach.
For more information please contact:
Nicole Brandenburg: Nicole@nanaimobuccaneers.ca
Bill Bestwick: Bill@nanaimobuccaneers.ca
