Oceanside Place, home of the VIJHL Champion Oceanside Generals, will see a new dressing room facility built for the team and other user groups. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

new surrounds

New ‘state-of-the-art’ dressing room coming for VIJHL’s Oceanside Generals

Nov 15, 2023 | 4:14 PM

PARKSVILLE — The reigning champs are another step closer to getting some new digs.

The Oceanside Generals Hockey Society were awarded $250,000 from the Regional District of Nanaimo on Tuesday, Nov. 14 to put towards construction of new dressing room facilities at Oceanside Place in Parksville.

A roughly 2,000 square foot enclosed area is envisioned behind the penalty boxes at the arena, a similar setup to the Nanaimo Buccaneers’ facility at the Nanaimo Ice Centre.

“This way players have an area where they can store their gear, where they can sort of feel part of something and they’ll respect it and show that they’re happy to be there and excited to be in a state-of-the-art dressing room,” Rick Hannibal, Generals general manager, told NanaimoNewsNOW.

The push for a new dressing room stems from a move to Junior A level for the VIJHL and its member teams.

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An improved designation by BC Hockey and Hockey Canada requires investment be made to improve player experience, including dedicated training room facilities, improved coaching and more on-ice time.

Teams have three years to complete the upgrades, however Hannibal wants to lead from the front.

Total cost of the project is estimated around $600,000, a number which has risen steadily in recent years with pre-pandemic estimates coming in around $300,000.

The Generals have already saved $120,000 for the room and will cover the balance of the construction bill.

Included in the facility would be a 28-stall dressing room, coaches room, showers as well as training, kitchen and lounge areas for players.

Hannibal is confident the team can use its extensive network of contacts and relationships with local business to try and keep costs down.

“I’ve talked to quite a few different contractors and suppliers that will either donate their time or give us a really good deal on product which will be huge for us,” Hannibal added.

The team has an architect and general contractor lined up and plans to break ground in the new year with a desired completion of summer 2024.

Hannibal cautioned the timeline could change based on permits and supplier availability.

While the Generals would be the primary tenant of the facility, it would be available for other user groups throughout the year.

Hannibal mentioned the facility would better open up Oceanside Place to host provincial tournaments, figure skating events and pro teams including the national women’s hockey team.

“You could easily host any sort of either international team, if the Canucks want to come run their training camp out of Parksville, we’d be more than happy to have anybody come and run their camp there.”

Hannibal also said the team is hopeful of another long playoff run this year, which will help their bottom line. The Generals won the VIJHL Championship in 2022/23 and earned a bronze medal at the provincial championships.

Money from the Regional District comes from the Oceanside Place Reserve Fund and will be given to the Generals once a funding and lease agreement with the Regional District is in place.

The funding was approved unanimously by Board directors.

— with files from Ian Holmes

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