Cole
Former Vancouver Canuck Kevin Bieksa stands with his son Cole in the Canucks dressing room before their NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena Nov. 3, 2022 in Vancouver. Bieksa signed a one-day contract to retire as a Canuck.
Vancouver Giants training camp kicks off Thursday morning at the Ladner Leisure Centre, and there are a couple of connections to Kevin Bieksa.
The former Vancouver Canucks defenceman coached the Fairmont Academy Under-18 team based in Anaheim last season, and Fairmont winger Cole Bieksa, as well as defenceman Lance McCloskey — who both turn 18 in the coming weeks — are among the players getting a look from the Giants.
Cole is Kevin’s son, and he’s on a free-agent invite with Vancouver. He had 31 goals and 78 points in 52 Under-18 games with Fairmont last season, making him the team’s third-leading scorer. He’s listed at 5-foot-11 and 155 pounds.
McCloskey was added to the Giants’ protected list last season. He was Fairmont’s second leading scorer in Under-18 play, with 30 goals and 83 points in 54 games. He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds.
81 players will attend 2025 Vancouver Giants Training Camp, pres. by @prestongm, which begins with registration tomorrow!
The first on-ice session gets underway on Thursday at 10 AM at the Ladner Leisure Centre.
Click below for the rosters ⬇️
— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) August 26, 2025
The BCHL’s Coquitlam Express announced in February that they had signed Cole for this coming season. The BCHL is a level below the WHL. McCloskey has signed in that Junior A loop with the Victoria Grizzlies.
The Giants have 81 players slated to take part in proceedings in Ladner, making it their largest training camp in recent memory. There are 40 forwards and 33 defenceman. The Giants have a new GM in Hnat Domenichelli and a new coach in Parker Burgess this season.
Training camp runs through the weekend and concludes with the annual Legends intrasquad game at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Vancouver has eight forwards slated to return from last season, led by 40-goal man Cameron Schmidt. Notable newcomers include Slovak Tobias Tomik, 2024 WHL Draft first-rounder Blake Chorney and Leonardo Domenichelli, who played last year in Switzerland. He’s the son of the GM.
There are five returning defencemen, highlighted by projected 2026 NHL Draft first-rounder Ryan Lin. Czech Jan Skok highlights the newcomers.
Kevin was one of the founders of the Fairmont program four seasons ago. The squad made the U.S.A. Hockey High School Triple A national championship game in Irvine, Calif., in the spring, falling 3-2 in overtime to Shattuck-St. Mary’s much celebrated Minnesota program.