Scout
09-05-2007, 07:07 AM
With Gregg Drinnan: The Calgary Hitmen outshot Red Deer 42-17 and beat the Rebels 2-0 in Airdrie, Alta., in Tuesday’s only WHL exhibition game. Referee Chris Savage gave the Rebels seven of eight minors in the second period -- Calgary enjoyed two lengthy 5-on-3s -- and the Hitmen enjoyed a 23-4 edge in shots. Still, Calgary was 0-for-12 on the PP; the Rebels were 0-for-7. . . . Calgary got its goals from Slovakian rookie Martin Stepan in the first period and F Adam Ross, 20, in the second. . . . G Morgan Clark went the distance for Red Deer. The Hitmen split their goaltending between Chase Komistek and Martin Jones. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs have trimmed three players off their roster, with LW Mike Betz, 15, joining the major midget Okanagan Rockets in Kelowna and RW Blake Gal, 15, heading to camp with the midget AAA team in Lethbridge. Betz and Gal were the Chiefs’ first two picks in the 2007 bantam draft. C Steven Kuhn, 16, is on his way to the midget AAA camp in Medicine Hat. . . . Also leaving the Chiefs, at least for now, are three veterans headed to NHL camps -- D Justin Falk (Minnesota Wild), LW Ondrej Roman (Dallas Stars) and C Chris Bruton (St. Louis Blues). . . .
The Swift Current Broncos’ roster is at 26, including two goaltenders and eight defencemen, with the reassigning of G Chad Ketting, 16, likely to the major midget Northwest Giants, who play out of Vancouver, and C Chris Magnus, 15, to the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers. . . .
When the Kelowna Rockets returned home from Edmonton on Monday, they left F Milan Kytnar behind. The Slovakian will attend the Edmonton Oilers’ rookie camp. . . . Also off to NHL camps are C Cody Almond (Minnesota), G Torrie Jung (Tampa Bay) and D Tysen Dowzak (Philadelhia). . . . Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska has told the media in that city that D Tyson Barrie, 16, was his team’s best player in three exhibition games in Edmonton. That could be interpreted as good news for Barrie but bad news for the Rockets. Barrie’s father, Len, was a prolific WHL sniper in his day. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings got down to 28 players by reassigning three players and releasing three others. LW Devin Balness, 15, is off to Eastman (midget AAA), with D Mark Pysyk, 15, to play midget AAA in his hometown of Sherwood Park and D Ryan Wilkinson, 16, joining the midget AAA K of C Pats in Edmonton. . . . Released were G Brian Kaval, D Adam Geric and RW Eli Grossman. . . .
The immediate future of the Everett Silvertips very well may be decided by pro teams. Eight players who are eligible to play for Everett are, or will be, in pro camps -- D Dane Crowley (Tampa Bay), D Taylor Ellington (Vancouver), LW Ondrej Fiala (Minnesota), RW Dan Gendur (Vancouver), C Zach Hamill (Boston), G Leland Irving (Calgary), C Vitali Karamnov (Edmonton) and C Peter Mueller (Phoenix). . . . Of that bunch, Mueller is the likeliest candidate to make an NHL team’s roster. If/when Irving is returned, it will make for an interesting scenario as David Reekie also is a capable WHL goaltender but he is 20 and you’ve got to think he wouldn’t want to play second-fiddle. So a goaltending move could be in Everett’s future. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs have trimmed three players off their roster, with LW Mike Betz, 15, joining the major midget Okanagan Rockets in Kelowna and RW Blake Gal, 15, heading to camp with the midget AAA team in Lethbridge. Betz and Gal were the Chiefs’ first two picks in the 2007 bantam draft. C Steven Kuhn, 16, is on his way to the midget AAA camp in Medicine Hat. . . . Also leaving the Chiefs, at least for now, are three veterans headed to NHL camps -- D Justin Falk (Minnesota Wild), LW Ondrej Roman (Dallas Stars) and C Chris Bruton (St. Louis Blues). . . .
The Swift Current Broncos’ roster is at 26, including two goaltenders and eight defencemen, with the reassigning of G Chad Ketting, 16, likely to the major midget Northwest Giants, who play out of Vancouver, and C Chris Magnus, 15, to the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers. . . .
When the Kelowna Rockets returned home from Edmonton on Monday, they left F Milan Kytnar behind. The Slovakian will attend the Edmonton Oilers’ rookie camp. . . . Also off to NHL camps are C Cody Almond (Minnesota), G Torrie Jung (Tampa Bay) and D Tysen Dowzak (Philadelhia). . . . Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska has told the media in that city that D Tyson Barrie, 16, was his team’s best player in three exhibition games in Edmonton. That could be interpreted as good news for Barrie but bad news for the Rockets. Barrie’s father, Len, was a prolific WHL sniper in his day. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings got down to 28 players by reassigning three players and releasing three others. LW Devin Balness, 15, is off to Eastman (midget AAA), with D Mark Pysyk, 15, to play midget AAA in his hometown of Sherwood Park and D Ryan Wilkinson, 16, joining the midget AAA K of C Pats in Edmonton. . . . Released were G Brian Kaval, D Adam Geric and RW Eli Grossman. . . .
The immediate future of the Everett Silvertips very well may be decided by pro teams. Eight players who are eligible to play for Everett are, or will be, in pro camps -- D Dane Crowley (Tampa Bay), D Taylor Ellington (Vancouver), LW Ondrej Fiala (Minnesota), RW Dan Gendur (Vancouver), C Zach Hamill (Boston), G Leland Irving (Calgary), C Vitali Karamnov (Edmonton) and C Peter Mueller (Phoenix). . . . Of that bunch, Mueller is the likeliest candidate to make an NHL team’s roster. If/when Irving is returned, it will make for an interesting scenario as David Reekie also is a capable WHL goaltender but he is 20 and you’ve got to think he wouldn’t want to play second-fiddle. So a goaltending move could be in Everett’s future. . . .