Scout
08-21-2008, 04:40 PM
Courtesy Alan C
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Camps are here
It's Thursday, and that means hockey season is here. Yes folks, half of the league's teams are back on the ice today and all but four teams will be underway by this weekend.
Some news for the day.....
When Kamloops opens camp, they'll be short two forwards with knee injuries and one defenceman who has retired. Gregg has the details.....basically veteran d-man Darcy Huisman has retired because he doesn't want to play hockey anymore. Mark Hall and Richard Vanderhoek are the forwards with knee injuries. The veteran Hall's injury isn't believed to be serious, while rookie hopeful Vanderhoek's is worse and might end his season before the season even begins. Vanderhoek played 6 games for the Blazers last year and was expected to contend for a full-time spot on the team this year.
Meanwhile, it sounds like Victor Bartley will be joining the Pats this year after all. He'll be in their camp and while he's still hoping for a good pro offer, it's sounding more like he'll play his overage year as a Pat.
Camp rosters for Red Deer, Regina, and Saskatoon are in the next post below.....I'll add more rosters as I get then and I'll update the list daily for the next month until the season starts.
Some CHL/World Junior news now.....Gatineau Olympiques head coach Benoit Groulx has left the team to take the head coaching job with the AHL's Rochester Americans. And we thought Bill Peters gave Spokane short notice when HE left....QMJHL camps are getting underway right now and the Olympiques just lost one of the QMJHL's best coaches. This has a World Junior effect too as Groulx was slated to coach Canada at this year's WJCs in Ottawa but that isn't going to happen now. Medicine Hat Tigers coach Willie Desjardins was to be an assistant to Groulx at the WJCs but you'd have to think Desjardins becomes a pretty good candidate to take the head job now.
Prince George unveiled a new logo yesterday....is it just me or is that logo not a dead ringer for Everett's logo? They're almost identical!
The WHL is due to announce today the three teams which have applied to host the 2010 Memorial Cup. Brandon and Kelowna are known to be two of them but the identity of the third city is unknown. Guess we'll find out today. Kelowna hosted it just four years ago so you'd have to think they have no chance....Bruce Hamilton even said he was only submitting a bid just to make sure Brandon had some competition. So the hosting gig could really be only between Brandon and the mystery third city.
Bad news in P.G. and I don't mean the new logo: new import Jerome Flaake may not join the team due to a contract issue in his native Germany. Turns out he may have a pro contract to play in Germany this year....we'll see how that gets sorted out. Also, sophomore defenceman Art Bidlevskii reports to camp injured after being bitten on the hands and arms by his dogs while trying to stop them from fighting. Hopefully there is no tendon damage there and Bidlevskii won't have to miss an extended period of time.
Saskatoon has been forced to change the location of their training camp at the last minute, after a heat wave turned the ice in their original venue into a giant Slurpee.
One of Chilliwack's original Bruins, Michael Proudley, has left the team. Proudley didn't feel he would get the kind of ice time he wanted as a 19 year old this year in Chilliwack, and has chosen to stay home in Manitoba and play Jr A this year. The Bruins agreed with Proudley's take on his WHL situation and have released him to play in the MJHL.
Rockets chief scout Lorne Frey discusses the team's top rookie camp prospects. Conspicuous by his absence from the names mentioned in the article is Luke Moffatt.....
Greg Harder offers up an overview of the Pats camp this year with position-by-position battles for spots.
Tigers 2007 first round pick goalie Tyler Bunz is ready to make the team as a 16 year old.
Scout
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Camps are here
It's Thursday, and that means hockey season is here. Yes folks, half of the league's teams are back on the ice today and all but four teams will be underway by this weekend.
Some news for the day.....
When Kamloops opens camp, they'll be short two forwards with knee injuries and one defenceman who has retired. Gregg has the details.....basically veteran d-man Darcy Huisman has retired because he doesn't want to play hockey anymore. Mark Hall and Richard Vanderhoek are the forwards with knee injuries. The veteran Hall's injury isn't believed to be serious, while rookie hopeful Vanderhoek's is worse and might end his season before the season even begins. Vanderhoek played 6 games for the Blazers last year and was expected to contend for a full-time spot on the team this year.
Meanwhile, it sounds like Victor Bartley will be joining the Pats this year after all. He'll be in their camp and while he's still hoping for a good pro offer, it's sounding more like he'll play his overage year as a Pat.
Camp rosters for Red Deer, Regina, and Saskatoon are in the next post below.....I'll add more rosters as I get then and I'll update the list daily for the next month until the season starts.
Some CHL/World Junior news now.....Gatineau Olympiques head coach Benoit Groulx has left the team to take the head coaching job with the AHL's Rochester Americans. And we thought Bill Peters gave Spokane short notice when HE left....QMJHL camps are getting underway right now and the Olympiques just lost one of the QMJHL's best coaches. This has a World Junior effect too as Groulx was slated to coach Canada at this year's WJCs in Ottawa but that isn't going to happen now. Medicine Hat Tigers coach Willie Desjardins was to be an assistant to Groulx at the WJCs but you'd have to think Desjardins becomes a pretty good candidate to take the head job now.
Prince George unveiled a new logo yesterday....is it just me or is that logo not a dead ringer for Everett's logo? They're almost identical!
The WHL is due to announce today the three teams which have applied to host the 2010 Memorial Cup. Brandon and Kelowna are known to be two of them but the identity of the third city is unknown. Guess we'll find out today. Kelowna hosted it just four years ago so you'd have to think they have no chance....Bruce Hamilton even said he was only submitting a bid just to make sure Brandon had some competition. So the hosting gig could really be only between Brandon and the mystery third city.
Bad news in P.G. and I don't mean the new logo: new import Jerome Flaake may not join the team due to a contract issue in his native Germany. Turns out he may have a pro contract to play in Germany this year....we'll see how that gets sorted out. Also, sophomore defenceman Art Bidlevskii reports to camp injured after being bitten on the hands and arms by his dogs while trying to stop them from fighting. Hopefully there is no tendon damage there and Bidlevskii won't have to miss an extended period of time.
Saskatoon has been forced to change the location of their training camp at the last minute, after a heat wave turned the ice in their original venue into a giant Slurpee.
One of Chilliwack's original Bruins, Michael Proudley, has left the team. Proudley didn't feel he would get the kind of ice time he wanted as a 19 year old this year in Chilliwack, and has chosen to stay home in Manitoba and play Jr A this year. The Bruins agreed with Proudley's take on his WHL situation and have released him to play in the MJHL.
Rockets chief scout Lorne Frey discusses the team's top rookie camp prospects. Conspicuous by his absence from the names mentioned in the article is Luke Moffatt.....
Greg Harder offers up an overview of the Pats camp this year with position-by-position battles for spots.
Tigers 2007 first round pick goalie Tyler Bunz is ready to make the team as a 16 year old.
Scout