2006/2007 Tiger Articles

[Tiger9]

COLLIN GALLANT
Medicine Hat News

Where will Matt Keetley play this year? Not even Medicine Hat’s favourite son
knows for sure. The workhorse goaltender of his hometown Medicine Hat Tigers heads to Calgary Flames training camp today with a fork in the road dead ahead. However the NHL club wants it, the 20-year-old Keetley will either embark on a pro career in the goalie-laden Flames minor league system or return home to the Gas City where a veteran and talented squad awaits word of the his fate.

“It’s not like you’re going to go in half-assed,” said Keetley, a Flames pick after a breakout campaign in 2004-05 and the Western Hockey League’s winningest goaltender last season.

“You want a pro contract, and if it does happen that I do have to come back (to Medicine Hat), I’m more than excited to be here,” said Keetley, 6-foot-2 and noticeably slim. After a season spent training in Calgary, the puckstopper showed up to Tigers camp ready for business at 189 pounds, compared to 225 this time last year.

“I think we have the potential this year, and I can be here to help lead and help win something.” What ‘something’ is, is anybody’s guess for the team that was young last year but posted a league high 103 points and played into the Eastern Conference final playoff series with Keetley carrying the goaltending load the whole way.

The team is a year older in 2006-07, with a strong defensive unit and ripening offensive talent on a mostly untouched lineup. Granted there’s a lot of hockey still to play, but Keetley’s status is really the only question mark among a lot of optimism.

“We want all our guys to make their teams and get contracts,” said Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins as training camp opened on the weekend.
“If guys stay (with the NHL teams) it really, really hurts us this year. It’s a big, big loss for our team, but they have to know that we’re pulling for them.
Everything we do is to help them move on.”

The team has long reconciled that stud defenceman Cam Barker, 20, would be moving into the pro ranks with the Chicago Blackhawks. Another 20-year-old, firebrand Derek Dorsett, could be assigned to the Columbus Blue Jackets minor system, but is a strong candidate to return. Another Blue Jacket prospect, Tigers captain Kris Russell, 19, would have to make the NHL club or
return to junior, as would the five other Tigers at NHL auditions this week.

Goaltenders still in Tigers camp are 17-year-old rookie Ryan Holfeld and 19-year-old Blaine Neufeld, who went 5-3-0-3 in extremely limited
action last year. Meanwhile, Keetley posted a 42-13-1-5 record in 62 games of his sop****re season and top-five statistics across the board, including a 2.08 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.

“It’s an up-in-the-air sort of feeling; you never know,” said Neufeld. “Keets could stay (up with Calgary system) and I’d have a great opportunity
here. “If he comes back, it’s up in the air again, but (no matter what) I feel like I’m good enough to play in the league.”

Considering the ages involved the Keetley- Neufeld tandem doesn’t really make sense this season. The long view is that a younger goalie (Holfeld) should start breaking his chops against WHL shooters. Should Keetley be assigned to Calgary’s affiliates in Omaha (American Hockey league) or Las Vegas (East Coast), and barring a trade, Neufeld would take over the No. 1 job with Holfeld backing up.

The scene isn’t so cut and dry in Calgary’s goaltending chart, where the Flames signed former backup goalie Jamie McLennan to replace midseason
trade acquisition Brian Boucher behind No. 1 ‘tender Mikka Kiprusoff.
Waiting in the wings is former Calgary Hitmen standout Brent Krahn and Calgary native Curtis McIlhinney, who starred at Colorado College (NCAA Div. I). That pair split duties in Omaha last year. At the other end of the scale, the Flames used their first round pick in the 2006 Entry Draft to secure Everett Silvertips goaltender Leland Irving, and in the process added a touch of urgency to Keetley’s situation.

“In some ways you can read between the lines on some things,” said Keetley.
“Everybody overthinks things . . . I’m going in like there’s a spot still open, and that spot’s for me."

[Tiger9]

COLLIN GALLANT
Medicine Hat News

The Tiger’s roster sits at 32 after rookie camp holdovers were re-assigned over the weekend.

“There’s a lot of guys and a roster to fill, and it’s time to make decisions,” said head coach Willie Desjardins. “Guys have to play like they’re playing for a spot on the team.”

Alongside the 20 returning veterans are four 16-year olds: defencemen Adrian Van de Mosselaer (Kelowna) and Lee Morrow (Leduc) and forwards Jordan Hickmott (Mission, B.C.) and Josh Koper (Edmonton).

Trade acquired forwards Tyler Swystun, 18, and Colton Grant, 17, are looking for spots. An interesting surprise is 18-year-old free agent Roman Crobar, a 6-foot-3, 236-pound forward who played last season with the
Medicine Hat Junior B Cubs.

Import draftees F Jakub Rumpel, 19, and D Alexander Provkin, 17, plus goaltender Ryan Holfeld, 17, and forward Cameron Bretton, 17, round out the new faces.

[Tiger Trauma]

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[Tiger Trauma]

Tigers sneak out a win
By DARREN STEINKE


The Medicine Hat Tigers finished their exhibition season with a thrilling come-from-behind win over the Red Deer Rebels Saturday, but Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins was more concerned about his club’s special teams play.
The Tigers trailed the Rebels 4-1 heading into the final five minutes of their match against the Rebels in Carstairs. The Tigers scored three times, including two goals in the final 16 seconds of the game, to send the match to overtime. Tigers centre Tyler Ennis scored on a power play in the extra session to give his club a 5-4 win.
While the Tigers were 4-for-19 on the power play and killed off 10-of-12 penalties, Desjardins didn’t think his team was crisp in either department.
“I thought it (the comeback) was good, but we didn’t play great,” said Desjardins, whose team completed the exhibition season with a 4-0-1 mark. “We got ourselves in trouble early.
“We didn’t execute very good on our specialty teams. We will lose hockey games unless we get better in that area.”
The Tiger led 1-0 after the first period thanks to a power-play goal by right-winger Jerrid Sauer. Devon LeBlanc tied the game 1-1 with a goal for Red Deer in the second period.
The Rebels then took a 4-1 edge scoring three goals to start the third period. LeBlanc netted his second of the game, while Brandon Sutter and Karey Pieper had singles.
Jordan Hickmott, a 16-year-old rookie centre, started the Tigers comeback with a power-play goal at the 15:14 mark of the third. Rearguard Shayne Brown scored with 16 seconds to play in the game to bring the Tigers to within 4-3, and right-winger Jordie Deagle tied the contest with four seconds remaining on the clock.
In overtime, Brown and defenceman David Schlemko, who was playing his first game since being returned from Phoenix Coyotes rookie camp, helped set up Ennis for the winner on the power play.
James Reimer went the distance in goal for the Rebels stopping 46 of the 51 shots fired his way. Blaine Neufeld and Ryan Holfeld teamed up to turn away 23 of 27 shots fired at the Medicine Hat goal.
Desjardins didn’t believe the victory was a character win for his team.
“With good character, we wouldn’t have gotten behind,” said Desjardins. “I think Red Deer deserved the game, but we snuck it out.”
The Tigers now open their regular season Friday as they travel to Lethbridge to meet the Hurricanes at 7 p.m. at the Enmax Centre. Leading up that first game, Desjardins plans to focus a lot of work on one area.
“We just have to work on our specialty teams,” said Desjardins. “We have lots of work to do in that area.”
NOTES – Defenceman Gord Baldwin is back in the fold with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
On Sunday, the NHL’s Calgary Flames assigned the 19-year-old Winnipeg product back to the Tigers. Baldwin was selected by the Flames in the third round and 69th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft. Last season with the Tigers, Baldwin, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 210 pounds, played in 71 games netting four goals, 20 assists and was a plus-11 in the plus-minus category.


- Medicine Hat News

[Tiger9]

TIGERS REDUCE ROSTER BY ONE

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Medicine Hat, AB - Medicine Hat Tigers have reduced their roster by one player with the reassignment of 17-year-old forward Bretton Cameron to the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

The move now leaves the Tiger's roster at 27 players with six players still remaining at NHL training camp.

The Tigers are preparing for the start of the regular season which begins this Friday in Lethbridge. The Tigers return to home ice the following night with a return engagement against the Hurricanes for their home opener. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Courtesy of
www.tigershockey.com

[Tiger9]

Baldwin glad to be back in Arena

COLLIN GALLANT
Medicine Hat News

Gord Baldwin would have preferred to skate at the Pengrowth Saddledome on
Monday, but the Medicine Hat Arena will do just fine, thank you.

“I’ve been away from home (in Winnipeg) for more than a month, and haven’t had a skate at this rink yet,” said the Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman, who arrived back from Calgary Flames training camp on Sunday and joined his Tiger teammate for their initial practice at the Arena this season.

The ice is cold after the cooling system received a patchjob, and ready for the Tigers to set up shop. Their WHL season opener is on Friday at Lethbridge, then they return home Saturday for a rematch with the ‘Canes, 7:30 p.m. at the Arena.

“I was excited to be here today,” said Baldwin, a third-round pick of the Flames in 2005. “I’m starting to settle in for the season.”

“I got some positive feed back (in Calgary), and got invited to main camp which was a much difference experience. It was a lot faster and it
shows you where you are.”

The Tigers now have six defencemen in town, including David Schlemko, who attended Phoenix Coyotes camp as a free-agent, along with Tiger teammate and Coyotes draftee Jordan Bendfeld.

Schlemko flew back Friday after Phoenix won the NHL prospects tournament in San Jose. He joined the Tigers for their Saturday night overtime
win at Carstairs over Red Deer.

“I was really disappointed on draft day,” said Schlemko, who wasn’t chosen in the 2005 Draft but went on to have a strong season in 2005-06 (nine goals and 44 points in 69 games) with an increasing role on the power-play. He suffered a similar fate last June, but with an encouraging twist.

“I had calls from seven or eight teams the next day, asking for me to tryout. That was exciting,” said Schlemko.

“(Phoenix management) said that they didn’t really know who I was coming in, but they had a lot of positive things to say.”

An Edmonton native and Oilers fanatic, Schlemko, 19, also got to spend time with Phoenix head coach Wayne Gretzky and goaltender coach Grant Fuhr.

“You try to give them with respect and act like a professional,” said Schlemko, who admitted to being a little star-struck.

NOTES — The Tigers are still missing five players — a really good starting lineup, in fact — thanks to NHL camps: goalie Matt Keetley (Calgary);
defencemen Kris Russell (Columbus) who skated in the Blue Jackets pre-season opener on Sunday, and Jordan Bendfeld (Phoenix); and the forward line of Derek Dorsett (Columbus), Darren Helm and Kevin Undershute (both with Detroit).

Former Tiger captain Ben Thomson was assigned to the Minnesota Wild’s American Hockey League camp on Monday. The Coaldale native signed as an
amateur tryout in the spring after a winning a second Canadian University title with the Alberta Golden Bears.

Defenceman Cody Blanshan has hooked up with the Idaho Steelheads (East Coast Hockey league. The 22-year-old Tiger grad signed a deal late last
week. Blanshan spent most of last season with Greenville, and helped the Grrowl to the Kelly Cup East Coast league final series last season.

[Tiger9]

Medicine Hat News

[Tiger9]

Medicine Hat News

[Tiger Trauma]

Sports : Local Sports Last Updated: Oct 2nd, 2006 - 23:17:27

Welcome Matt
By COLLIN GALLANT
Oct 3, 2006, 23:16

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Matt Keetley is headed back to junior hockey and Blaine Neufeld is headed to the other end of the rink. Both goaltenders will be in the Credit Union Centre tonight as the Medicine Hat Tigers meet the Saskatoon Blades.
Keetley arrives to the Tigers thanks to his re-assignment Monday from the Calgary Flames minor-league training camp. His former backup Neufeld goes to the Blades via a late Monday trade between the two Western Hockey league clubs who face off tonight at 7:05 p.m.
“When I was going up there I kinda knew that I was coming back,” said Keetley, just as he was stepping off a plane in Saskatoon Monday.
“I went up (to NHL training camp) to play a game and have fun with it, enjoy it and get ready for the season.
“It’s really exciting to come back (to Medicine Hat). Everyone’s back now. I’m really excited to get the season started and get into the loop again.
“It should be great and I hope that we have a great start.”
Keetley, a workhorse goaltender who earned team MVP accolades last year, garnered a long look at NHL training camp with the team that chose the Medicine Hat native in the fifth-round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Keetley posted a 42-13-1-5 record last season with top-five numbers in both save percentage (.913) and goals against average (2.08).
“Matt’s numbers speak for themselves, it’s a big positive,” said Tigers coach Willie Desjardins.
With the Flames solidifying their big club roster and assigning AHL veteran Brent Krahn to the Knights, the 20-year-old, unsigned Keetley was re-assigned to junior.
Keetley is confident that he’s left a good impression with Flames brass. He stopped all 23 shots sent his way and got an assist to boot in a 3-0 shutout win Saturday against Iowa.
“It an was exciting experience to go into a different place and play with a different team,” said Keetley. “It was a little bit of an adjustment, but the boys helped me out, and I adjusted quick.”
It’s also likely that Neufeld has left a good impression with the Tigers.
The 19-year-old Neufeld joined the club as a backup before last season (5-3-3 with a 2.52 goals against average) and despite little action on the ice was thought of as a team player and a strong character in the dressing room.
In exchange for Neufeld the Tigers received a conditional pick in the 2007 bantam draft, according to the deal which was reported in today’s edition of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
Monday’s deal came down quickly, but the idea of a trade was not new for Neufeld.
“It’s an up-in-the-air sort of feeling,” said Neufeld on Sept. 6 of his tenuous situation with the Tigers.
“I feel like I’m good enough to play in this league.”
Neufeld only saw action in 12 games last season as a backup, but Desjardins had expressed confidence that Neufeld could handle top goaltending duties with 17-year-old rookie Ryan Holfeld as a backup if Keetley had stayed on with the Flames organization.
With Keetley back, the club looking to groom Holfeld for the future and the 19-year-old Neufeld wanting a chance to be a No. 1 goaltender, the decision was an obvious one.
He’ll get that chance in Saskatoon, where head coach and GM Lorne Molleken is keen on pairing Neufeld (2-1-0 this season) with 17-year-old Braden Holtby (2-1-0).
Holtby has impressed early on but might need help adjusting to a full WHL season.
The Blades will likely move 19-year-old goaltender Trevor Peeters, who had won the Blades’ backup job as a walk-on tryout.
Green’s departure made official
Following a story first reported in the News, the Edmonton Oilers and Medicine Hat Tigers officially announced on Monday afternoon that Tigers head scout Bob Green will be the general manager of the WHL expansion franchise.
“Our entire organization would like to thank Bob for his hard work and dedication over the years. We wish him all the best in his new endeavours,” stated Tigers’ president Darrell Maser in a press release.
“Bob is the perfect hockey person to lead our new WHL hockey team in Edmonton,” said Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe in a separate release. “His vast experience in the league, and his junior hockey knowledge, will be instrumental in building this franchise, and help us challenge for the Memorial Cup.”
The Oilers also announced Nick Wilson as vice president of business operations and alternate governor of the team.

[Tiger Trauma]

Welcome Matt
By COLLIN GALLANT
Oct 3, 2006, 23:16

Matt Keetley is headed back to junior hockey and Blaine Neufeld is headed to the other end of the rink. Both goaltenders will be in the Credit Union Centre tonight as the Medicine Hat Tigers meet the Saskatoon Blades.
Keetley arrives to the Tigers thanks to his re-assignment Monday from the Calgary Flames minor-league training camp. His former backup Neufeld goes to the Blades via a late Monday trade between the two Western Hockey league clubs who face off tonight at 7:05 p.m.
“When I was going up there I kinda knew that I was coming back,” said Keetley, just as he was stepping off a plane in Saskatoon Monday.
“I went up (to NHL training camp) to play a game and have fun with it, enjoy it and get ready for the season.
“It’s really exciting to come back (to Medicine Hat). Everyone’s back now. I’m really excited to get the season started and get into the loop again.
“It should be great and I hope that we have a great start.”
Keetley, a workhorse goaltender who earned team MVP accolades last year, garnered a long look at NHL training camp with the team that chose the Medicine Hat native in the fifth-round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Keetley posted a 42-13-1-5 record last season with top-five numbers in both save percentage (.913) and goals against average (2.08).
“Matt’s numbers speak for themselves, it’s a big positive,” said Tigers coach Willie Desjardins.
With the Flames solidifying their big club roster and assigning AHL veteran Brent Krahn to the Knights, the 20-year-old, unsigned Keetley was re-assigned to junior.
Keetley is confident that he’s left a good impression with Flames brass. He stopped all 23 shots sent his way and got an assist to boot in a 3-0 shutout win Saturday against Iowa.
“It an was exciting experience to go into a different place and play with a different team,” said Keetley. “It was a little bit of an adjustment, but the boys helped me out, and I adjusted quick.”
It’s also likely that Neufeld has left a good impression with the Tigers.
The 19-year-old Neufeld joined the club as a backup before last season (5-3-3 with a 2.52 goals against average) and despite little action on the ice was thought of as a team player and a strong character in the dressing room.
In exchange for Neufeld the Tigers received a conditional pick in the 2007 bantam draft, according to the deal which was reported in today’s edition of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
Monday’s deal came down quickly, but the idea of a trade was not new for Neufeld.
“It’s an up-in-the-air sort of feeling,” said Neufeld on Sept. 6 of his tenuous situation with the Tigers.
“I feel like I’m good enough to play in this league.”
Neufeld only saw action in 12 games last season as a backup, but Desjardins had expressed confidence that Neufeld could handle top goaltending duties with 17-year-old rookie Ryan Holfeld as a backup if Keetley had stayed on with the Flames organization.
With Keetley back, the club looking to groom Holfeld for the future and the 19-year-old Neufeld wanting a chance to be a No. 1 goaltender, the decision was an obvious one.
He’ll get that chance in Saskatoon, where head coach and GM Lorne Molleken is keen on pairing Neufeld (2-1-0 this season) with 17-year-old Braden Holtby (2-1-0).
Holtby has impressed early on but might need help adjusting to a full WHL season.
The Blades will likely move 19-year-old goaltender Trevor Peeters, who had won the Blades’ backup job as a walk-on tryout.
Green’s departure made official
Following a story first reported in the News, the Edmonton Oilers and Medicine Hat Tigers officially announced on Monday afternoon that Tigers head scout Bob Green will be the general manager of the WHL expansion franchise.
“Our entire organization would like to thank Bob for his hard work and dedication over the years. We wish him all the best in his new endeavours,” stated Tigers’ president Darrell Maser in a press release.
“Bob is the perfect hockey person to lead our new WHL hockey team in Edmonton,” said Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe in a separate release. “His vast experience in the league, and his junior hockey knowledge, will be instrumental in building this franchise, and help us challenge for the Memorial Cup.”
The Oilers also announced Nick Wilson as vice president of business operations and alternate governor of the team.