Taking Note ...with Gregg Drinnan

[Malc]

D Collin Bowman of the Kelowna Rockets has been named to the U.S. under-18 team that will play in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament, Aug. 12-16 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia. The U.S. team was chosen after a July 7-13 camp at St. Cloud, Minn., State. Bowman, from Littleton, Colo., is the younger brother of Spokane Chiefs LW Drayson Bowman...
Canada’s entry in that tournament will be selected following an Aug. 1-5 camp in Calgary.

D Clayton Barthel (Seattle/Kelowna(2006-07)) signed with Landsberg (Germany Oberliga). Barthel played only four games last season with Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) due to injuries.

G Kelly Guard (Kelowna(2002-04)) signed with Val Pusteria (Italy Serie A). He played with China Sharks (Asian Hockey League), Vienna Capitals (Austria Erste Bank League), and HC Gomel (Belarus) last season

D Kevin Young (Medicine Hat/Portland/Kelowna(2001-02)) signed with Weisswasser (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He was with Landsberg (Germany 2.Bundesliga) last season, getting eight goals and five assists in 17 games.

[Malc]

F Kiel McLeod (Kelowna) has signed with Cortina (Italy Serie A). McLeod split time between Albany (AHL) and Victoria (ECHL) last season.

G Daniel Salamandyk, who is likely the No. 2 man on the Kelowna Rockets’ depth chart, was traded last week. His Kootenay International junior league rights went from the Sicamous Eagles to the Kimberley Dynamiters. The Rockets acquired Salamandyk last season from the Kootenay Ice in a deal that had F Clayton Bauer go the other way. The Ice selected Salamandyk with the 140th pick of the 2005 bantam draft. Right now, he is likely behind only veteran Torrie Jung, 19, on the Rockets’ depth chart.

[Malc]

F Luke Moffatt, the Kelowna Rockets’ first-round pick, second overall, in the 2007 bantam draft, won’t be reporting to camp. He is joining the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Also missing from Kelowna’s camp will be RW Danny Kristo, a list player. Kristo, from Eden Prairie, Minn., was taken in the second round, 56th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens, in the NHL’s 2008 draft. Kristo will spend this season with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and has committed to the U of North Dakota for 2009-10.

[Malc]

D Lyon Messier, 21, who bounced around the WHL a bit early last season, will play for the New York Rangers’ prospects team in a tournament at Traverse City, Mich.
D Tysen Dowzak, 20, of the Kelowna Rockets is also on the Rangers’ roster.

F James McEwan, who captained the Kelowna Rockets last season as a 20-year-old, has signed with the ECHL’s Phoenix RoadRunners, who are affiliated with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.
http://www.kelownarockets.com/Story.aspx?ID=353

[Malc]

The Kelowna Rockets open with road games against the Tri-City Americans and Portland Winter Hawks on Saturday and Sunday. And it looks as though the Rockets, who are expected to contend for the Western Conference title, will be without six veterans, all of whom are at NHL camps — C Cody Almond (Minnesota Wild), LW Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars), D Tysen Dowzak (New York Rangers), C Colin Long (Phoenix Coyotes), D Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres) and D Luke Schenn (Toronto Maple Leafs).

LW Lucas Bloodoff (Tampa Bay Lightning), G Torrie Jung (Tampa Bay) and LW Brandon McMillan (Anaheim Ducks) have returned to the Rockets and are expected to play.

With the absentees, the Rockets have added F Max Adolph of Saskatoon and F Brett Bulmer of Prince George to get their roster to 18 skaters. Adolph and Bulmer, both 16, were 2007 bantam draft picks.