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Spokane Chiefs

Chiefs Weekly Report

September 22, 2014 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


NEWS & NOTES

APPROACHING 600... Head Coach Don Nachbaur is one regular season win shy of 600. He could become just the 4th WHL coach to eclipse the milestone, joining Ken Hodge (742), Lorne Molleken (603), and Don Hay (610). Hay, now with the Kamloops Blazers, is the only active WHL coach ahead of Nachbaur in career wins.

FRAM INVITED TO CALGARY... Chiefs defenseman Jason Fram, after an impressive showing at the Young Stars Classic rookie tournament, earned an invitation to Calgary Flames training camp as an undrafted free agent.

KEANU BELIEVE IT?... Chiefs forward Keanu Yamamoto, in his rookie season, scored nearly half of his goals against the rival Tri-City Americans. In 12 games vs. Tri-City, Yamamoto tallied 5 goals and 2 assists, and was Spokane's 2nd-leading goal scorer.

JUST CAN'T MISKE... 17-year-old rookie forward Curtis Miske led all Spokane Chiefs in scoring during the 2014 Preseason with 2 goals and 3 assists in just 3 games played. Miske's +4 rating also led all Chiefs.

WE WANT YOU-TH... The Chiefs are currently carrying 8 WHL rookies on the roster, including 2 forwards, 5 defensemen and 1 goaltender. Five rookies recorded a point during the preseason, led by Miske's 5 (2G, 3A).

SPELTZ ASSISTS WITH TEAM CANADA... Chiefs General Manager Tim Speltz was selected to work with Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence in a management role with Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team at the 2014 U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Canada won their 7th consecutive gold medal at the tournament.

YAMAMOTO DAZZLES AT FIVE NATIONS... Chiefs rookie prospect Kailer Yamamoto, brother of Keanu, played for the 2014 USA Hockey Under-17 Select Team that competed in the U-17 Five Nations Tournament in Germany from August 13-17. Yamamoto finished as Team USA's 2nd-leading scorer with 6 assists.

NACHBAUR EXTENDED ... Head Coach Don Nachbaur signed a two-year extension this summer. Nachbaur is now signed with Spokane through the 2016-17 season.

LADAY IN RED... The Chiefs selected Hungarian Tamas Laday with the 42nd overall selection in the 2014 CHL Import Draft. Laday, a 6'6", 190 lb. defenseman, scored a combined 63 games between four clubs at both the U18 and U20 levels in Hungary. He joins returning Austrian forward Dominic Zwerger as the Chiefs' two allowed European imports.

WHAM BAM THANK YOU FRAM ... Chiefs defenseman Jason Fram is the Chiefs' leading returning scorer after scoring 6 goals and 51 assists during the 2013-14 season. His 57 points were good for 10th amongst all WHL defensemen. Fram finished the season strong, scoring 8 points (1G, 7A) in the Chiefs' final seven games.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR... Dominic Zwerger was named the Chiefs' 2013-14 rookie of the year after scoring 16 goals and 10 assists in 53 games. The forward from Dornbirn, Austria enters joins Laday as the Chiefs' two allowed European Imports.

GOALTENDER BATTLE... The Chiefs are currently carrying three goaltenders on their roster. Garret Hughson returns for the Chiefs after posting a 3.28 GAA and 0.893 SV% in 21 appearances as a backup for Eric Williams. Alex Moodie, acquired via trade with Saskatoon during the offseason, appeared in 28 games for the Blades last year, posting a 4.29 GAA and 0.894 SV%. Rookie Tyson Verhelst appeared in 4 games for the Chiefs during the preseason and recorded a 2.88 GAA and 0.909 SV%.

A TIME FOR FIRSTS...

Tyson Helgesen scored his 1st career regular season goal (and point) in the 4-2 win over Tri-City on Sept. 20.

Matt Sozanski scored his 1st career point vs. Tri-City on Sept. 20.

Jordan Henderson scored his 1st career assist vs. Tri-City on Sept 20.

Mitch Lipon scored his 1st goal as a Chief vs. Tri-City on Sept 20.

DON KIEHL HONORED... The Chiefs honored the late Don Kiehl, a friend of the organization and long-time Head Off-Ice Official, with the Don Kiehl Players of the Game Award, given to the top player from each team during the annual Red-White Game. Don's wife Kathy and daughter Karen Kiehl presented the awards to forwards Connor Chartier and Adam Helewka following the annual intrasquad scrimmage culminating the Chiefs Annual Fall Camp.

ON THE ROSTER... The Chiefs roster currently includes 27 players: 15 forwards, 9 defensemen and 3 goaltenders.

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