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 Spokane Chiefs

Three Chiefs' Season Extended

April 9, 2010 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


Despite the Chiefs season ending last week the careers of three players advanced to the professional ranks as Mitch Wahl, Kyle Beach and Jared Cowen all played in their respective NHL team's systems.

Cowen made his NHL debut on Thursday night when the Ottawa Senators traveled to play the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 19-year-old captain of the Chiefs was Ottawa's first round pick in 2009. He had 6:46 of ice time and took a hooking penalty. There has been no word out of Ottawa on whether the defenseman will see any more action in the regular season, which ends this weekend, or the playoffs.

Wahl made his professional debut last weekend with the Abbotsford Heat, the Calgary Flames American Hockey League affiliate. In two games Wahl has two assists and has been used once in a shootout. The Heat have two games left before the playoffs begin. Wahl was selected by Calgary in the second round in 2008.

Beach has been called up by the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, for the second straight year. He has yet to register a point in two games. The IceHogs, who are coached by former Spokane boss Bill Peters and feature former Chiefs Matt Keith and Adam Hobson, also have two games remaining in the regular season. Beach was Chicago's first round pick in 2008.

Their moves to professional hockey came in the same week that former Chief Michael Grabner recorded his first NHL hat-trick for the Vancouver Canucks and Drayson Bowman scored his first two NHL goals with the Carolina Hurricanes.

This season 10 former Chiefs have played at least one game in the NHL; Drayson Bowman (Carolina), Jared Cowen (Ottawa), Justin Falk (Minnesota), Michael Grabner (Vancouver), Jason Labarbera (Phoenix), Bryan McCabe (Florida), Kurt Sauer (Phoenix), Dustin Tokarski (Tampa Bay), Trent Whitfield (Boston) and Ray Whitney (Carolina).


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