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WHL Spokane Chiefs

Anderson-Dolan and Yamamoto Among Six Chiefs on Opening Night NHL Rosters

October 3, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


Spokane Chiefs forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Spokane Chiefs forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Jaret Anderson-Dolan
(Spokane Chiefs)

The Spokane Chiefs will have six representatives on NHL opening night rosters for the 2018-19 season, including forwards Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Kailer Yamamoto.

Anderson-Dolan, a 2017 second-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings, impressed enough in the pre-season to start the year with the Kings. The 19-year-old scored 40 goals and 91 points for the Chiefs last season, earning WHL Western Conference First Team All-Star recognition. He is eligible to return to Spokane should the Kings choose to reassign him.

Yamamoto, whom the Edmonton Oilers selected in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2017 draft, will begin the year in the NHL for the second-straight season. In a similar situation to the one Anderson-Dolan has earned this season, the Spokane native played nine games for the Oilers last year before being reassigned to Spokane.

Fellow Spokanites Tyler Johnson (Spokane 2007-11) and Derek Ryan (2004-07) also remain on opening night NHL rosters. Johnson enters his sixth full season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, looking to improve on a 50-point 2017-18 campaign. Ryan followed former Chiefs head coach Bill Peters from Carolina to Calgary in the off-season.

Defenseman Jared Spurgeon (2005-10) returns for his eighth season as a mainstay on the Minnesota Wild blue line while speedy forward Michael Grabner (2004-07) finds himself in new colors this year as he begins his first season with the Arizona Coyotes. The nine-year NHL veteran scored 27 goals between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils last season.

Alongside Peters in the coaching ranks is former Spokane head coach Mike Babcock (1994-00), continuing in his fourth year behind the bench for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jared Bednar, who played for Spokane during the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons, returns as bench boss for the Colorado Avalanche, hoping to build off the momentum of last year's 21-win improvement and playoff berth.

Chiefs on 2018-19 NHL Opening Night Rosters

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (Los Angeles)

F Kailer Yamamoto (Edmonton)

F Tyler Johnson (Tampa Bay)

F Derek Ryan (Calgary)

F Michael Grabner (Arizona)

D Jared Spurgeon (Minnesota)

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Boomer's Birthday Bash! is Friday, October 5 when the Chiefs host the Medicine Hat Tigers back at Spokane Arena. Boomer and his closest friends will be celebrating by sharing Boomer's birthday cake with the first 500 children 12 & under through the gates! Tickets are on sale now online via TicketsWest, over the phone at 509-535-PUCK and in-person at the Chiefs' Ticket Office.

Ticket packages are also available! Save $$$ on tickets with great value options as low as $70! For more information or to purchase, visit the Chiefs' Ticket Office at Spokane Arena, call 509-535-PUCK.

Check out the Spokane Chiefs Statistics




Images from this story

Spokane Chiefs forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Spokane Chiefs forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Jaret Anderson-Dolan
   



Western Hockey League Stories from October 3, 2018


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