WHL Kamloops Blazers

Blazers Conclude Trip in Portland

Published on October 12, 2013 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kamloops Blazers News Release


THE START OF A NEW SEASON: The Kamloops Blazers are into their 33rd season in the Western Hockey League and the 30th season as the Kamloops Blazers. After back-to-back 47-win regular seasons, the Blazers are a much different team this year with many players having moved on to play pro hockey. The Blazers are off to a 2-6-0-0 start with wins over Prince George and Victoria. The schedule for the Blazers have finally picked up as they are in a stretch of playing seven games over 12 days. Following tonight's game, the Blazers will return home for a game against Lethbridge on Monday, October 14th and host Seattle on Wednesday, October 16th. The team will then hit the road again in Vancouver on Friday, October 18th and in Everett on Saturday, October 19th.

Vs. Portland - Last Season (4-Game Series)

Game 1: 11/11/12, at Portland 3, Kamloops 1

Game 2: 11/16/12, vs. Portland 4, Kamloops 6

Game 3: 01/30/13, at Portland 5, Kamloops 2

Game 4: 02/20/13, vs. Portland 3, Kamloops 0

Blazers were season series 1-3-0-0

Vs. Portland - This Season (4-Game Series)

Game 1: 10/12/13, at Portland, Kamloops

Game 2: 11/16/13, vs. Portland, Kamloops

Game 3: 02/14/14, vs. Portland, Kamloops

Game 4: 02/21/14, at Portland, Kamloops

Blazers are 0-0-0-0 in season series

ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The Blazers roster currently sits at 23 players (2 goaltenders, 7 defensemen and 14 forwards). The roster includes 12 players selected in the WHL Bantam Draft, five players from the free agent list, four players via trade, and two players selected from the CHL Import Draft. The roster breakdown by region includes eight from B.C., seven players from Alberta, three from Saskatchewan, two from Manitoba, two from Switzerland and one from the USA.

THE MATCH UP: The Blazers and Winterhawks will meet four times this season. These two teams have met in the playoffs the last two seasons, including last year's Western Conference Final where the Winterhawks won the series 4-1. The Winterhawks will make their first appearance in Kamloops on November 16th. These two teams will meet twice in February to close out the season series with the 'Hawks in Kamloops on February 14th and the Blazers in Portland on February 21st.

KAMLOOPS BLAZERS 'Who to Watch': The Kamloops Blazers offensive leaders have changed this season and are off to a slow start. Tim Bozon (1+23) is expected to pace the offense after posting 91 points last season. He scored his first goal of the season this past weekend. Cole Ully (3+36), Matt Needham (0+33) and Chase Souto (3+03) are guys the Blazers need to count on. The 18-year-old Ully posted 22 goals and 50 points last season which got him drafted in the 5th round by the Dallas Stars. He has three goals in four games this year. Needham has three assists in the first five games, while Chase Souto is the longest tenured Blazer playing in 179 games over the past three seasons. Tyson Ness (4+04) also joins that group of players expected to score for the Blazers after being acquired from Red Deer prior to the start of the season. The 20-year-old had 19 goals and 39 points last season and should build on those numbers. Joe Kornelsen, (2+13), Aspen Sterzer (0+33), and Aaron Macklin (1+23) make up the supporting cast for the Blazers. Mitch Friesen (0+11) is entering his second season and needs to prove himself this year. There will be plenty of opportunity for the young forwards on the Blazers roster as Jesse Shynkaruk, (0+00) Eric Krienke, (0+00) Nathan Looysen (0+00) and Mitch Lipon (1+01) are all 17-year-olds looking to prove themselves. Nick Chyzowski (0+11) is the lone 16-year-old on the roster. On defence, the Blazers have some young players who will need to take on a bigger role this year. Sam Grist (0+00) and Landon Cross (0+00) are the steady veterans both entering their third WHL seasons. They will need to lead the backend. A pair of 18-year-olds in Ryan Rehill (0+00) and Josh Connolly (2+35) will be put into position to succeed. Connolly has had a great start with four points this season, while Rehill will be counted on to kill penalties and shut down the opponents top players. A trio of 17-year-olds are all looking to establish themselves this season. Jordan Thomson (0+33) will be in the line-up every night and will need to play in all situations. Edson Harlacher (0+00) was selected by the Blazers in the import draft and he has shown he has the tools to be a solid defender. Connor Clouston (0+00) spent some time with the Blazers last year. In goal, the Blazers have two 19-year-old options in returnee Taran Kozun (1-3-0-0, 3.05, .919) and acquired veteran Bolton Pouliot (1-2-0-0, 3.01, .915). Both Kozun and Pouliot have performed well this season as their stats show.

TRI-CITY AMERICANS 'Who to Watch': The Winterhawks are coming off a WHL Championship during the 2012-13 season and have made three straight appearances in the WHL final. The 'Hawks are still a very talented team returning WHL co-leading scorers from last season Nicolas Petan and Brendan Leipsic. Petan and Leipsic each had 120 points last season and are dynamic players. The 'Hawks also return the dynamic line of Oliver Bjorkstrand, Chase De Leo and Taylor Leier. The trio played well together last season providing a terrific secondary scoring line and helping the 'Hawks win the WHL Championship. This year, those three have continued to show their scoring touch all averaging more than a point per game. With the departure of Taylor Peters and Ty Rattie up front, other players have stepped up including Alex Schoenborn, Presten Kopeck, and Adam De Champlain. Other young players to watch up front include Keegan Iverson, Ethan Price, Dominic Turgeon, and Paul Bittner. The defence of the Winterhawks has had a major overhaul. Gone are the likes of Troy Rutkowski, Tyler Wotherspoon, and Seth Jones. Derrick Pouliot will lead the way for the 'Hawks. They've also bolstered their back-end with the acquisitions of 20-year-old NCAA recruit Garrett Haar and 18-year-old Vancouver Canucks prospect Anton Cederholm. Veterans Josh Hanson and Shaun MacPherson are also back to help the 'Hawks. Young players like Keoni Texeira, Layne Viveiros, and Zach Paterson will also all get chances to contribute this season. In goal, Mac Carruth has moved on to the professional ranks and third-year goaltender Brendan Burke is left to take the reins. The 18-year-old was fortunate enough to get into 33 games last season, but has not had the best start to the season as his number show. Jarrod Schamerhorn is the back-up getting his first taste of experience in the WHL this season.

NHL DRAFT: Tim Bozon (Montreal, 3th round, 64th overall in 2012), Cole Ully (Dallas, 5th round, 131st overall in 2013).

INJURY REPORT: Man games lost due to injury - 0.

DID YOU KNOW... Tim Bozon finished 9th in WHL scoring last season with 36 goals, 55 assists and 91 points... Connor Clouston is the son of current Medicine Hat Tigers GM/Head Coach Shaun Clouston and the nephew of current Prince Albert Raiders Head Coach Cory Clouston... Aspen Sterzer is back in the Kamloops Blazers line-up after missing the entire second half of the season last year due to injury... 18-year-old Matt Needham was named the Kamloops Blazers captain... Needham is the youngest Blazers captain since Ajay Baines was named team captain as an 18-year-old in 1996-97 season... The Blazers acquired 20-year-old Tyson Ness from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a 3rd round WHL Bantam Draft pick in 2014 in September... Head Coach Dave Hunchak is entering his 10th season in the Western Hockey League after serving three years in Swift Current as an Assistant Coach, four years in Moose Jaw as a Head Coach, and the past two years as an Associate Coach with the Kamloops Blazers... Associate Coach Mark Ferner is entering his second stint with the Blazers after serving as an Assistant, Associate and Head Coach with the Blazers from 2002-2006... Forward Tim Bozon has signed an entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens... Cole Ully returns to the line-up tonight after serving a two game suspension for a checking from behind major... Mitch Lipon is the younger brother of former Blazers forward JC Lipon... Matt Needham's father Mike played for the Blazers from 1986-1990... Nick Chyzowski's father Dave played for the Blazers from 1987-1990.

Check out the Kamloops Blazers Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 12, 2013


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