WHL Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Friday, October 12 vs. Lethbridge Hurricanes

Published on October 12, 2018 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release


CALGARY HITMEN (0-5-1-0, 1 pts.) vs. LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES (3-3-0-1, 7 pts.) Friday, October 12, 2018 - 7:00 p.m. MT - Scotiabank Saddledome

TODAY'S GAME

The Calgary Hitmen play game five of a six-game home stand today as they welcome the Lethbridge Hurricanes to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Game time is 7:00 p.m. The Hitmen are coming off Monday's shutout loss against the Prince Albert Raiders. Brett Leason (1g, 2a) led Prince Albert with three points while Parker Kelly tallied two points with a pair of goals. Aliaksei Protas rounded out the scoring for the visitors. Jack McNaughton made his Western Hockey League debut with the Hitmen making 12 saves in less than 29 minutes of play. The Raiders outshot Calgary 31-23 while both teams were 0-4 on the power play.

BROADCAST INFORMATION Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan Webcast: WHL Live at whl.neulion.com ATTACHMENTS Media Kit

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STREAKS

- None

NOTEWORTHY VS. LETHBRIDGE: Tonight is the first of six regular season meetings between the Hitmen and Hurricanes. Calgary posted a record of 4-2-0-0 against Lethbridge during the 2017-18 season, scoring half-a-dozen markers in three of those games. Luke Coleman (2g, 5a) led the Hitmen with seven points. Vladislav Yeryomenko (4g, 2a) and Matteo Gennaro (4g, 2a) were the other top performers recording six points each. Jordy Bellerive (5g, 3a) led the series for the "Canes with eight points while Giorgio Estephan (2g, 4a) and Calen Addison (2g, 4a) were next with six. Lethbridge will be back on "Dome ice on Oct. 26 when the Hitmen start a four-game home stand. 2017-18 SERIES RECAP Oct. 15/17 at CGY: LET 3 CGY 1...Jordy Belleville broke a 1-1 third period tie to lift the "Canes to a 3-1 win. Oct. 27/17 at LET: LET 5 CGY 4...Tied 4-4 after 50 minutes, Ryan Vandervlis netted the game winner. Nov. 3/17 at LET: CGY 6 LET 3...11 Hitmen recorded at least a point including a pair of goals from Tristen Nielsen. Nov. 4/17 at CGY: CGY 6 LET 3...Hitmen maintain a 4-0 first period lead to record the win. Dec. 30/17 at CGY: CGY 3 LET 2 OT...Mark Kastelic scored 56 seconds into overtime to lift Hitmen past Lethbridge. Jan. 6/18 at LET: CGY 6 LET 1...Goaltender Nick Schneider made 37 saves and added an assist for the Hitmen.

INSIDE THE SERIES Shots on Goal: CGY 194 LET 222 Power Plays: CGY 6-19 (31.6%) LET 5-25 (20.0%)

DID YOU KNOW?: Calgary has outshot their opponent in the third period of all six of their games this season by a combined 99-44...Kaden Elder already has a team-leading 20 shots on goal since being traded to Calgary from the Swift Current Broncos on Sept. 27 in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft...Jake Kryski is second with 19 shots on goal. He already has a pair of two-goal games this season, one more than he recorded in the 2017-18 season. Kryski's career-high is four multi-goal games in one campaign, set in 2016-17....Carl Stankowski recorded an assist in the loss to the Rebels on Sept. 28 for his first-career WHL point...Dakota Krebs returned to the Hitmen blueline in the same game against Red Deer following a WHL imposed three-game imposed suspension as a result of a cross checking major and game misconduct received in the final pre-season game on September 15.

SITTING OUT: Hitmen forward Tristen Nielsen has been given a three-game WHL imposed suspension following a boarding major and game misconduct. The penalty was assessed on Sunday, Sept. 30 against Red Deer. The 18-year-old has served two games.

NHL WATCH: On Oct. 1, 110 players from the Canadian Hockey League were listed among NHL Central Scouting's October 'Players to Watch' list for the 2019 NHL Draft. Among them is Hitmen defenceman Jackson van de Leest who received a "C rating' which indicates fourth/fifth/sixth round candidate. The second year Hitmen blueliner was Calgary's first round pick, 16 overall, in the 2016 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.

HITMEN IN THE NHL: 131 WHL Alumni, including ten graduates of the Calgary Hitmen, have been named on National Hockey League opening day rosters to start the 2018-19 season. Hitmen Alumni on 2018-19 NHL opening day rosters include: Ryan Getzlaf (ANA), Michael Stone (CGY), Victor Rask (CAR), Karl Alzner (MTL), Andrew Ladd (NYI), Johnny Boychuk (NYI), Travis Sanheim (PHI), Martin Jones (SJS), Ben Thomas (TBL), and Jake Virtanen (VAN).

ROSTER MOVES: On Oct. 6 the Hitmen acquired a fourth-round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2020 from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for defencemen Dom Schmiemann. On Oct. 4 the Hitmen reassigned goaltender Matthew Armitage and forward Orca Wiesblatt. Armitage, the 19-year-old from Creston, BC, played 20 games for the Hitmen during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons while Wiesblatt, an 18-year-old Calgary product, played in 51 contests with the Hitmen during that same time. On Sept. 27 the Hitmen acquired 20-year-old forward Kaden Elder from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2019 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft. The addition of Elder, rounds out Calgary's overage group giving the Hitmen a league maximum of three with Luke Coleman and Jake Kryski. On Wednesday Calgary added Josh Prokop to the roster. He had started the season in the BCHL with the Vernon Vipers. The Hitmen acquired the rights to Prokop last season in a trade with the Swift Current Broncos. The November 25, 2018 deal saw Calgary obtain Conner Chaulk, Dom Schmiemann, Riley Stotts and the rights to Prokop along with goaltending prospect Ethan Hein and a second-round pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft (Zac Funk) in exchange for graduating forwards Matteo Gennaro, Beck Malenstyn and a 2018 fifth-round bantam pick. This trade unites Josh with his younger brother Luke who is in his first full WHL season.

LEADERSHIP GROUP: The Hitmen have named Mark Kastelic the 26th captain in franchise history. Luke Coleman and Dakota Krebs will serve as full-time alternate captains while Jake Kryski and Riley Stotts will share the third "A'.

POST-GAME AUTOGRAPHS: Meet forward Jake Kryski after today's game. Kryski will be signing autographs at the Hitmen Booster Club table located behind section 212.

AUCTION ALERT: The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club is excited to offer fans an opportunity to own a piece of franchise history. Select game-worn, game-issued and authentic jerseys from the 2017-18 Western Hockey League season are now available for bid. Bidding will conclude on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. MST. Be part of celebrating the team's heritage while supporting the Calgary Hitmen Foundation as a portion of the auction proceeds will be directed to education, grassroots sports and youth wellness programs in our community.

CORRAL SERIES: On Wednesday, the Hitmen announced they will play a trio of regular season games this season at the historic Stampede Corral. "The Corral Series" presented by Adrenalin Source for Sports, will see the Hitmen host the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday, Feb. 1, the Regina Pats on Wednesday, Feb. 6 and the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday, Feb. 8. All will be 7:00 p.m. starts in the vintage building that first opened on Dec. 15, 1950 and was the original home of the Calgary Flames from 1980-83. Each game will be dedicated to a former elite team who once called the Stampede Corral home by wearing commemorative jerseys of the Calgary Centennials, Calgary Wranglers and Calgary Cowboys. The series will feature a number of exciting events including an opening night pre-game celebration and beer gardens, a luncheon, merchandise and other activities that will make this a week to remember. Tickets go on sale to the public on Nov. 26.

HITMEN GO GREEN: On September 26, National Tree Day, the Calgary Hitmen announced their participation in an environmental initiative called One Ticket, One Tree. The Hitmen will begin a pilot project where a tree will be planted for reforestation projects in the province for each game day and group ticket sold to the One Ticket, One Tree game when they host the Oil Kings on March 8 at 7:00 p.m. In addition, Hitmen players will be in the community this season doing their part to reduce their ecological footprint and bring awareness to local environmental issues.

TICKET SPECIALS: The 2018-19 Hitmen Hockey Pass is on sale and includes 34 game tickets to be used anytime, in any combination. Pass holders also receive a $50 Scotiabank Saddledome gift card and a complimentary ticket to a select Flames, Roughnecks or Stampeders game. Passes start at less than $7 per ticket for kids and under $15 for adults. Also available is the 10-game Hitmen Flex Pack to be used for any game, in any combination. Students and kids tickets are $10 per game, adults and seniors $20. Applicable fees and taxes apply. Visit HitmenHockey.com to score yours today!

UPCOMING GAMES All times in MT. Schedule subject to change. DATE

OPPONENT TIME BROADCAST

Oct. 14 vs. Regina 2:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Oct. 16 at Prince Albert 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Oct. 17 at Saskatoon 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

Oct. 19 at Moose Jaw 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

Oct. 20 at Brandon 6:30 p.m. Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

PROMO CALENDAR

Hitmen single game tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster, with tickets for The Brick Teddy Bear Toss available starting Oct. 9 at 10:00 a.m.. Upcoming home game highlights include: - SUPER Sunday Funday on Oct. 14 vs. REG - Roughnecks Theme on Oct. 26 vs. LET - Hometown Heroes on Oct. 28 vs. SAS

- Diwali Celebration on Nov. 3 vs. RD

- The Brick Teddy Bear Toss on Dec. 9 vs. KAM

- Carols for Christmas on Dec. 14 vs. KEL

- Novice Jamboree on Dec. 16 vs. LET

- Soccer Day on Dec. 30 vs. VAN

- Airdrie Day on Jan. 1 vs. VIC

- Wizarding Day on Jan. 5 vs. MH

- CBE Night on Jan. 25 vs. PG

- Dodge Skate with the Hitmen on Jan. 27 vs. KTN

- Family Game on Fe. 10 vs. MJ

- Lunar Celebration/Calgary Catholic on Feb. 15 vs. MH - TELUS BE BRAVE on Feb. 27 vs. SC - Multicultural Night on Mar. 1 vs. BDN - WHL Suits up with Don Cherry to Promote Organ Donation - Presented by RE/MAX on Mar. 3 vs. KTN - One Ticket, One Tree on Mar. 8 vs. EDM - Fan Appreciation on Mar. 17 vs. EDM

MILESTONE WATCH - Luke Coleman notched his 100th career point with an assist on Sept. 30.

- Mark Kastelic is six points shy of 100. Kastelic played career game 200 on Sept. 29 against the Oil Kings.

- Vladislav Yeryomenko is one assist away from 50.

- Carson Focht is eight points shy of 50.

Check out the Calgary Hitmen Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 12, 2018


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