Chiefs practice throughout the week
Published on August 29, 2006 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release
The Spokane Chiefs will spend the week practicing at the Spokane Arena before traveling to Everett for their first three exhibition games in as many days. The 32 players remaining in camp will practice at 10:00 am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and make the trip on Friday morning to take on the Vancouver Giants in the Silvertips annual pre-season tournament. Spokane will play Portland on Saturday and Seattle on Sunday. All games will begin at 3:00.
STATE OF MIND - Of the 32 players remaining in camp, 19 have experience in the WHL while 13 are rookies. By age, the Chiefs have two 20-year-olds, eight 19-year-olds, six 18-year-olds, eight 17-year- olds, five 16-year-olds and three 15-year-olds, Burke Gallimore, Justin Bertow and David Conrad. Gallimore was Spokane's second round selection in the 2006 WHL Bantam draft while Bertow and Conrad were both selected in the third round.
FOUR WALLS - The Chiefs are carrying four goaltenders this week with 18-year-old Kevin Armstrong expected to be number one in net. He will be pushed for playing time by three others, including last year's back-up 18-year-old Thomas Stehr, 17- year-old Dustin Tokarski and 16-year-old Darcy Kuemper.
D-FENCE - Six of the nine defensemen are returning veterans and four of them have more than two years of experience. The blueliners are led by 20-year-old Evan Haw who has played 222 career WHL games. Haw is a five-year veteran and is joined by two 19-year-old, four-year veterans Sean Zimmerman and Dan Mercer. Matt McCue is entering his third season in the WHL while Justin Falk and Jared Spurgeon will be playing their second season. Mike Reddington, Spokane's second round selection in 2005, and Andrew MacWilliam, the Chiefs ninth round pick, are two 16-year-olds still with the club while 17- year-old Justin Lutz rounds out the three rookie defensemen.
FORWARD THINKING - Spokane has six forwards entering at least their third season with the Chiefs, including the top three scorers from last year; 20-year-old Derek Ryan (24-37-61), Michael Grabner (36-14-50) and four-year vet Adam Hobson (23-27- 50). Rookies include 16-year-olds Mitch Wahl and Levko Koper and 17-year-olds Cody Esposito, Chris Langkow, Ondrej Roman and Parker Thomas. Wahl was Spokane's first round bantam selection in 2005 and appeared in a pair of games last season.
CAMPTOWN RACES - The Chiefs will lose four players to NHL camps in the coming weeks. Sean Zimmerman, signed by New Jersey this summer after getting selected in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, will be the first to leave as the Devils open camp on September 5th. Matt McCue, a free-agent invitee to the San Jose Sharks rookie tournament, will leave on the sixth. Michael Grabner, Vancouver's first round pick this summer, will leave on the seventh while Adam Hobson will travel to Chicago for their main camp on the 13th. Hobson was taken in the seventh round in 2005 by the Blackhawks.
Western Hockey League Stories from August 29, 2006
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- Chiefs practice throughout the week - Spokane Chiefs
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