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Killer Bees Weekly Release for Oct. 11-17th

October 11, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees News Release


IN TRAINING

Echoes of skates hitting the ice and pucks hitting the boards filled the Dodge Arena today as the first day of training camp took place. 19 players hit the ice today and it will be 20 on Tuesday, as Troy Linna returns from attending an unfortunate family emergency. The players will have two practice sessions per day for four consecutive days this week leading up to the weekend's exhibition games. The practices and exhibition games will serve as the grading scale for Killer Bees head coach Tracy Egeland, as he must limit his active roster by Thursday, October 21st to 18 players, which must consist of at least five rookie/developmental players and no more than four veteran classified players.

BY THE NUMBERS

As the new Killer Bees squad builds its 2004/2005 identity, here is training camp by the numbers:

1 - Pair of Brothers - It is the first time the Killer Bees have had a pair of brothers in camp as forwards Anthony and Matt Donskov both look to find a spot on the Bees roster.

2 - Slovenians - For the second consecutive season, there are at least two Slovenian born players in camp with the Bees. This season's two are Blaz Emersic and Matic Kralj.

3 - American Goalies - All goaltenders in camp for the Bees are American born.

5 - First Timers - Today marked the first time for five players who had never skated in a practice led by Tracy Egeland.

5'8" - The Shortest Player - Bill Newson is the shortest player in camp, but also the Bees offensive leader from last season and was the team's lone all-star representative.

6'6" - The Tallest Player - Ryan Shmyr, who led the Killer Bees in penalty minutes last season with 261, is the tallest player in camp for the Bees.

7 - All-Star Appearances - The combined number of CHL-WPHL All-Star games that current roster members have combined to participate in.

9 - Americans - There are 9 players on the Bees roster that call USA home. There are also 9 Canadians and 2 Slovenians.

10 - Developmentals - The Bees currently have 10 rookie/developmental players on the squad, and they must carry at least five on the active roster.

10 - Returnees - There are 10 players on the Bees roster which were in on the Bees active roster last season.

26 - Average Age - The average age of the Bees members this season is 26. The oldest player is 33 year-old goaltender Jeff Levy and the youngest is 21 year-old Matic Kralj, who is 12 days younger than Matt Suderman.

1,462 - Total Inches - The total number of inches of the entire training camp roster, setting the average player height at six-foot-one. There are six players 6'3" or taller.

3912 - Total Pounds - The total number of pounds of the entire training camp roster, which places the Killer Bees team average at 196 pounds. The heaviest player is rookie defenseman Matt Suderman, who is 6'3" 235-pounds.

WHAT'S NEW IN THE CHL

The following are new items the Killer Bees and the rest of the Central Hockey League (CHL) will see this season:

NHL Players: Due to the NHL labor situation, some CHL teams will carry NHL players on their roster, including the Fort Worth Brahmas, who signed Stanley Cup winner Brad Lukowich of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Best of Seven: All playoff rounds this season will be in a "best of seven" format.

Veteran Rule: Teams can only carry four veterans on the roster and a veteran consists of playing in 260 or more pro games.

Developmental/Rookie Rule: Teams must carry at least five players on their squad that have not played in over 128 pro games.

Rosters: Teams can carry 18 players on the active roster, but they can only dress 17 players.

Visors: Several leagues are starting to implement the rule to prevent eye and facial injuries, and the CHL has followed by making it mandatory that all players wear visors.

Topeka Tarantulas: The newest team in the CHL this season is the Topeka Tarantulas. They played last season in Indianapolis as the Ice and now make a move to Kansas. This is the second stint for Topeka to host a CHL franchise, as they were once the home to the Topeka Scarecrows.

WHAT'S NEW WITH THE KILLER BEES

Most of the current training camp members had been announced prior to camp, but two tryout members on the roster had not been announced. The two players joining the camp roster today was defenseman Coel Doty and forward Danny Helmers.

Doty (dohtee) is a Winnipeg, Manitoba native looking for his first season of pro hockey. The 6'3" 210-pounder sat out last season after completing his junior career with the Charleswood Hawks, where he won two Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League (MMJHL) Championships. He posted 3 goals and 20 assists for 23 points in 35 games in 02/03 and served 158 penalty minutes. Also had a +67 plus/minus rating that season. Played high school hockey for the Silver Heights Huskies in 99/00, contributing 28 points (10g,18a) in 30 games before jumping into his junior career in 00/01 with the St. James Canucks (MMJHL). Doty appeared in 40 games during that season with the Canucks and notched 25 points (5g,20a). The 23 year-old split the season in 01/02 between the Canuck and Hawks, combining for 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points in 30 games. His career junior numbers include 19 goals and 57 assists for 76 points and a +161 plus/minus rating in 105 games.

Helmers, a 31 year-old forward, is returning to professional status after sitting out of professional hockey. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native has spent the majority of his pro career in Germany with the Pforzheim Sharks and the Adendorf Flames. He was the 1996 German Division II scoring leader and MVP. The 6'0" 190-pound forward has only appeared in three pro games in North America and that was in the now-defunct Sunshine Hockey League (SuHL) with the Daytona Beach Sun Devils during the 94/95 season.

WEEK AHEAD

Fri. Oct. 15 7:30 vs. Mexico National Team Radio: Real Country 840 AM TV: Televisa XHAB Ch.7

Notes: It will be a first at the Dodge Arena when these two teams face off. It will be the first exhibition home game in franchise history and the first time a CHL team has faced a National Team representing a country. The Mexico National Team is in its fifth season of competing in international competition and they are coming off of a Bronze Medal finish in the IIHF Division III World Championships, which were held in Iceland. They have a 4-13-1 all-time record in IIHF play. The Bees are 0-2-0 in exhibition play, as they lost a pair of road games last season (each by one goal). The game will be broadcasted on ESPN Radio 1240 AM, with Wayne Amann providing the play-by-play action. Chris Due, Donny Harron and Jeffrey Salcedo will serve as the TV broadcast crew on Televisa.

Sat. Oct. 16 7:30 vs. New Mexico Scorpions Radio: ESPN 1240 AM (pending Astros)/840 AM TV: CHLTV.COM

Notes: The Killer Bees contest against the New Mexico Scorpions will also be something new for Killer Bees fans. Rio Grande Valley never faced the Albuquerque, New Mexico based squad last season. The Scorpions are coached by Bill McDonald, who coached Tracy Egeland during the 00/01 and 01/02 seasons with the Lubbock Cotton Kings. Egeland served as an assistant under McDonald in 02/03 and later took over the coaching helm of the Cotton Kings after McDonald resigned two months into that season to accept the New Mexico coaching position. The game will be broadcasted by Chris Due on ESPN Radio 1240 (if the Houston Astros are not playing) and simulcasted on Real Country 840 AM. Fans can view the game over the internet on a pay-per-view basis via CHLTV.COM (www.chltv.com).

Mon. Oct. 18 7:05 @ Corpus Christi Rayz Radio: None TV: None

Notes: The contest for the Killer Bees will be the only road preseason game for the Killer Bees this season. It will be the second time the Bees have faced off with the Rayz in preseason play. The first ever event featuring the Bees on the ice came on October 10th last season in Corpus Christi, with the Bees losing to the Rayz 4-3. The Bees claimed the regular season series last season with an 8-3-3 record against the Rayz. It will be the first time the Bees have seen Corpus Christi with their new bench boss Ken McRae. Rio Grande Valley is 0-2-0 all-time in preseason play, losing both of their previous games by one goal. The game is the final scheduled ice hockey event inside involving the Rayz, as they open the regular season in the new 7,495 seat AmericanBank Center.



Central Hockey League Stories from October 11, 2004


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