WHL Seattle Thunderbirds

Thunderbirds do some business in the front office

Published on June 26, 2008 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release


Seattle, June 25, 2008 - Seattle Thunderbirds general manager Russ Farwell completed a trade with the Red Deer Rebels and made two selections in the 2008 CHL Import Draft Thursday afternoon.

The T-Birds traded center Josh Lazowski to the Red Deer Rebels for right wing Spencer Edwards and the Rebels second round pick, 66th overall, in the 2008 CHL Import Draft. Edwards, from Coquitlam, British Columbia, played 30 games last season with the Rebels and had four points on three goals and one assist. He had 21 penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of minus-1.

Lazowski played 13 games with the T-Birds last season and had two points on a goal and an assist.

With the 42nd pick in the first round of the Import Draft the T-Birds selected Swedish defenseman Stefan Warg.

"This selection fills a real need for us to help replace the departure of Scott Jackson and Benn Olson," said Farwell. "This pick gives us a NHL prospect that plays a competitive style."

Warg, at 6'2 and 187 pounds, was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the fifth round, 143rd overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft held in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 21. He played 33 games for the Vasteras team in the Swedish Junior Elite League last season and had two goals and six assists with 61 penalty minutes.

To hear what Ducks Director of Amateur Scouting Alain Chainey had to say about Warg click h ere.

In the second round, with the pick acquired from the Rebels, the T-Birds selected left wing Ondrej Palat from the Czech Republic.

"Ondrej might not be a player for this season but he is a top rated player and will be a prospect for the future," said Farwell.

Palat, from Vitkovice, is 5'11 and 165 pounds. He played 42 games with the Vitkovice Junior team last season and had 37 points on 19 goals and 18 assists with 28 penalty minutes.

T-Birds left wing Jan Eberle will play in the Czech Republic next season and will not be returning to Seattle.

The Western Hockey League (WHL), along with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), are the three leagues that take part in the CHL Import Draft.

An Import Player is defined as a player whose parent (s) do not reside in Canada or the United States as of January 11 preceding that year's CHL Import Draft. If a CHL club has no Import Players, they are eligible to draft two Import Players, if they have one import, they are allowed to draft one, and if they have two Import Players they are not eligible to participate in the draft.

T-Bird training camp for the 2008-09 season start Monday, August 25, and will take place at Kent Valley Ice Centre.

Season tickets are currently on sale for the T-Birds first season at their new home, the Kent Events Center. Season tickets for the 2008-09 season can be purchased by calling 206-448-PUCK (7825) or for more information go to www.seattlethunderbirds.com.

Check out the Seattle Thunderbirds Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from June 26, 2008


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