| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2008 6:53 pm |
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 Tips make two signings (updated with third) Everett made a pair of signings just in time for this weekend's tournament, inking forward Ryan White and defenseman Drew McDermott to WHL education contracts. The signings make me think those two will be in the lineup tonight, and it also indicates both have a good chance of surviving the final cut for this season. --- UPDATE 5:45 p.m. Add a third player to the signed list as forward Tyler Maxwell also signed today. Same applies to him as above. There's going to be a lot of 1991-born players on the team this season. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Tips sign Murray (updated with cuts) The Tips today announced they've signed this year's first-round bantam pick, defenseman Ryan Murray, to a WHL education contract. For those who may be unfamiliar with the process, what signing an education contract does is basically affirm the mutual commitment between player and team. Murray commits to playing for Everett when the Tips deem he's ready, and the Tips commit to paying for a year of college for each year Murray plays for Everett. This is no surprise as Murray said after the draft he was committed to playing in the WHL. This just makes it official. Anyway, the fifth annual Everett Silvertips Preseason Tournament begins tomorrow. Here's the game schedule: FRIDAY Chilliwack vs. Seattle, 11:30 am Portland vs. Tri-City, 3:00 pm Everett vs. Spokane, 7:00 pm SATURDAY Tri-City vs. Chilliwack, 11:30 am Spokane vs. Portland, 3:00 pm Everett vs. Seattle, 7:00 pm SUNDAY Tri-City vs. Spokane, 11:30 am Portland vs. Seattle, 3:00 pm Everett vs. Chilliwack, 7:00 pm --- UPDATE 12:15 p.m. The Tips made a second round of cuts in advance of this weekend's tournament. Forwards Cameron Gibson, Paul Grenier, D.Jay McGrath and Nathan Murray, and defensemen Martin Turgeon, Paul Janzen, Ryan Murray and Michael Berry were released from camp, bringing the roster total down to 27. Needless to say, Ryan Murray's signing didn't equate to him getting into a game this weekend. Anyway, here's where the roster stands: Goaltenders (2): Shayne Barrie (89), Kent Simpson (92). Defensmen (10): Taylor Ellington (88), Graham Potuer (88), Mike Alexander (89), Tyler Kieffer (89), Chris de la Lande (90), Brenden Stephen (90), Drew McDermott (91), Jeff Regier (91), Paul Sohor (91), Gabriel Minville (92). Forwards (15): Jesse Burt (89) Zack Dailey (89), Shane Harper (89), Kyle Beach (90), Matt Ius (90), Jordan Mistelbacher (90), Tyler Skauge (90), Paul Van de Velde (90), Cameron Abney (91), Byron Froese (91), Tyler Maxwell (91), Kellan Tochkin (91), Ryan White (91), Markus McCrea (92), Tyler Parker (92). There will eventuall be four or five more cuts, but with Ellington, Beach and Mistelbacher headed off to NHL camps right about when the season starts, it might not be until after the season's underway that the majority of those cuts are made. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
First cuts made Greetings from Everett Memorial Stadium, where the AquaSox pitchers are currently taking grounders on the mound and batting practice is on deck. As far as the Tips are concerned, the first round of cuts were made today as 10 players were reassigned. All 10 of the players were holdovers from rookie camp, so there were no surprises. The cuts were: Goaltenders: Ryan Cadieux (93), Trevor Gutierrez (93). Defensemen: Mitch Boucher (92), Devin Dambrauskas (92), Brett Kolins (92). Forwards: Tyler Giebel (93), Jeremy Ward (93), Josh Winquist (93), Manraj Hayer (93), Campbell Elynuik (92). That means three players from rookie camp, forward Nathan Murray (92) and defensmen Ryan Murray (93) and Michael Berry (93) remain with the team. The cuts bring Everett's roster down to 35. They are: Goaltenders (2): Shayne Barrie (89), Kent Simpson (92). Defensmen (14): Taylor Ellington (88), Graham Potuer (88), Mike Alexander (89), Tyler Kieffer (89), Chris de la Lande (90), Brenden Stephen (90), Drew McDermott (91), Jeff Regier (91), Paul Sohor (91), Martin Turgeon (91), Kyle Janzen (92), Gabriel Minville (92), Michael Berry (93), Ryan Murray (93). Forwards (19): Jesse Burt (89) Zack Dailey (89), Shane Harper (89), Cameron Gibson (89), Kyle Beach (90), Matt Ius (90), Jordan Mistelbacher (90), Tyler Skauge (90), Paul Van de Velde (90), Cameron Abney (91), Byron Froese (91), Paul Grenier (91), Tyler Maxwell (91), Kellan Tochkin (91), Ryan White (91), Markus McCrea (92), D.Jay McGrath (92), Nathan Murray (92), Tyler Parker (92). ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Main camp impressions The morning scrimmage ended with GRAY (yes, they continue to transform WHITE into GRAY for some reason) beating GREEN 4-3 thanks to a late tipped goal by Markus McCrea. Shane Harper, Zack Dailey and D.Jay McGrath also scored for GRAY. Kellan Tochkin, Cameron Abney and Kyle Beach tallied for GREEN. GRAY prevailed again this evening, winning 4-2. Harper scored twice, once on a two-on-one penalty shot and once into an empty net, to lead GRAY. Manraj Hayer had the highlight goal of the day when angled in on the rush and deked around Kent Simpson to score, and Mike Alexander also scored for GRAY, blowing a slap shot through Ryan Cadieux. For GREEN, Cameron Gibson one-timed a shot in after a nice feed from Cameron Abney, and Ty Skauge snuck a shot under Trevor Gutierrez. Here's some observations: - Goaltending is going to be key for the Tips this season, and goalies Shayne Barrie and Simpson were fine. The rebound control isn't all the way there yet, but they stopped everything they should. - Jordan Mistelbacher and Matt Ius were on a line together both scrimmages and just dominated physically. However, they still haven't quite found that finish in order to turn domination of puck possession into goals. - Kyle Beach was once again Kyle Beach. He was involved in a recurring physical confrontation in each scrimmage -- in the morning it was with Jeff Regier and the evening it was Brenden Stephen -- during which big hits were thrown both ways. - The 91-born forwards are going to be the bulk of the rookies this year. Of that crop I'd have to say Abney was the standout today. He was a major physical presence, which was expected. But he also showed flashes of offensive ability, which maybe wasn't. Also, Tyler Maxwell has wheels. - The transformation of Campbell Elynuik continues at an astounding rate. To be honest, based on last year's performance at rookie camp, I didn't really expect him to be back this year. Not only is he back, but it looks like he's improved significantly just in the week he's been here. He's developed into a physical presence, and now he's creating things offensively, too. Doubt he'll make the team this year, but he's added his name to Everett's lengthy list of 92-born prospects. I won't be able to attend tomorrow's scrimmage as I'll be on AquaSox duty the next two nights, so I won't be able to post any observations. If anyone else attends feel free to post your impressions under the comments here, if for no other reason then to tell ME what happened. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Training camp schedule change I was just given notice that Wednesday's scrimmage, scheduled for 6 p.m. at the community rink, has been canceled. So if you want to see the players on the ice prior to this weekend's tournament, you'll need to get out to Comcast Arena either tonight or tomorrow night. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Main camp opens OK, here's the rosters for main camp: GREEN Goaltenders: Kent Simpson (92), Ryan Cadieux (93). Defensemen: Taylor Ellington (88), Paul Sohor (91), Tyler Kieffer (89), Paul Janzen (92), Ryan Murray (93), Chris de la Lande (90), Martin Turgeon (91), Mitch Boucher (92), Devin Dambrauskas (92). Forwards: Tyler Maxwell (91), Kyle Beach (90), Kellan Tochkin (91), Jesse Burt (89), Tyler Parker (92), Tyler Skauge (90), Byron Froese (91), Cameron Gibson (89), Cameron Abney (91), Tyler Giebel (93), Jeremy Ward (93), Nathan Murray (92). WHITE Goaltenders: Shayne Barrie (89), Trevor Gutierrez (93). Defensemen: Gabriel Minville (92), Graham Potuer (88), Mike Alexander (89), Brenden Stephen (90), Drew McDermott (91), Jeff Regier (91), Michael Berry (93), Brett Kolins (92). Forwards: Zack Dailey (89), Markus McCrea (92), Shane Harper (89), Paul Van de Velde (90), Jordan Mistelbacher (90), Matt Ius (90), D.Jay McGrath (92), Paul Grenier (91), Ryan White (91), Josh Winquist (93), Campbell Elynuik (92), Manraj Hayer (93). The holdovers from rookie camp are Cadieux, Gutierrez, both Murrays (who are brothers), Boucher, Dambrauskas, Berry, Kolins, Giebel, Ward, Winquist, Elynuik and Hayer. Among the vets, it's notable that Ryan White, the forward from Colorado, is here this year. He was supposed to be at camp last year but chose not to attend at the last minute. Tyler Maxwell, as mentioned earlier, is also here. Drew McDermott and Martin Turgeon are a pair of young defensemen I don't know a whole lot about. Californian Cameron Gibson is a buddy of Shane Harper and Zack Dailey. As for the notable absences, other than the Euros, the main one is Brett Chartier. The 1991-born forward, who had a good year at junior A last season as a 16-year-old, has apparently decided to go to the NCAA and is playing for Lincoln of the USHL. Also, 1990-born goaltender Andrew Walsh has decided to play for Langley of the BCHL and will not attend camp. That essentially hands the goaltender spots over to Shayne Barrie and Kent Simpson as they are the only goalies in camp old enough for the team, though those two were the odds-on favorites anyway. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Rookie game, plus Euro update Team Green defeated Team Gray 5-3 in today's rookie game, which concluded rookie camp. Green was led by an excellent game from Jeremy Ward, who had two goals and an assist.Anthony Patt, Peter Clements and Manraj Hayer also scored for Green. Adam Weersink stopped 16 of 18 shots to earn the win, with Ryan Cadieux stopping 11 of 12. Ryan Doner scored twice for Gray with Tyler Thompson scoring the other. Trevor Gutierrez suffered the loss, stopping 24 of 27 shots. Austin Brihn stopped 25 of 27. Kudos to Green general manager Ed Friesen for assembling a strong team with a solid defensive foundation. For the most part Green dominated, outshooting Gray 54-30, though Gray rallied in the third period. Here's the box: Green 5, Gray 3 Green 1 3 1--5 Gray 0 1 2--3 First Period--1, Green, Patt 1, 13:30. Penalties--Dambrauskas, Gray (cross checking), 8:41; Berry, Green (tripping), 15:54. Second Period--2, Green, Clements 1 (McCaig), 2:14. 3, Gray, Thompson 1 (Campe), 8:13. 4, Green, Ward 1 (Straight, Hayer), 10:09. 5, Green, Hayer 1 (Ward, Straight), 10:19. Penalties--Ward, Green (tripping), 4:39; Hill, Green (interference), 14:09. Third Period--6, Gray, Doner 1 (Elynuik, Lumsden), 2:49 (pp). 7, Green, Ward 2, 15:22 (sh). 8, Gray, Doner 2, 16:42. Penalties--Berry, Green (tripping), 1:22; Hayer, Green (hooking), 9:52; Kenning, Green (tripping), 14:25; Thompson, Gray (cross checking), 18:09; Twietmeyer, Gray (hooking), 19:26. Shots on goal--Green 20-22-12--54. Gray 7-9-14--30. Power-play opportunities--Green 0 of 3. Gray 1 of 6. Goalies--Green, Cadieux (12 shots, 11 saves), Weersink 1-0 (18 shots, 16 saves). Gray, Brihn (27 shots, 25 saves), Gutierrez 0-1 (27 shots, 24 saves). Now onto the Euro news. General manager Doug Soetaert indeed did confirm that Vitaly Karamnov and Lukas Vartovnik will not be back this season. It seems both committed to coming back, a fact that prompted the Tips to opt out of the import draft, trading their first-round pick. Then Soetaert found out they weren't coming back about a month ago. Needless to say, Soetaert wasn't pleased with the way things came about. Karamnov is going to play professionally for Dinamo Moscow. Soetaert didn't know at what level Vartovnik is going to play in Slovakia. Soetaert said Karamnov signed his IIHF card earlier in the summer, so that perhaps leaves the door open for him to return midseason should things not work out in Russia, but the Tips aren't holding their breath. This is a serious blow for the Tips, who already lost from last season their three overagers to graduation, two stars to the pros and their captain to college. Karamnov in particular was slated to be a big part of this year's team, probably as Everett's No. 1 center. And a Tips team that was already going to be young this season gets even younger. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Bad news on the European front Problems for the Tips. It looks as though Everett's two veteran European forwards, Vitaly Karamnov and Lukas Vartovnik, are not showing up. Apparently both have decided to play in their home countries this season, Karamnov in Russia and Vartovnik in Slovakia. Both are 19 and were being counted on to play key roles this season, so if it's the case it's a big blow for a Tips team that's already had to deal with heavy turnover from last season. More to follow ... ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Rookie Camp Day 3 I have a little time here between sessions, so I thought I'd mention a couple things about this morning's scrimmage, where RED defeated BLUE 2-1. By far the most visible player this morning was Campbell Elynuik, who decided to give Brett Kolins a run for his money as the biggest hitter in camp. Elynuik was pretty much a part of every big hit in the game -- both delivered and received. He got smoked twice early in the game, but to his credit he got right back up and immediately administered a hit of equal ferocity later in the shift. Those sequences seemed to fire him up as he continued to lay the lumber for much of the scrimmage. Not a lot of scoring as the players appear to be wearing down. Here's the goals: 1. RED's Matthew Lumdsen pokes in a puck that got behind BLUE goaltender Austin Brihn. RED 1, BLUE 0. 2. RED's Joshua Twietmeyer continues to find the net, banging in a rebound. RED 2, BLUE 0. 3. Great individual effort by BLUE's Michael Scobie as he drags the puck through a defender and goes top shelf. RED 2, BLUE 1. RED finishes 3-1 in its scrimmages. -- 4:50 p.m. The final scrimmage is over with BLUE thumping WHITE 9-2. This was the first and only real blowout of camp (even the 6-2 game had a late insurance goal and two empty netters). The most notable thing about this game was that it was second rounder Tyler Giebel's best game. I also thought BLUE defenseman Keenan Martens did a good job asserting himself. For WHITE, once again Bryce Kenning did an admirable job blocking shots. Unfortunately, there's only so many shots one player can block. The goals: 1. WHITE's David Norris scores on a rebound. WHITE 1, BLUE 0. 2. BLUE's Tyler Giebel goes 5-hole. WHITE 1, BLUE 1. 3. BLUE's Kyle Peterson picks up a loose puck and scores. BLUE 2, WHITE 1. 4. BLUE's Zach Sikich has the angle on his defender and scores around the goalie. BLUE 3, WHITE 1. 5. BLUE's Nathan Murray scores with a shot off the rush. BLUE 4, WHITE 1. 6. Peterson bats the puck off a defenseman's stick and into the net. BLUE 5, WHITE 1. 7. BLUE's Campbell Elynuik scores on a shot from the slot. BLUE 6, WHITE 1. 8. BLUE's Jordan Robertson scores with a slap shot from the high slot. BLUE 7, WHITE 1. 9. Giebel sets up Dylan Burton on a two-on-one. BLUE 8, WHITE 1. 10. Giebel cuts in, takes a pass and wrists a shot into the top corner. BLUE 9, WHITE 1. 11. WHITE's Kole Harvey scores on a rebound follow. BLUE 9, WHITE 2. BLUE finishes 3-1, WHITE finishes 0-4. -- So that's it for the scrimmages. Tomorrow's Green vs. White game concludes rookie camp. Here's the team lists for that game (although somehow White has evolved into Gray): TEAM GRAY Goaltenders: Austin Brihn (93), Trevor Gutierrez (93). Defensemen: Mitch Boucher (92), Ryan Cooper (93), Devin Dambrauskas (92), Kiefer Johnston (93), Tyler Kauk (93), John Stechyshyn (93). Forwards: Theo Campe (93), Ryan Doner (92), Campbell Elynuik (92), Sam Fioretti (93), Tyler Giebel (93), Kole Harvey (93), Andrew Kossack (93), Matthew Lumsden (93), Nathan Murray (92), Tyler Thompson (93), Joshua Twietmeyer (92), Joshua Winquist (93). TEAM GREEN Goaltenders: Ryan Cadieux (93), Adam Weersink (93). Defensemen: Michael Berry (93), Casey Hill (92), Brett Kolins (92), Keenan Martens (93), Evan Morden (93), Ryan Murray (93). Forwards: Dylan Burton (93), Peter Clements (91), Matthew Garvey (92), Manraj Hayer (93), Tommy Healy (93), Bryce Kenning (92), Cole McCaig (93), Anthony Patt (91), Jordon Robertson (91), Destry Straight (93), Sheldon Vannerus (93), Jeremy Ward (93). ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Rookie Camp Day 2 I gotta be honest, I wasn't paying quite as close attention today, particularly in the afternoon after this Memorial Cup hosting business dropped. TEAM BLUE beat TEAM WHITE 6-2 in the morning scrimmage. Destry Straight, Nathan Murray, Keenan Martens and Tyler Giebel scored for BLUE, with Straight and Michael Scobie adding late empty netters. Manraj Hayer and Matthew Garvey scored for WHITE. Then TEAM RED beat TEAM WHITE 4-3 in the afternoon scrimmage. Local boy Joshua Twietmeyer scored the tying and go-ahead goals for RED, with Josh Winquist and Matthew Lumsden scoring the other two. Hayer, Andrew Kossack and Dallas Friel scored for WHITE. Some quick observations: - Manraj Hayer had another fantastic day. The non-drafted 1993-born forward, who played on a line with first-overall bantam pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for the Burnaby Winter Club last season, has shown as much skill as any forward. - Campbell Elynuik has been this year's Paul Grenier. Last year Grenier was a late-round draft pick who came to rookie camp as a 16-year-old and although not showing up a lot on the scoresheet, had a good-sized body and was willing to throw a hit. That describes Elynuik this year. Grenier will be vying for a roster spot this year, perhaps that will be the case for Elynuik next year. - There's a lot of locals here this year and they're acquitting themselves well, with Twietmeyer finding the net on a regular basis. - Ryan Murray, yeah he' still good. Michael Berry and Josh Winquist also continue to impress. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Everett bids for Memorial Cup The Silvertips have submitted a bid to host the 2010 Memorial Cup. That makes Everett one of three WHL cities that have bid for the event, joining Brandon, Manitoba, and Kelowna, B.C. The host receives an automatic berth in the Memorial Cup, a week-long event which pits the champions of the WHL, OHL and QMJHL in the championship of Canadian junior hockey. More later ... UPDATE 2:45 p.m. Ok, here's a quick update. Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said this was a legitimate bid, not a bid to ensure the fairness or the process, which Kelowna's seems to be. The team's been quietly looking into the possibility of submitting a bid for about six months, holding conversations with various local goverment and business leaders. The bid presentations will be made to the league on Oct. 15, with the outcome determined the following day. I'm not sure Everett's chances are real good. WHL commissioner Ron Robison is on record saying Brandon is the favorite provided its arena is upgraded, which the city has already agreed to do. Also, Western Conference teams have hosted the cup the past two times the WHL had it -- Vancouver in 2007, Kelowna in 2004 -- so the Eastern Conference is well past due for its turn. But Comcast Arena would be a great place for it, and it sure would be a lot of fun. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Live blog: Rookie Camp Day 1 Good morning, and welcome to the second annual rookie camp day one live blog. I'm going to ask everyone to bear with me this morning as the AquaSox game last nigth didn't end until about 11:40 p.m. and I'm still trying to work the sleep out of my eyes, so please excuse any typos. It's good to be back at Comcast Arena, though it's odd to see the ice without any of the sponsor logos painted underneath just yet. Anyway, rosters coming up. --- Rookie camp rosters: TEAM RED Goaltender: Ryan Cadieux. Defensemen: Ryan Murray, Brett Kolins, Tyler Kauk, Jake Daughtrey, Ryan Cooper, Brett Losey. Forwards: Matthew Lumsden, Josh Winquist, Jeremy Ward, Cole MCCaig, Sheldon Vannerus, Sam Fioretti, Mac Rushing, Joshua Twietmeyer, Austin Hoff, Tommy Healy, Anthony Patt, Max McHugh. TEAM WHITE Goaltender: Adam Weersink. Defensemen: Devin Dambrauskas, Evan Morden, Kiefer Johnston, John Stechyshyn, Jared Pilet, Sean Mulcahy, Tyler Narsing. Forwards: Ryan Doner, Kole Harvey, Manraj Hayer, Matthew Garvey, Theo Campe, Andrew Kossack, David Norris, Tanner Tyndall, Tyler Thompson, Bryce Kenning, Dallas Friel, Sam Kinney. TEAM BLUE Goaltenders: Austin Brihn, Trevor Gutierrez. Defensemen: Mitch Boucher, Michael Berry, Casey Hill, Bray Mullin, Keenan Martens, Bryan Mueller. Forwards: Tyler Giebel, Campbell Elynuik, Dylan Burton, Nathan Murray, Armando Mazzocca, Michael Scobie, Destry Straight, Zach Sikich, Jordon Robertson, Kyle Peterson, Peter Clements, Robbie Christensen. 59 players total. All of this year's bantam draft picks are here except for forward Austin Wuthrich, the team's 12th rounder out of Alaska. 2007 draftees here include sixth rounder Brett Kolins, seventh rounders Mitch Boucher and Campbell Elynuik, and eighth rounder Devin Dambrauskas. Goaltender Kent Simpson, defensemen Gabriel Minville and Kyle Janzen, and forwards D.Jay McGrath and Markus McCrea are heading straight to main camp. Forward Justin Waskewitch is injured. Not present are forward Devan McLean and defenseman Jordan Duncan, who I believe are no longer on Everett's 50-player protected list. And each year there's always several misspelled player names, so if you have the correct spelling please let me know and I'll change it. --- 9:40 a.m. RED vs. WHITE first period over with RED leading 2-1. Once again camp consists of two half-hour periods with one-minute shifts before the horn signifies wholesale line changes. One difference this year is that penalties result in two-on-ones rather than penalty shots. In goal for RED is Ryan Cadieux and for WHITE is Adam Weersink. Anyway, here's the scoring summary: 1. RED's Sheldon Vannerus scores on a nice two-on-one feed from Josh Winquist. RED 1, WHITE 0. 2. WHITE's Andrew Kossack picks the pocket of a defender, then feeds an open Theo Campe for an easy goal. Red 1, White 1. 3. Weersink, playing the puck in from the corner, puts an unfortunate pass right onto the stick of Winquist at the blue line, and Winquist slaps it into an unguarded net. RED 2, WHITE 1. --- 10:26 a.m. Final score, RED 6, WHITE 4. The goals: 4. Good forechecking by RED's Sam Fioretti leads to a turnover and goal for Cole McCaig. RED 3, WHITE 1. 5. Off the rush, RED's Joshua Twietmeyer gets a shot through Weersink. RED 4, WHITE 1. 6. RED's Anthony Patt pokes a rebound under Weersink. RED 5, WHITE 1. 7. A backdoor backhander by WHITE's Matthew Garvey finds Kossack open at the far post for a goal. RED 5, WHITE 2. 8. On a two-on-one, Garvey takes the shot himself and scores. RED 5, WHITE 3. 9. A nice backdoor pass by RED's Ryan Murray finds an open Patt, who scores moments after being upended. RED 6, WHITE 3. 10. WHITE defenseman Evan Morden picks out the top corner with a wrister from the high slot. RED 6, WHITE 4. Some player impressions from the first scrimmage: - Ryan Murray is smooth. Nothing Everett's first-round pick from this year's bantam draft does looks labored. He has the reputation of being an offensive defenseman, but he played more conservative in this game -- he only joined the rush a couple times. However, he looked pretty composed, and the one slap shot he took looked good. He also seems a little taller than I expected. - Josh Winquist, Everett's third rounder this year, also looked good. He showed some good skill and good instincts. - Brett Kolins was easily the biggest hitter in the game. - Ryan Cadieux looked pretty good in goal until getting beat by a couple shots late. He wasn't a high draft pick so I'm not sure how serious a prospect he is, but overall he was solid. - A handful of TEAM WHITE unknowns looked intriguing. Manraj Hayer was active, while Matthew Garvey and David Norris have good size. Keep in mind it's difficult to truly evaluate these guys since I don't know their ages. - The 1992-born listed players from this game didn't do a lot to distinguish themselves. But then you would have said the same thing about Kellan Tochkin last year after the first game, and he ended up leading the camp in scoring. --- 11:34 a.m. TEAM BLUE's on-ice testing/practice is over. It began with speed testing. It's always tough to tell who's really going fast as they go one at a time. Defensemen Mitch Boucher and Michael Berry looked like they had decent speed, and Campbell Elynuik goes pretty fast once he gets that big body moving. The first practice is always more about learning what's going on rather than showing what you've got, so I'm not sure anyone stood out. I guess what stood out more to me is that the players seemed to pick up on the drills a little quicker this year than last year. Anyway, I'm off. I'll be back when camp resumes at 2 p.m. --- 1:45 p.m. Welcome back to the liveblog for the afternoon sessions. During the lunch break Everett's vets had an informal skating session. The group included several returning veterans (Graham Potuer, Mike Alexander, Jesse Burt, Shayne Barrie, Jordan Mistelbacher, Tyler Skauge, Chris de la Lande), a handful of rookies (Kellan Tochkin, Paul Van de Velde, Kent Simpson), former Tips captain Mitch Love, and NHLer Jeremy Reich. Reich, who plays for the Boston Bruins, is around town because his wife is from the Seattle area, and he was looking for some ice to get some offseason skating in. However, the biggest development was probably the presence of Tyler Maxwell. Maxwell, the skilled 1991-born forward from California who the Tips invited to camp, skated during the noon session. With elite American talents the hardest thing is just getting them to show up, so seeing Maxwell in town and on the ice indicates he must be serious about playing in the WHL. That's good news for the Tips, especially considering it looks like fellow 91-born Californian forward Brad Robbins is backing out of attending. Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention from the morning scrimmage. Kudos to Bryce Kenning from TEAM WHITE for fully committing to blocking shots on two occasions. TEAM WHITE practice up next. -- 2:55 p.m. OK, TEAM WHITE's practice is over. Once again Manraj Hayer impressed. The non-drafted player is a smaller guy without a lot of speed, but he's tenacious and has some skill. David Norris had a nice highlight when he just bowled over his defender during the one-on-one drill, and Tyler Thompson has shown some feistiness. Ryan Doner looked pretty good. Final scrimmage of the day, RED vs. BLUE, up next. -- 3:55 p.m. RED vs. BLUE first period over. BLUE leads 3-2. The goals: 1. BLUE's Nathan Murray pots a rebound. BLUE 1, RED 0. 2. A big slap shot from the left point by BLUE's Michael Berry finds the far corner. BLUE 2, RED 0. 3. A deflected shot goes right to BLUE's Robbie Christensen camped in front of goal, and he spins it in. BLUE 3, RED 0. 4. A great individual effort by RED's Jeremy Ward as he skips past two defenders and puts it in the top corner. BLUE 3, RED 1. 5. Ward is at it again, this time streaking between the defenders and again scoring into the top corner. BLUE 3, RED 2. --- 4:45 p.m. Scrimmage over. BLUE 5, RED 3. More after I do interviews. -- 5:40 p.m. OK, let's try this again after the computer swallowed my first attempt. First off, the second-period goals: 6. RED climbs all the way back from it's three-goal deficit when Joshua Twietmeyer finds daylight down the right and scores with a shot off the underside of the crossbar. BLUE 3, RED 3. 7. BLUE restores its lead when on a two-on-two Peter Clements slides a backhanded shot into the corner. BLUE 4, RED 3. 8. RED pulls its goaltender in the final minute, but it doesn't work as Michael Scobie scores into an empty net. BLUE 5, RED 3. Now for some observations: - Ryan Murray, if anything, played even better this afternoon than he did during the morning scrimmage. He got much more involved offensively and was a factor every time he was on the ice. He has great passing vision and exudes poise and confidence with the puck. Clearly the best player out there today. - BLUE's victory was a product of the defensive pairing of Mitch Boucher and Michael Berry as much as anything. They controlled the game every time they were on the ice. Up until the point in the second period when Berry was caught pinching and Twietmeyer took advantage to score, the duo was basically flawless. Berry has a heck of a shot, too. - Tyler Giebel, Everett's second-round pick, started slow but looked more comfortable as the game went along. - Josh Winquist may not have gotten on the scoresheet, but he was involved in several good scoring chances. He had a good day. - Both BLUE goaltenders actually played in this one, with Austin Brihn backstopping RED while Trevor Gutierrez backstopped BLUE. Gutierrez, who happens to be the younger brother of former Tip Moises Gutierrez, had a really good game. - Jeremy Ward had an eye-opening performance. After the draft Everett director of player development Scott Scoville compared Ward to Garet Hunt. I'm not sure I saw much Hunt in Ward, but he showed more skill than I was expecting, at least in this game. - Brett Kolins was once again throwing his body around. Tyler Kauk was another RED d-man who I though performed well today. Anyway, that wraps up this year's installment of the rookie camp live blog. I'll continue providing updates throughout camp, but they'll probably be a little more condensed. Thanks for tuning in. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Live blogging coming tomorrow It's less than 24 hours before the first of Everett's prospects take the ice for rookie camp. The first scrimmage is at 9 a.m. tomorrow, and barring unforseen circumstances I'll be up and running with live updates before that. So check this space all day tomorrow for up-to-the-minute updates and impressions of the Tips prospects. In the meantime, let me skip ahead to main camp for a moment. Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said there's going to be a lot of 91s -- 17-year-olds this season -- coming to main camp this year. For the most part that means potential rookies as only defenseman Jeff Regier was a regular part of the team last season. Among that group of 91s are a couple new names, Tyler Maxwell and Brad Robbins. A pair of forwards from California whom the Tips listed in recent months, word is they are going to attend camp. Now, when it comes to American kids I'm generally of the opinion that I'll believe it when I actually see them on the ice, unless they've already signed an education contract. But I'm told the Tips put in a lot of legwork during the offseason to recruit these kids into coming to camp and checking things out. If they do show up and are serious about trying to make the team, it could be a nice little bonus for the Tips. Maxwell, a center from Manhattan Beach, Calif., played for the L.A. Junior Kings midget AAA team last season and also got a cup of coffee with the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers, who used a second-round pick on Maxwell in the 2007 USHL futures draft. Robbins, a right wing from Murrieta, Calif., played last season for Minnesota prep powerhouse Shattuck-St. Mary's, where he was one of the stars of their Midget AAA team (what would be the equivalent of the JV team, if I'm interpreting Shattuck's Web site correctly), scoring 26 goals and 15 assists in 29 games. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Two days until the players hit the ice If you are like me at all, then the anticipation has just about built to its boiling point. Rookie camp is almost here, and the hockey season is right around the corner. This time of year is always exciting because you never know what's going to happen. Who's going to show up, who isn't? Who's made a quantum leap in their game and who's remained stagnant? And what new names will pop onto the scene? To me, this year those questions are magnified with the Tips. Given the amount of turnover the team is undergoing this season, there's more questions than ever before. It's going to be difficult for Everett to match the win totals from the past few seasons, but it's going to be real interesting to see how things shake out. As for rookie camp, with so many of the top 92s advancing straight to main camp (Kent Simpson, Markus McCrea, Tyler Parker, D.Jay McGrath, Gabriel Minville), I'll really be focusing on the 93s just acquired in the bantam draft, getting a feel for what they can do. I'm particularly intrigued by first-round pick Ryan Murray because the offensively-skilled defenseman is the type of player Everett's never really had before. The Tips have had d-men who have piled up points, but they've never had someone who I considered to be a true offense initiator. I'll also be keeping a close eye on second rounder Tyler Giebel. The Tips paid a steep price in order to move up and select him, so I suspect he has some special qualities. And just a reminder, I will be real-time blogging the first day of training camp on Thursday, so tune in to get updates on how the prospects are performing. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Rookie camp approaches Hockey season is upon us. The attendees of Silvertips rookie camp report Wednesday and take the ice for the first time on Thursday, with the veterans reporting and skating Sunday. Approximately 60 players, split into three teams, will be taking part in rookie camp. That group will consist almost exclusively of 92- and 93-born players, with the occasional 91 sprinkled in. Several of Everett's top 92s, including Markus McCrea, Tyler Parker, Kent Simpson, Gabriel Minville and D.Jay McGrath, will not take part in rookie camp and instead advance straight to main camp. The players report and undergo off-ice testing Wednesday evening before hitting the ice first thing Thursday morning. UPDATE: One more 92 who will be missing is Justin Waskewitch. He has a shoulder injury that won't allow him to participate. Here's the on-ice schedule for rookie camp, all taking place at Comcast Arena. All sessions are open to the public: THURSDAY Red vs. White scrimmage, 9-10:30 a.m. Blue testing/practice, 10:45-11:45 a.m. White practice, 2-3 p.m. Red vs. Blue scrimmage, 3:15-4:45 p.m. FRIDAY White vs. Blue scrimmage, 9-10:30 a.m. Red testing/practice, 10:45-11:45 a.m. Blue practice, 2-3 p.m. Red vs. White scrimmage, 3:15-4:45 p.m. SATURDAY Red vs. Blue scrimmage, 9-10:30 a.m. White testing/practice, 10:45-11:45 a.m. Red practice, 2-3 p.m. White vs. Blue scrimmage, 3:15-4:45 p.m. SUNDAY Rookie Green vs. White game, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The veterans then report Sunday afternoon and take to the ice for the first time that evening. A handful of players from rookie camp are expected to be held over for main camp. Sunday night's practice is not open to the public, nor are the morning sessions during the week, though the evening scrimmages will be open to the public. Scrimmages from 6-7:30 are open to the public next Monday and Tuesday. All of next Wednesday's sessions (practice from 9-11:15 and a 6 p.m. scrimmage) are at the community rink and thus open to the public. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Big news in Portland Big developments going on in Portland as Everett's U.S. Division rivals are apparently on the verge of being sold. Gregg Drinnan of the Kamloops Daily News has the scoop here. This is a huge deal. Portland's had a dismal two seasons under the current ownership, with rumors swirling about financial difficulties. Financial problems clearly will not be the case under the alleged new owner. And supposedly there will be a complete cleaning house in hockey operations, too. We'll have to see where this eventually goes, and how it impacts the Winter Hawks, both in the short and the long term. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Some training camp info I ran into Tips general manager Doug Soetaert at a recent AquaSox game (OK, maybe it would be more accurate to say he snuck up on me in the press box) and got a few details about training camp: - Rookies report on Wednesday, Aug. 20, then take the ice for the first time the next day. - Like last year there will be just three teams worth of rookies, with one game in the morning and one game in the afternoon each day of rookie camp. - The Green vs. White game will be early on Sunday, Aug. 24 (late morning start). That's because ... - The vets report on Sunday and will be taking to the ice that evening. That's a change as in the past the vets haven't skated until the following day. - Training camp is once again open to the public. I haven't decided for certain yet, but I think I'll be real-time blogging on the first day of rookie camp again. Sunday's looking like a possible day for that as well, though I don't know if it will be as useful to the readers since it's on the weekend. Feel free to give some input regarding the real-time blogging possibilities. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Schedule confirmed The Tips announced their official schedule today. There was one change from the tentative schedule released two weeks ago. The home game against Vancouver originally scheduled for Dec. 17 has been moved to Feb. 25. The one interesting consequence of this change is that the Tips now have a full two weeks off for the Christmas break. In past years Everett's had between 7-10 days for Christmas, so they get a little more recovery time this season. The Tips also confirmed that start times for home games will remain the same. Games will start at 7:05 p.m. except on Fridays, when they start at 7:35 p.m., and on Sundays, when they begin at 5:05 p.m. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! |
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