LYNNWOOD – The time has arrived for the Everett Silvertips coaching staff to start sweating.
The biggest question facing Everett this preseason is who will be returning from their NHL training camps and who will be remaining in the professional ranks.
The first phase of that process begins this week with the opening of NHL camps across North America.
And that means Everett’s coaches can now begin worrying.
“We’ve got eight guys who will be in NHL camps and probably five or six of them have a realistic shot at making either the American Hockey League or the big team,” Everett coach John Becaninc said following practice Tuesday at the Lynnwood Ice Center. “It’s difficult for our organization at this point because there’s so much uncertainty.”
Left wing Ondrej Fiala (Minnesota) and center Vitali Karamnov (Edmonton) departed Tuesday. Right wing Dan Gendur (Vancouver), defenseman Dane Crowley (Tampa Bay) and defenseman Taylor Ellington (Vancouver) leave today.
They are joined by three players who have yet to set foot in Everett’s camp. Center Peter Mueller (Phoenix) has been home in Bloomington, Minn., gearing up for earning an NHL job, while center Zach Hamill (Boston) and goaltender Leland Irving (Calgary) are with Team Canada for the Canada-Russia Super Series.
Defenseman Graham Potuer, who was originally invited to attend camp with Detroit, had his tryout fall through.
Everett has had its share of NHL camp invitees the past two seasons. However, this year more than ever those players have a legitimate shot of earning a spot in the pros.
Crowley, Fiala and Gendur, being in their 20-year-old season, are eligible to play minor professional hockey, and all three are good enough to warrant consideration.
“I’m going to go out there with the mindset to make the AHL,” said Crowley, who’s off to Traverse City, Mich., for a rookie tournament. “I’d have absolutely zero problem with coming back here, I love it here. But we’ll see what happens.”
Mueller, Hamill, Irving, Ellington and Karamnov, being younger than 20, would have to earn a spot on an NHL roster to play pro. Mueller is a strong candidate to do just that. Hamill and Irving have outside chances of sticking with their big clubs, too. Ellington and Karamnov, in their first NHL camps, are not candidates to make their teams.
“It’s a little nerve-wracking and really exciting,” Ellington said about heading off to his first NHL camp. “At the first NHL camp you want to go there and try to make a little bit of an impression. So it’ll be good.”
What remains to be seen is how well it all works out for the Tips.
“Obviously we believe Peter will stay in Phoenix,” Becanic said. “I think the three 20-year-olds all have a legitimate chance of playing in the American league. I don’t forsee Zach Hamill playing in Boston, but stranger things have happened and I know he’s going there to try and make the team. Leland’s in a little different situation. If he was a year older I think he would be staying definitely, but because of the guys they’ve signed in Calgary I don’t think they’ve made room for him this year.”
But Becanic will be rooting for his players, even if it ends up making things harder for his team.
“We wished them well,” he said. “We hope they go and make the teams. That’s what we’re all about, we’re a development league, so that’s first and foremost what we hope for. But if they’re back we’ll certainly welcome them back with open arms.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
