Published: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
WHL Notebook: Portland trades goalie
A Portland Winterhawks institution is a Winterhawk no more.
Goaltender Kurtis Mucha, who was a stalwart between the pipes during Portland’s horrendous previous three seasons, was traded Sunday to the Kamloops Blazers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft.
The 20-year-old Mucha was often painted as the loyal battered soldier. For three seasons as Portland’s No. 1 netminder he faced a barrage of shots night after night while backstopping awful Winterhawks teams. During those three seasons Mucha saw his statistics plunge as Portland won just 47 total games, finishing either last or second-to-last in the WHL each season.
This season the Winterhawks have finally turned things around, sitting at 16-10 and in second place in the U.S. Division. But Mucha, who toiled miserably for so long in Portland, w on’t be able to take part in any success the Winterhawks experience this season.
And now Mucha heads into a situation similar to what he experienced the past three seasons. Kamloops is in freefall, having lost 12 of its past 15 games, and the Blazers have routinely allowed 40-plus shots against.
“It’s tough,” Mucha told the Kamloops Daily News. “I was pretty much a (target) here for three years. I put in my time and waited for the good times, and when the good times came they sent me out of here. It definitely leaves a little bit of a bad taste in your mouth ... no question about that.”
Kamloops waived 20-year-old goaltender Justin Leclerc to make room for Mucha.
Portland had to make a goaltending move. The Winterhawks recently recruited 17-year-old Mac Carruth away from a future NCAA scholarship, which left the Winterhawks with three goalies: Mucha, Carruth and 19-year-old Ian Curtis. Once Carruth was added either Mucha or Curtis had to be moved. Mucha’s status as an overager tipped the scales.
“It’s just that in this league, managing your age groups of players is very important,” Portland general manager and head coach Mike Johnston explained to the Portland Tribune.
“This gives us an option,” Johnston added. “We could add an older defenseman or forward to the mix.”
But while that may have been the correct move for the Winterhawks, it’s cold comfort for Mucha.
Around the WHL
In addition to a new goaltender, Kamloops also has a new head coach as Guy Charron was signed on for the remainder of the season. Charron replaces Barry Smith, who was fired on Oct. 26. The Blazers also shipped 20-year-old defenseman Giffen Nyren to Calgary for a conditional sixth-round bantam pick in 2010. Kamloops then replaced Nyren by acquiring 20-year-old defenseman Ryan Funk from Vancouver for 18-year-old forward Brett Lyon ... A prodigal son has returned to Tri-City as 19-year-old defenseman Eric Mestery was reacquired from Lethbridge in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Mestery spent the first two-plus seasons of his WHL career with Tri-City before being traded to Lethbridge a year ago. ... Tri-City also jettisoned two players, sending 18-year-old Lane Werboski to Edmonton for a fourth-round bantam pick in 2011, then dealing 18-year-old forward Spencer Asuchak to Prince George for an undisclosed draft pick. ... Kelowna filled its final overage spot by claiming forward Tyler Halliday off waivers from Prince George. ... Vancouver and Red Deer swapped 17-year-old forwards, with the Giants receiving Connor Redmond and the Rebels getting Lane Scheidl. ... Edmonton goaltender Torrie Jung was temporarily signed by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers to serve as an emergency backup Saturday. ... Chilliwack’s Ryan Howse was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 18-year-old forward had three goals and four assists as the Bruins went 2-0-0-1.
League leaders
Points — Brandon Kozun (Calgary) 47; goals — Cody Eakin (Swift Current) 24; assists — Kozun 36; penalty minutes — Curt Gogol (Kelowna) 87; wins — Drew Owsley (Tri-City) 17; goals against average — Michael Snider (Calgary) 2.09; save percentage — Snider .926.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
Goaltender Kurtis Mucha, who was a stalwart between the pipes during Portland’s horrendous previous three seasons, was traded Sunday to the Kamloops Blazers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft.
The 20-year-old Mucha was often painted as the loyal battered soldier. For three seasons as Portland’s No. 1 netminder he faced a barrage of shots night after night while backstopping awful Winterhawks teams. During those three seasons Mucha saw his statistics plunge as Portland won just 47 total games, finishing either last or second-to-last in the WHL each season.
This season the Winterhawks have finally turned things around, sitting at 16-10 and in second place in the U.S. Division. But Mucha, who toiled miserably for so long in Portland, w on’t be able to take part in any success the Winterhawks experience this season.
And now Mucha heads into a situation similar to what he experienced the past three seasons. Kamloops is in freefall, having lost 12 of its past 15 games, and the Blazers have routinely allowed 40-plus shots against.
“It’s tough,” Mucha told the Kamloops Daily News. “I was pretty much a (target) here for three years. I put in my time and waited for the good times, and when the good times came they sent me out of here. It definitely leaves a little bit of a bad taste in your mouth ... no question about that.”
Kamloops waived 20-year-old goaltender Justin Leclerc to make room for Mucha.
Portland had to make a goaltending move. The Winterhawks recently recruited 17-year-old Mac Carruth away from a future NCAA scholarship, which left the Winterhawks with three goalies: Mucha, Carruth and 19-year-old Ian Curtis. Once Carruth was added either Mucha or Curtis had to be moved. Mucha’s status as an overager tipped the scales.
“It’s just that in this league, managing your age groups of players is very important,” Portland general manager and head coach Mike Johnston explained to the Portland Tribune.
“This gives us an option,” Johnston added. “We could add an older defenseman or forward to the mix.”
But while that may have been the correct move for the Winterhawks, it’s cold comfort for Mucha.
Around the WHL
In addition to a new goaltender, Kamloops also has a new head coach as Guy Charron was signed on for the remainder of the season. Charron replaces Barry Smith, who was fired on Oct. 26. The Blazers also shipped 20-year-old defenseman Giffen Nyren to Calgary for a conditional sixth-round bantam pick in 2010. Kamloops then replaced Nyren by acquiring 20-year-old defenseman Ryan Funk from Vancouver for 18-year-old forward Brett Lyon ... A prodigal son has returned to Tri-City as 19-year-old defenseman Eric Mestery was reacquired from Lethbridge in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Mestery spent the first two-plus seasons of his WHL career with Tri-City before being traded to Lethbridge a year ago. ... Tri-City also jettisoned two players, sending 18-year-old Lane Werboski to Edmonton for a fourth-round bantam pick in 2011, then dealing 18-year-old forward Spencer Asuchak to Prince George for an undisclosed draft pick. ... Kelowna filled its final overage spot by claiming forward Tyler Halliday off waivers from Prince George. ... Vancouver and Red Deer swapped 17-year-old forwards, with the Giants receiving Connor Redmond and the Rebels getting Lane Scheidl. ... Edmonton goaltender Torrie Jung was temporarily signed by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers to serve as an emergency backup Saturday. ... Chilliwack’s Ryan Howse was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 18-year-old forward had three goals and four assists as the Bruins went 2-0-0-1.
League leaders
Points — Brandon Kozun (Calgary) 47; goals — Cody Eakin (Swift Current) 24; assists — Kozun 36; penalty minutes — Curt Gogol (Kelowna) 87; wins — Drew Owsley (Tri-City) 17; goals against average — Michael Snider (Calgary) 2.09; save percentage — Snider .926.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
Comments
(
