The WHL’s 50th anniversary season begins tonight as the Regina Pats visit the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The Silvertips, of course, open Friday in Prince George, and in anticipation we have a few notes to pass along.
Everett announced its roster for the season opener and contains just one additional cut as 16-year-old right wing Bryce Kindopp was sent back to the Lloydminster (Alberta) Bobcats of the AJHL.
Everett is already carrying five 16-year-olds to start the season and Kindopp likely would not have seen much ice team with eight other right wings on Everett’s roster.
Nevertheless, “Bryce is certainly a player that we see being part of our program at some point going forward,” Everett general manager Garry Davidson said.
With Noah Juulsen still away and Montreal’s NHL camp and Alexander Scherbakov done for the year after a Monday surgery to repair a torn labrum, the Tips are at 25 active players for the opening weekend.
The quintet of 16-year-olds is a high number and we will see how that plays out during the year. Those players include right wing Riley Sutter, centers Brian King and Connor Dewar, and defensemen Jantzen Leslie and Jake Christiansen.
The entire roster is as follows:
Forwards
Patrick Bajkov
Dawson Leedhal
Remi Laurencelle
Riley Sutter
Carson Stadnyk
Matt Fonteyne
Sean Mallonee
Graham Millar
Devon Skoleski
Brian Knig
Connor Dewar
Spencer Gerth
Gunnar Wegleitner
Brandon Ralph
Yan Khomenko
Defensemen
Noah Juulsen
Mackenzie Dwyer
Tristen Pfeifer
Jantzen Leslie
Jake Christiansen
Lucas Skrumeda
Cole MacDonald
Kevin Davis
Goaltenders
Austin Lotz
Mario Petit
Carter Hart
The Tips are also expected to release their captains for the 2015-16 season later this afternoon, so we will update you when that happens.
Notes… Ryan Kennedy at The Hockey News ranks Everett eighth in his preseason WHL rankings… I’m a touch late on this but former Tips star forward Peter Mueller was named one of the top 125 players in WHL history in a poll of league historians… Fans will be able to vote on the top 50 players in league history on the league website beginning in October.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
