EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips entered last offseason with a half dozen candidates for the three overage slots on their 2016-17 roster.
But through various offseason and in-season transactions, only one of those six remained following the January trade deadline.
That led to the Tips acquiring forward Dominic Zwerger from Spokane during the first week of the season and defenseman Aaron Irving from Edmonton at the trade deadline.
Those two joined defenseman Lucas Skrumeda, the defensive partner of 19-year-old Noah Juulsen for the past three seasons, as the three overagers the last three months of the season. The trio were important pieces of Everett earning its fifth U.S. Division title before the Tips’ season ended Friday night with a loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds in the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs.
“It definitely hurts,” Skrumeda said of being eliminated by the T-Birds. “I gave a lot to this organization and they treated me extremely well. I love playing with those 20s we acquired and they’re some of my good friends. It’s just hard to comment right now. I’m just trying to process, I guess.”
Skrumeda is a Winnipeg native who served as an alternate captain and finished his final season with a career-high four goals and 16 assists.
The Tips acquired Zwerger from the Chiefs after the Austrian was caught in an overage numbers game in Spokane. He was everything the Tips hoped they were getting on the offensive end. He finished as Everett’s second-highest goal-scorer (28) and No. 2 point producer (75) during the regular season.
“The trade from Spokane was definitely a sad day, but when I heard I got traded to Everett, I knew they were a good hockey club,” Zwerger said. “I was super excited to be going there. The coaching staff was great and they had unbelievable hockey players and (good) goalies. I was super excited.”
Zwerger had four goals and 11 assists in 10 postseason games. His two goals and eight assists helped carry the Tips offensively in their 4-2 first-round playoff series victory over the Victoria Royals.
The series win over Victoria was the only playoff series victory in Zwerger’s career as the Chiefs never made it beyond the first round in his three seasons in Spokane.
“I always believed in this group and the day I came here I knew they were always a top team in the U.S. Division,” Zwerger said. “We just stuck with the process and kept playing and went game-to-game and it was definitely the best thing I’ve done in my career so far, winning a U.S. Division banner and then beating out Victoria in the first round.”
Irving was a deadline acquisition that cost the Tips overage forward Graham Millar, forward prospect Brett Kemp and a 2018 first-round bantam pick. The defenseman won the Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014 and came to Everett with 32 games of playoff experience.
The trade meant Irving, an Edmonton native, lived with a billet family for the first time as a 20-year-old and it gave him another opportunity to play on a division-winning team.
“I think that’s what I was so excited about — coming to a team that was so good,” Irving said. “But what I didn’t know was how good of a group of guys it was and a coaching staff that cared so much. I think that was more exciting and I was more pleased to see.”
Irving scored four goals and had 11 assists in 32 regular-season games with Everett and finished the year with 18 goals and 40 assists in a combined 71 games with the Tips and Oil Kings. He also added two goals and an assist in the postseason.
“I think every team says they pride themselves on their compete (level) and their hard work, but I think a team with a motto such as ‘Warrior’ like this team definitely was a good fit for me,” Irving said. “I was happy to be part of this family.”
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