Live blogging coming tomorrow
Published 11:45 am Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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.
