Winkler skates with Silvertips for first time

Published 7:52 pm Monday, October 26, 2015

The Silvertips found themselves back on the community ice rink for practice today since Xfinity Arena crewmembers were busy setting up the main arena for Monday’s Shinedown concert.

Sean Mallonee wore a red no-contact jersey and skated alone prior to practice. He also did sprints as the team stretched following Monday’s practice session with his teammates cheering, or perhaps egging, him on. Mallonee is recovering from what he described as a slightly separated shoulder. Head coach Kevin Constantine said Mallonee could possibly be ready for this week’s games, but we’ll see how that plays out.

Monday also marked the first practice for 18-year-old Austrian forward Dario Winkler who finally sorted out his visa issues late last week. Indications were that he probably won’t play Wednesday as he continues to learn the Silvertips’ systems. He also hasn’t been on the ice since he was claimed by Everett on Oct. 13, so there could be some lingering conditioning issues that he has to work out.

I spoke after practice with Winkler, who has a pretty good grasp of the English language – better, certainly, than he gave himself credit for. You have to feel for the kid a little bit. He was drafted by Brandon and spent nearly two months with the organization before he was waived. It sounded like he had made some connections with the team and the community only to be uprooted and forced to start over. But, as they say, it’s a business.

Winkler has played in several tournaments in North America and also visited New York City with his parents while “on holiday” he said. So he’s not totally unfamiliar with the United States or Canada.

The Brandon Wheat Kings play at Seattle Tuesday and will be at Xfinity Arena Wednesday. We’ll have more in Wednesday’s paper about the match-up, but for now you can read more about the Seattle-Brandon game in this preview by Tim Pigulski of mynorthwest.com. The Wheat Kings also have a number of homegrown players on their roster.

Thanks to Gregg Drinnan for linking to this story in which I learned that Michael Buble is part-owner of the Vancouver Giants. And George Brett is part-owner of the Spokane Chiefs. Feel free to let me know of any other celebrity owners in the league of whom I might not be aware.

Follow Silvertips writer Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.