No time to rest for two of the Silvertips’ top players

Published 1:30 am Sunday, November 6, 2016

The Everett Silvertips have several days off this week and it’s a welcome respite for a team that has been beset by injuries and illness.

But two of Everett’s top players won’t get a break. Silvertips captain Noah Juulsen and goaltender Carter Hart are headed to Prince George and Edmonton, where they will represent the Western Hockey League in the first two games of the annual Canada-Russia Series. Both Monday’s game at Prince George and Tuesday’s game at Edmonton can be seen live at 7 p.m. on the NHL Network.

Juulsen received additional good news last week when the league announced he would captain Team WHL.

“It’s a big honor, but obviously everyone on that team is a leader and they’re all really good leaders,” said Juulsen, who is joined by alternate captains Nick Merkley of Kelowna and Parker Wotherspoon of Tri-City.

Both Hart and Juulsen are making their second straight appearances in the series for Team WHL. The event is part of the selection process for the Team Canada squad that will compete at the World Junior Championship beginning Dec. 26.

Juulsen made it to the last round of cuts for last year’s World Junior squad, and said he’s looking forward to getting another shot to crack the roster.

“You kind of build a bond with those guys as you played with them through the summer (during) the tryouts for the World Junior team,” Juulsen said. “You build a bond and kind of grow together as a little team throughout the year.”

Hart also has had chances to mingle with fellow highly regarded CHL players. He played in the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Tournament prior to the 2015-16 season, and appeared in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game last January in Vancouver.

“It’s a great opportunity to go there and play with some of the best players in our league and play against some of the best players over in Russia,” Hart said. “It should be a lot of fun. I know last year it was a lot of fun. Just the compete level and the skill level is so elite playing there. It’s a lot of fun to go up there and play with those guys.”

While both venues are a significant journey from Juulsen’s hometown of Abbotsford, B.C., Hart is from the Edmonton suburb of Sherwood Park and expects a number of friends and family to be in attendance at Tuesday’s game.

“Even if you are tired, I don’t think that’s going to be a factor at all,” Hart said. “Just the excitement of being there, that’s going to take over.”

Juulsen scored a goal in Team WHL’s 7-3 win in last year’s series opener and Hart played half the game in net. Team WHL went on to win the second game 4-2, and Team OHL and Team QMJHL combined to go 3-1 as the CHL claimed five of the six contests.

Juulsen, the Montreal Canadiens’ first-round draft pick in 2015, is third among WHL defensemen with six goals this season. He also has six assists.

Hart, a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2016 draft, leads the WHL in goals-against average (1.89), is third in save percentage (.926) and is tied for fourth with nine wins.

The Tips return to action Friday when they play at Portland.

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