EVERETT – The Everett Silvertips came closer to finalizing their roster for the opening of the upcoming Western Hockey Leagues season on Monday, cutting four players to trim their roster to 27.
Goalie Kurt Jory, defenseman Jordan Funk and forward Mitchell Ruminski, all 17-year-olds, and 16-year-old forward Lenny Young were reassigned and will return to their respective Junior A teams, though they will remain on Everett’s 50-player protected list.
“We have to get down and we felt the games this weekend (at the Everett Silvertips Pre-Season Tournament) gave everyone a good opportunity to produce and show their stuff,” Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said. “We just feel there are people ahead of all of them.”
Jory, Funk and Ruminski all spent time with the Silvertips last season. Ruminski played in four games without registering a point. Funk, who practiced and traveled with the team during the final month of the regular season and the playoffs, played in three games without scoring. Jory never saw the ice, although he suited up a few times as Everett’s backup goalie.
The cuts leave Everett with 15 forwards, nine defenseman and three goalies. The team expects to begin the season with 23-25 players.
It’s possible all 15 forwards will stick, at least until the Oct. 14 overager deadline, when the Tips must decide which three of their 20-year-olds – forwards Riley Armstrong, Tyler Dietrich and Barry Horman, and defenseman Mitch Love – to keep. Soetaert said the Tips are also keeping an eye on players cut by the other teams in the league.
Everett plans on keeping seven or eight defensemen. The Tips have five returnees from last season, with 18-year-old Derek Lewis and 16-year-olds Taylor Ellington, Graham Pouter and Jonathan Harty vying for the other spots.
The most interesting decision for Everett comes in goal, where 19-year-old Brandon Heatherington and 16-year-old Leland Irving are competing for the backup spot to Michael Wall. Heatherington has had success in the WHL, but he wore out his welcome in both Seattle and Regina last season. Irving has talent, but lacks experience at the WHL level.
Soetaert said the team hopes to make the final decisions on the roster after Saturday’s home exhibition game against Tri-City.
Satisfied: The Silvertips had a good showing during the weekend tournament. Everett finished with one win and two ties, finishing second out of six teams in the unofficial standings. And Love thought the team accomplished what it needed to during the tournament.
“I thought every game the guys worked hard,” Love said. “That’s one thing we really preach, both last year and this year, that you work hard out there and guys are going to get positions that way and by playing smart hockey and by listening to the coaches. The guys competed hard all weekend. We got to play in front of some excited crowds every night and that’s a huge thrill for some of these guys, they’ve never played in front of 3,000 people. So that’s nice to see and I thought the guys played pretty well for the most part all weekend.”
New look: The Silvertips will be sporting a new look for the fans at the Everett Events Center this season.
No, the Tips didn’t change their logo or team colors. But they will be wearing their green jerseys at home instead of their whites for the first half of the season.
The league is experimenting with the change this season, with every team wearing their colored jerseys at home and their white jerseys on the road. After Christmas the teams will revert to wearing white at home and colors on the road.
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