EVERETT — Last weekend the Everett Silvertips received their first good look at their full roster for the 2010-11 WHL season.
This week the Tips get the opportunity to take a closer look at the back end of their roster.
Everett heads to this week’s Red Lion Hotels Preseason Tournament in Kennewick minus its top stars, who are attending NHL training camps. Therefore, it’s a chance for younger players to stake their claims at roster spots and larger roles.
“It’s a good opportunity for everybody because everybody will get a lot of ice time,” Everett coach Craig Hartsburg said. “We play two games and the young players will get an opportunity in both games.”
Everett, which opened the preseason by going 2-1 at last weekend’s Holiday Inn Preseason Classic at Comcast Arena, plays Seattle at 3 p.m. today and faces Portland on Friday at 11 a.m. And the Tips are headed to Kennewick with a barebones lineup. Forwards Landon Ferraro (Detroit), Josh Birkholz (Florida) and Kellan Tochkin (Vancouver), defensemen Alex Theriau (Dallas) and Rasmus Rissanen (Carolina), and goaltenders Kent Simpson (Chicago) and Thomas Heemskerk (San Jose) are all away at NHL camps.
That leaves the Tips with 21 players for this week’s exhibition games. One of those players, left wing Josh Winquist, is still awaiting clearance for full contact as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. That means the Tips have exactly one full lineup — 12 forwards, six defensemen, two goaltenders — for these two games.
And that means plenty of ice time for those still looking to impress.
“We’re looking for them to continue to follow the program,” Hartsburg said, “The things we’re trying to work on in practice system-wise, they have to be able to do that. Then their level of compete and battle has to be high, and they can show us their skills at the same time.”
After these two games players have one last chance to make an impression before the season begins, with exhibition games at home against Seattle on Sept. 17 and at Vancouver on Sept. 18. Everett could have players back from NHL camps in time for those games.
Only one of Everett’s seven NHL campers may not come back. Heemskerk, as an overager, is eligible to play professionally in the minor leagues this season. Everett general manager Doug Soetaert has described Heemskerk’s chances at earning a pro job as 50-50.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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