EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips will be welcoming the next member or members to the organization during today’s Canadian Hockey League import draft.
However, the draft is just an appetizer for Silvertips fans since Everett’s biggest offseason acquisition still will be pending.
The Tips have yet to select a head coach, but Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said that announcement will be coming soon.
Craig Hartsburg, who served as the Tips’ head coach the past two seasons, resigned in early June to become the associate head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Soetaert said then his timetable was to hire a new coach by early July and everything remains on schedule.
“I’ve narrowed it down to two or three candidates,” Soetaert said. “I’m hoping to have a coach in place within the next 10 days.”
Soetaert has spent the past four weeks pouring over the resumes of the candidates.
“It’s gone well,” Soetaert said of the search. “There are a lot of people who were interested in the situation here and want to coach for the Silvertips. We’ve had some very good candidates from all different levels — the NHL, AHL, major junior, junior A. It’s a very good cross section of coaches who have applied.”
Everett has a history of hiring high-profile names. Two of the three head coaches in Everett’s eight-year history, Hartsburg and original coach Kevin Constantine, had NHL head coaching experience when they were hired by the Tips. However, Soetaert said NHL experience is not a requirement in this instance.
“We looked at (NHL coaching experience),” Soetaert said. “There’s a lot of good coaches who haven’t coached in the NHL and we’re looking at them, also. The coach we hire will hopefully be here for a few years. It may be someone who’s been a former NHL coach, assistant coach or player, someone who was a minor-league player. It has to be someone who I’m comfortable with, someone who will take control of the dressing room and provide leadership. NHL experience is not a prerequisite.”
As for the import draft, which is used to help fill the two roster spots allotted for European players, Everett picks 21st overall in today’s first round.
“It’s hard to say whether we’ll get an immediate impact player,” Soetaert said. “You just don’t know. Picking 21st we’re a little way down. We’ll have to wait and see what we get at No. 21.”
Soetaert was unsure whether the Tips would take a forward or defenseman with their first-round pick.
The draft contains two rounds, and because Everett does not have a European player on its roster, the Tips are eligible to make a second-round selection. However, Soetaert did not know whether he would use his second-round pick.
Morden gets invite
Tips defenseman Evan Morden has accepted an invitation to development camp with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Morden, an 18-year-old from Swan River, Manitoba, went unselected in last weekend’s NHL draft, so he is attending camp on a tryout basis.
Morden was a part-time player for the Tips as a 17-year-old rookie last season. In 53 games he tallied one goal and four assists. His playing time increased as the season went along, and in the playoffs he was skating a regular shift.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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