EVERETT — When Shane Harper first arrived in Everett for the Silvertips training camp, he was an undrafted and unknown 16-year-old kid whose main claim to fame was having Wayne Gretzky attend his seventh birthday party.
His thoughts were light years from carving out a long WHL career; instead they just focused on making the team.
Who could have guessed that wide-eyed youngster would become the most-tenured player in Silvertips franchise history. Harper achieved that distinction last Saturday, playing in his 288th career game for Everett and breaking the record for most games played in a Tips uniform.
“I’m very proud to hold that record,” Harper said. “To be able to play all those games when I was younger, and then the games now, it’s pretty special to me.”
Harper, a 20-year-old winger from Valencia, Calif., who’s in his fifth season with the Tips, bested the previous mark of 287 set by defenseman Taylor Ellington from 2004-09.
“I kind of knew before the season,” Harper said about the possibility of breaking the record. “Some people told me that if I played the season I should end up getting there, but I didn’t know it was going to be so soon. It just kind of happened all of a sudden.”
Harper celebrated the occasion by scoring twice in Everett’s 6-1 victory at Tri-City. That included a highlight-reel effort where he maneuvered himself around three Americans before his attempted pass banked in off goaltender Drew Owsley.
“During the game you don’t really think about those things,” Harper said. “But after it was nice to hear.”
Durability has been one of the primary reasons for Harper’s record. He’s played in no fewer than 58 games in any of his previous four seasons. Since the beginning of the 2008-09 season he’s missed just one game.
“It’s a combination of things,” Harper explained. “A lot of it, I think, is what you do in the offseason to prepare for the season ahead, and I think over the years I’ve definitely bettered myself in gaining weight and getting stronger to withstand the physical play and grueling schedule. The other part of it is taking care of yourself during the season, eating properly, sleeping, taking care of your body and getting ready to play the game.”
The milestone may be just the first of several for Harper. The next one in his sights is Everett’s career record for goals, which is currently held by Zach Hamill. Harper, who is off to a scorching start with 19 goals in 25 games, has 77 career goals — a total that trails Hamill by just 10.
“That’s another one that would be pretty cool to break,” Harper said. “I know I’ve been here a year longer than Hamill, but he had a pretty awesome career here. To be able to be up there is pretty cool, having your name around the Hamills and (Peter) Muellers.”
Then again, his career games record isn’t completely secure. Tips captain Zack Dailey is right on his heels, having played just three games fewer. Should Harper miss any time, Dailey could snatch the record away.
“My best friend on the team is three games behind me,” Harper said with a laugh. “We’ve both been here for five years now and it’s definitely an honor to hold that record.”
Injury update
Tips left wing Dan Iwanski, who sat out Saturday’s game because of a leg injury, practiced Tuesday and should be available tonight against Kelowna. Iwanski sustained the injury blocking a shot during Friday’s 4-2 home loss to Regina. However, Iwanski isn’t certain to return tonight as Everett coach Craig Hartsburg hinted he may keep faith with the lineup that dominated Tri-City on Saturday.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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