Last year, Bryce Kindopp watched his billet brother Connor Dewar serve as Everett’s captain and take on the responsibilities that came with wearing the ‘C’ on his sweater.
Now, it’s his turn.
Kindopp, an overage forward, was named a captain by Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams on Thursday. It’s the third captain Williams has chosen since he arrived in Everett in 2017.
“Anybody can be a leader on this team, but it’s such a great honor to be recognized as the captain,” Kindopp said. “I’d do anything to lead this team to another great year and I’m thankful for the coaching staff for recognizing that and giving me this opportunity. I’m excited and honored, for sure.”
Kindopp was not a member of Everett’s leadership group at the beginning of the 2018-2019 season, but he earned a letter after Sean Richards was traded to Seattle in Everett’s deal for Zack Andrusiak.
The 1999-born forward, who was returned to Everett after spending rookie camp with the Colorado Avalanche, led the Silvertips with 39 goals and added 34 assists in a breakout season.
Everett’s alternate captains will be determined at a later date, according to Williams.
Air diesel
Conrad Mitchell’s nickname in the Silvertips’ dressing room is “Diesel.”
It’s because of his bruising 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame, but Mitchell demonstrated that it may carry a different meaning on Wednesday.
Mitchell participated with fellow teammate Justyn Gurney in a trampoline dunk contest during halftime of the Seattle Storm playoff game on Wednesday at Angel of the Winds Arena. A healthy group of Silvertips players were perched in section 107 to witness the action, many documenting the action with their phones.
“(It was) nerve-wracking,” Mitchell said. “I’ve never dunked like that before, so I couldn’t imagine what it’s like in an NBA game. That’s what it felt like, actually. … It was pretty cool.”
Mitchell threw down his first dunk on the trampoline with aplomb. Gurney didn’t make it too close to the rim before losing the ball and falling to the protected mat.
“It was hard,” Mitchell emphasized. “I thought I was going to launch way above the rim and when I got to the rim, I was like, ‘Geez I actually need to put something extra on it.’”
Mitchell was in a dunk-off with another fan participant, but didn’t garner the crowd support and lost, as the winner was determined by the volume of applause.
Mitchell played a little bit of basketball in high school, but nothing super competitively, he said. He wasn’t as much of a power forward as he is on the ice, proclaiming he was more of a shooter.
Jerseys
Something rather funky happened last Saturday in Everett’s preseson game with Kelowna at the Langely Events Center in Langely, British Columbia, as the Rockets were wearing the Vancouver Giants’ red jerseys because both Everett and Kelowna only brought white sweaters.
Update: both teams wore white jerseys and now the Rockets are wearing Giants jersey pic.twitter.com/i0pQdNqzLs
— Wendy Fang (@Ice_calibr29) September 7, 2019
Roster down to 26 players
Sixteen-year-old forwards Carter Halamandaris and Nate Goodbrandson were each reassigned to their teams in the Manitoba Midget Hockey League, leaving Everett with 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies. Teams can carry a maximum of 23 players, not counting injuries or professional assignments, so more moves could be coming.
“I think the bottom line is that we think they need another year of development,” Silvertips general manager Garry Davidson said of the two forwards. “They both need to play lots and need to play in all situations, and that will certainly happen with their midget teams. But I think they’ll still be apart of this program as we move forward.”
Davidson added that both Halamandaris and Goodbrandson will be added as affiliate players, meaning Everett can call both up if they’re hampered by injuries or suspensions.
Injury report
— Forwards Reece Vitelli, Jackson Berezowski and Michal Gut all skated at Silvertips practice on Thursday at the Xfinity Community Ice Rink with red non-contact jerseys as they all recover from upper-body injuries. Vitelli left the second period of the Silvertips’ 5-4 loss to Seattle with the apparent injury, Gut left last Saturday’s contest with Kelowna and Berezowski was injured during the Silvertips’ second preseason game on Aug. 31.
— Forward Brendan Lee didn’t skate, but isn’t expected to miss the home opener on Sept. 20 against Tri-City, according to Davidson. He’s missed the last three preseason games with an illness.
Camp report
— Wyatte Wylie is moving to main camp with the Flyers after playing in Philadelphia’s prospect game against the New York Islanders’ prospects on Wednesday. Wylie, a fifth-round pick by the Flyers in 2018, will be given every opportunity to make the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate in Lehigh Valley, so don’t expect him to retun to Everett anytime soon.
— Defenseman Gianni Fairbrother is working through an upper-body injury suffered at Montreal Canadiens rookie camp and is being treated there, although Davidson said he expects him to return to Everett before the season opener.
— Goaltender Dustin Wolf saved 18-of-19 shots for the Flames prospects in a 3-1 win over the Oilers prospects on Wednesday. The Flames’ seventh-round pick in 2019 is moving on to the Flames’ camp, so he won’t return to Everett until next week at the earliest.
— Jake Christiansen played three games for the Blues’ team at the annual prospect tournament in Traverse City, Michigan, and is moving on to main camp with St. Louis as an amateur tryout.
— Connor Dewar skated with Minnesota Wild prospects at Traverse City as well, going pointless in three games. Minnesota’s third-round pick in 2018 will move on to the Wild’s main camp.
— Kindopp played in two games with Colorado in the Anaheim rookie faceoff tournament over the weekend, recording a -1 rating.
— Former Silvertips forward Riley Sutter sustained a lower-body injury during the Capitals’ first game of the prospect showcase and is expected to miss the start of Washington’s training camp.
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