Silvertips notebook: Dawson Butt handed a 12-game suspension

The Western Hockey League announced Tuesday that Everett Silvertips winger Dawson Butt has been suspended 12 games for “actions in the last five minutes of the game against Regina” on Sunday.

The league also fined the Silvertips $500 for Butt’s actions.

Things got testy with 29.5 seconds remaining in the game and the Silvertips trailing 6-3. Butt got into an altercation with several Regina players. The Pats’ Makai Mitchell, one of the players Butt was throwing punches at, is out six to eight weeks with broken bones in his face, according to a release from Regina.

I would assume these are the aforementioned "actions."

Makai Mitchell, one of the players engaged with Dawson Butt, is going to miss 6-8 weeks with broken bones in his face, according to the Regina Pats. https://t.co/0Ot5UAdcot https://t.co/wgvtqcate8 pic.twitter.com/g98ACDZaE4

— Josh Horton (@JoshHortonEDH) January 14, 2020

In a statement sent out by the WHL, the league notes Butt’s status as a “repeat offender” and the fact Mitchell was severely injured as key factors into the decision.

This is Butt’s third suspension from the WHL. He received a three-game suspension last year for a check to the head and two games for a match penalty at Seattle earlier this season.

Butt’s suspension is longest the league has assessed since the 2013-2014 season when Victoria’s Brandon Magee was given 12 games for a match penalty in the playoffs against Portland.

Butt, a native of Buckley, has five goals and 12 points in 38 games this season. He isn’t eligible to return until Feb. 19, when the Silvertips play host to Moose Jaw at Angel of the Winds Arena.

Four Tips on draft radar

The National Hockey League Central Scouting Bureau on Monday announced its midterm rankings for the 2020 NHL draft and four Silvertips popped up on the list of North American skaters.

Seventeen-year-old defenseman Ronan Seeley is the highest-ranked of the quartet, coming in at No. 73. Newly acquired import defenseman Kasper Puutio was next at No. 84, followed by 18-year-old center Gage Goncalves at No. 92 and 17-year-old center Michal Gut at No. 157.

Josh Horton covers the Silvertips for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter, @JoshHortonEDH