EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips will likely face the eventual Memorial Cup host without two key pieces in the lineup.
According to Silvertips general manager Garry Davidson, 2000-born defenseman Gianni Fairbrother and 2002-born forward and import selection Michal Gut are doubtful for Everett’s road contest against the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday at Prospera Place.
Both players are recovering from upper-body ailments.
Fairbrother, a third-round pick by the Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Draft, was banged up in training camp with Montreal and is listed as week-to-week.
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Gut, who went out with an injury in the first period of Everett’s season-opening loss against Tri-City on Friday, is also week-to-week.
Lee close to returning
Brendan Lee (illness) is nearing a return to the ice after missing weeks. Since the 2002-born winger and Seattle native missed Everett’s final three preseason games and the first two games of the regular season, whether he’ll be in the lineup may come down to his conditioning.
If Lee plays Saturday, it will be his Western Hockey League debut.
Fasko-Rudas planning return to United States
Barring any setbacks, import forward Martin Fasko-Rudas will return to Everett on Sept. 29 after recovering in his home country, Slovakia, after undergoing an offseason surgery. Once he returns, he’ll be reevaluated.
The 2000-born forward posted 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) for the Silvertips last season.
Mitchell on injury report
Eighteen-year-old winger Conrad Mitchell is listed on Everett’s injury report with a day-to-day upper-body injury. The 2001-born forward left Everett’s 6-0 rout over Victoria on Saturday with an apparent injury.
No word on Christiansen
Jake Christiansen, the overage defenseman, is still at training camp with the San Antonio Rampage on an American Hockey League amateur tryout. If he signs an AHL deal, he might not return to the Silvertips in 2019-2020, but Everett is still waiting to hear his future plans.
If he’s sent back, he would be Everett’s fourth overager with Wyatte Wylie, Bryce Kindopp and Max Patterson. WHL league rules allows teams a maximum of three overagers, players 20 years and older by Dec. 31, on their roster, and teams have until Oct. 10 to whittle down their rosters to that number.
Josh Horton covers the Silvertips for the Herald. Follow him on Twitter, @joshhortonEDH