The Tips added another goaltender today when they acquired the rights to Luke Siemens from the Chilliwack Bruins in exchange for a conditional bantam draft pick.
Siemens, a 17-year-old from Delta, B.C., played for the Summerland Sting of the junior B KIJHL last season, where in 24 games he went 10-13-0-0 with a 3.47 goals against average and .892 save percentage. He was a seventh-round pick by Chilliwack in the 2007 bantam draft.
OK, here’s the deal behind this deal, as explained by Tips general manager Doug Soetaert. Siemens, who is expected to join the Tips this week, will not supplant either Thomas Heemskerk or Kent Simpson on Everett’s roster this season. However, Heemskerk and Simpson are the only two goaltenders in Everett’s system who have signed WHL education contracts. That means that if either Heemskerk or Simpson were unavailable for some reason, the Tips would have to scramble to find a backup. Siemens signed a contract during his time with Chilliwack, so now the Tips have a ready-made insurance policy.
Siemens’ first duty will be backing up Simpson while Heemskerk is attending rookie camp with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. Siemens will then compete for a full-time roster spot next season.
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