The Spokane Chiefs had a week to puff out their chests.
Spokane was honored when the Chiefs had six players selected to potentially represent their countries at the World Junior Hockey Championships, held Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Ottawa.
Spokane had three players — forwards Drayson Bowman, Mitch Wahl and Tyler Johnson — selected to play for Team USA. The Chiefs had two players — defenseman Jared Spurgeon and goaltender Dustin Tokarski — picked to attend Team Canada’s evaluation camp, which will be held Dec. 11-15 in Ottawa to determine Canada’s team. Then Spokane had a sixth player — defenseman Stefan Ulmer — selected to represent Austria at the Group B tournament, held Dec. 15-21 in Aalborg, Denmark.
But while it was a great honor for the Chiefs to have so many players held in such high esteem, it does put Spokane in a bit of a bind. These players could end up missing as much as a month while preparing for, playing at and recovering from World Juniors. In the meantime Spokane will have to find a way to get by without six key players.
“We’re going to take a big hit (for December). So we’ve talked to the (WHL) and they’re going to reschedule our games when it works better for our team,” Spokane general manager Tim Speltz joked in an interview with the Kelowna Daily Courier.
Most teams lose players during the holiday season because of international tournaments. In addition to World Juniors (under-20), teams also lose players to the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, which is Dec. 29-Jan. 4 on Vancouver Island. But rarely do teams get dinged the way Spokane, which also loses forward Blake Gal to the U-17 tournament, is getting hit this year.
“It’s a double-edged sword, and a lot of teams have been through it,” Speltz said. “It’s fantastic for the players, but it’s not perfect in the short term for the team. But long term, those guys are going to be better for the experience.
“(The selections) are a reflection of the success we had last season (as Memorial Cup champions), no question about that,” Speltz added. “It’s one of the things that come with winning. For us, we have to look at it positively: It’s going to be a great opportunity for our young guys to get more action than they normally would. At the end of the day, that’s going to make them better players, too.”
Around the WHL: Former Everett Silvertip goaltender Michael Wall has been spotted playing senior hockey in northern B.C., but not in the capacity one might expect. Wall, who spent the previous three seasons tending goal professionally in the American Hockey League, is suiting up on defense for the Smithers Steelheads of the Central Interior Hockey League. … Kootenay suffered a serious blow when 18-year-old goaltender Thomas Heemskerk left the team. That leaves the Ice with just 17-year-old Nathan Lieuwen in goal, and Kootenay is scrambling to find a backup as the Ice don’t have another WHL-ready netminder on their protected list. … Prince Albert learned it will be without alternate captain Jordan Trach for the remainder of the season. The 18-year-old forward is still feeling the effects from an early-season concussion. … Kootenay forward Dustin Sylvester was named the WHL Player of the Month for November. The 19-year-old had nine goals and 11 assists in 10 games. … Calgary forward Brett Sonne was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 19-year-old had five goals and three assists in four games.
League leaders: Points — Brett Sonne (Calgary) 51; goals — Jamie Benn (Kelowna) 24; assists — Casey Pierro-Zabotel (Vancouver) 35; penalty minutes — Matt McCue (Medicine Hat) 90; wins — Braden Holtby (Saskatoon), Chet Pickard (Tri-City) 18; goals against average — Dustin Tokarski (Spokane) 2.05; save percentage — Tokarski .936.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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