| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2009 5:34 pm |
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| RECENT POSTS: | |
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• Reader poll: Best of June July 3 • Even more camp news July 2 • Prospect update July 2 • Tochkin accepts Canucks invite (updated with Maxwell info) July 1 • Import draft wrap (edited) June 30 |
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| Archives: | |
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| LINKS: | |
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• Alan Caldwell (The definitive WHL blog) • Andy Kemper (Portland Winter Hawks) • Annie Fowler (Tri-City Herald) • Gregg Drinnan (Kamloops Daily News) • Regan Bartel (Kelowna Rockets) • Spokane Spokesman-Review • Steve Ewen/Marc Weber (Vancouver Province - Vancouver/Chilliwack) |
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| RELATED ARTICLES: | |
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• Pikkarainen rejoins Devils July 2 • Recchi agrees to 1-year deal with Bruins July 2 • Leafs re-sign F Grabovski to three-year deal July 2 • Thrashers sign Antropov to 4-year deal July 2 • LaRose re-signs with Hurricanes July 2 • Panthers sign Leopold to 1-year deal July 2 • Canucks sign Sedin twins to 5-year deals July 1 • NHL NOTEBOOK July 1 • Silvertips focus on defense in import draft June 30 • Lincoln to leave Everett in 2013 June 30 |
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Reader poll: Best of June First, a disclaimer. I decided to post this poll in large part because I wanted to make sure I still knew how to do it. However, it also has been an unusually busy June for the Silvertips, with several events occurring that could and will shape Everett's future. Some affected individuals, others the team as a whole. But all of it kept the blog far more active than I could have possibly imagined over the past month. Isn't this supposed to be the offseason? Anyway, without further ado: ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Even more camp news And the summer camp news continues to roll in ... The latest word comes from the McCrea family, which passes along that Tips left wing Markus McCrea has accepted an at-large invitation to attend USA Hockey's U-17 Development Camp. The at-large part of it means he didn't have to try out, he was invited directly. The camp takes place July 7-13 in Rochester, N.Y. The U-15 camp is July 15-21, also in Rochester. There are no rosters up on USA Hockey's Web site for any of the camps that haven't begun yet, but I have to think Tips draft picks Seth Jones and Josh Racek are candidates for that one. So it seems much of Everett's roster/future is keeping busy this summer. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Prospect update With all this recent talk about NHL rookie camps, I figured I'd shed a little light on some other camps. Also taking place this month are the Provincial Development Camps which, if I understand correctly, are used by the Canadian provinces to identify potential participants in the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. Each summer each province holds U-17 and U-16 camps for its top players, which this year are those born in 1993 and 1994, and there are 13 Everett prospects who were invited. They are (along with position and draft round): BRITISH COLUMBIA U-17: C Manraj Hayer (listed) U-16: C Jari Erricson (second round), LW Rhys Gilbert (10th round) ALBERTA U-17: D Michael Berry (fourth round), LW Joshua Winquist (third round) U-16: D Nicholas Walters (first round), G Mark Valtr (11th round) SASKATCHEWAN U-17: D Ryan Murray (first round), C Tyler Giebel (second round) U-16: C Kohl Bauml (third round) MANITOBA U-17: RW Kole Harvey (sixth round), D Evan Morden (seventh round) U-16: LW Jordyn Boyd (sixth round) ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Tochkin accepts Canucks invite (updated with Maxwell info) Just passing along that Tips right wing Kellan Tochkin, who was passed over in last weekend's NHL draft, has accepted an invitation to attend rookie training camp with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. I believe that means there are currently five Everett players so far who will be attending NHL camps, since I don't know if left wing Tyler Maxwell's deal with the Los Angeles Kings is finalized yet. Anyway, the five are: RW Cameron Abney, Edmonton Oilers (drafted) C Byron Froese, Chicago Blackhawks (drafted) D Rasmus Rissanen, Carolina Hurricanes (drafted) D Radko Gudas, Los Angeles Kings (invited) RW Kellan Tochkin, Vancouver Canucks (invited) --- UPDATE, 4:50 p.m. I received an e-mail from the Maxwell family confirming that Maxwell has indeed accepted an invitation to attend the Kings' rookie camp. It's taking place at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, Calif., which happens to be where Maxwell played his youth hockey. It takes place July 7-12. So that brings the total to six Tips heading to NHL rookie camps. They are: RW Cameron Abney, Edmonton Oilers (drafted) C Byron Froese, Chicago Blackhawks (drafted) D Rasmus Rissanen, Carolina Hurricanes (drafted) D Radko Gudas, Los Angeles Kings (invited) RW Kellan Tochkin, Vancouver Canucks (invited) LW Tyler Maxwell, Los Angeles Kings (invited) ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Import draft wrap (edited) I just got of the phone with a very pleased Tips general manager Doug Soetaert. Defense was definitely the target for Everett and the Tips got their guys in the Finn Rasmus Rissanen and the Czech Radko Gudas. Soetaert was particularly pleased with getting Rissanen as he was the player the Tips had targeted from the start. Both Rissanen and Gudas are stay-at-home types who play a physical game. They're also both headed off to NHL camps in September as the soon-to-be 18-year-old Rissanen was taken in the sixth (edited) round of this year's NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, and the 19-year-old Gudas has been invited to attend training camp with the Los Angeles Kings. There's a reason why defense was the direction of choice for the Tips, particularly older d-men. Shayne Brown, who was questionable to return for his overage season because of chronic hip-flexor issues, will not be returning. Also 19-year-old Trevor Bauer may also not return, though the Tips have invited him back. Therefore, there's a definite need for defensemen with experience. With the import draft the Tips have filled that void. And they apparently have filled it without any lingering questions. Soetaert said both Rissanen and Gudas will be coming to Everett, and he said it with absolute conviction. So it sounds like the Tips don't even have to worry about whether their Europeans will report. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Import draft: Tips take defenseman Rasmus Rissanen, defenseman Radko Gudas ... With the 17th-overall pick in the CHL import draft Everett selected defenseman Rasmus Rissanen from Finland. He's listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, and was a sixth-round (edited) selection in this year's NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. This is the first European player the Tips have ever had from Scandinavia. Each of Everett's previous Euros came from the old Soviet block (Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia). --- UPDATE, 9:30 a.m. More on Rissanen. He's a 91, so he's entering his 18-year-old season. Playing for Kalpa in the Finnish junior league he had one goal, eight assists and 56 penalty minutes in 29 games. He also played in all six of Finland's games at the U-18 World Championships without recording a point, racking up 10 penalty minutes. He as ranked 37th among European skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's final rankings for this year's draft. Here's Hockey's Future's take on Rissanen. --- UPDATE, 9:50 a.m. The Tips go defense again with the 20th-overall pick, taking Radko Gudas from the Czech Republic. A 1990-born player, making him a 19-year-old in the upcoming season, Gudas is listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. He was not selected in either of the past two NHL drafts. --- UPDATE, 10 a.m. Here's more on Gudas. He split time between two teams in the Czech Republic last season. With Kladno of the Extraliga he played in seven games with one assist and eight penalty minutes. With Berounsti Medvedi of the 1.liga (which I'm guessing is one level lower) he played 21 games with three assists and 74 penalty minutes. He also played for the Czech Republic at World Juniors, tallying two goals, an assist and eight penalty minutes in six games. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Up next: CHL import draft (plus Tyler Maxwell invite info) Greetings from the press box at Qwest Field, where I'm awaiting the beginning of Seattle Sounders FC's game against the Colorado Rapids. With a moment to spare, I figured it was a good time to mention the next important moment in Everett's offseason, the CHL import draft. The import draft, in which the teams from the WHL, OHL and QMJHL find players to fill their two European roster slots, takes place Tuesday. The Tips, thanks to their trade with Regina at last year's import draft, have two fairly high picks in the first round. Everett selects 17th overall with the pick acquired from Regina, then 20th overall with its own pick. Both of those are in the top third of the first round. Everett has both of its European roster slots vacant, so the Tips will be using both picks. The import draft is a notorious crapshoot, with the picks often made not based on ability, but based on which player agents a team can come to an agreement with. Even then, with options available in Europe, there's no guarantee that the player will report. Even when a player reports there's no telling how successfully they'll settle into the North American setting. So trying to predict who Everett might pick and what they may contribute is futile. However, Everett has a pretty good history in the import draft. Every pick the Tips have made has played for the team the following season, and those players include standouts like Ivan Baranka and Ondrej Fiala. If Everett gets this right, the Tips will land two players who can be major contributors immediately. For those who want to follow the draft's progress, the CHL Web site will have real-time updates of the selections Tuesday. --- UPDATE, halftime Forgot to add something else I heard last night. It sounds like Tips left wing Tyler Maxwell may also have scored an NHL camp invitation. It's possible both he and right wing Kellan Tochkin will be trying out with their hometown teams, as Maxwell's invite is reportedly from the Los Angeles Kings, and Tochkin is reportedly leaning toward the Vancouver Canucks. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
NHL draft wrapup: Two Tips selected And that's that. Abney to Edmonton in the third round, Froese to Chicago in the fourth. No joy for Kellan Tochkin, Tyler Maxwell, Shane Harper and Thomas Heemskerk, but they still have a chance at NHL camp invitations. It's pretty amazing thinking about who got drafted from Everett this year. Neither Abney nor Froese was taken in the bantam draft. I doubt most scouts had any clue who either was at the beginning of last season. But in less than a year they went from being nobodies to being NHL properties. I guess that just shows how quickly things can change at this level. It was a bit light for the WHL this year as only 30 WHLers were selected. That's not dramatically down, but it is fewer than usual. Also, it was interesting to see that many of the seventh-round selections were re-entries. I guess NHL teams used the final round this year to rectify past oversights. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! NHL draft update No. 2: Byron Froese Byron Froese became the second Tip drafted today when the center was taken in the fourth round, 119th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks. That means Froese gets to reunite with former Everett teammate Kyle Beach when training camp arrives. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! NHL draft update No.1: Cameron Abney Surprise, surprise. Cameron Abney, not Byron Froese, was Everett's first player drafted today. The right wing was taken in the third round, 82nd overall, by the Edmonton Oilers. Also going in the third round was Everett list player Josh Birkholz. The right winger who's headed to the NCAAs was selected 67th overall by the Florida Panthers. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
A Jordan Schroeder sighting (updated) The Silvertips are keeping a close eye on their own players at this year's NHL draft, which takes place tonight and tomorrow in Montreal. However, there's one other player worth keeping an eye on: Jordan Schroeder. Schroeder, a late birthdate 1990, is a high-scoring center from the University of Minnesota who is expected to be a lottery pick tonight. He also happens to be on Everett's protected list. And I was told today by Everett general manager Doug Soetaert, who is in Montreal for the draft, that he just had his first face-to-face meeting with Schroeder. It was nothing formal, more a greeting than anything else, so Everett fans shouldn't get their hopes up. However, both parties have now put faces to voices heard over the phone. It's still a longshot for the Tips to end up with Schroeder. Even if Schroeder decides to sign immediately with the team that drafts him, there's a chance he'll be able to jump straight to the NHL as a 19-year-old. But if he's picked by the right team (from an Everett standpoint), signs and is deemed not quite ready for the NHL, Everett will be the destination. Having Craig Hartsburg in place as coach certainly doesn't hurt Everett's attractiveness to potential recruits, either. So who knows, maybe there's glimmer of hope for the Tips. But there was a glimmer of hope with Kyle Okposo, too, and that never panned out. Nevertheless, it's still fun to speculate. --- UPDATE, 7:15 p.m. Schroeder just went 22nd overall to the Vancouver Canucks. I have no idea whether the Canucks are an organization that favors major junior or not. But I do know they'd have a heck of a shorter trip to see him playing in Everett than in Minnesota. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Everett and the NHL draft The NHL draft takes place this weekend in Montreal, with the first round held Friday night and the remaining six rounds taking place Saturday. Players who just completed their 17-year-old seasons who were born before Sept. 16 are eligible to be drafted. Previously undrafted 18- and 19-year-olds can also be selected. Everett has one player who's a lock to be drafted, center Byron Froese. Froese's impressive rookie season, combined with his strong showing playing for Canada at the U-18 World Championships, has elevated his draft position to somewhere within the second-through-fourth rounds. He's headed out from his home in Winkler, Manitoba, to Montreal tomorrow morning to attend the draft. The Tips have several other players who might be drafted. Forwards Kellan Tochkin, Cameron Abney, Tyler Maxwell and Shane Harper and goaltender Thomas Heemskerk have all gotten a look. However, none of them are a sure bet to hear their name called. Abney and Tochkin are probably the best bets. For those who are looking for more NHL draft resources, Red Line Report western scout Mike Remmerde shares his views of WHL draft prospects on his blog, and there's also the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's rankings to peruse. Versus is televising the first round of the draft from 4-7 p.m. Friday. Those in Canada can catch it on TSN. TSN.ca is also a good place to follow the draft online. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
More schedule details The Tips have posted more detailed information about their first games and preseason schedule. There's only two weekends worth of preseason games this season, but plenty of games are jammed into those two weeks. It also turns out the Tips do have Seattle and Vancouver as their opening weekend. Both games just happen to be on the road. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! News and notes from the press conference (corrected) Here's a few quick tidbits from today's press conference. - The first thing that stood out to me was when owner Bill Yuill stepped to the podium and spent a considerable amount of time talking about the fans. He described Everett's fans as the best in the WHL, but also described them as demanding, then said that the best fans deserve the best product. It sounded to me like those who expressed dissatisfaction with last season had been heard. - Craig Hartsburg is a tall and trim man. He looks like he can still play a little. He came across are a normal, down-to-earth guy, but I'm told he's a very intense coach. - The Tips were seeking a coach who demands maximum effort from his players, and Hartsburg is described as that kind of coach. He said his teams in Sault Ste. Marie weren't necessarily the most talented, but that they were never outworked. - General manager Doug Soetaert was particularly pleased that a former NHL all-star defenseman would be coaching a team with a lot of talented young d-men (Alex Theriau, Ryan Murray, Nicholas Walters, and hopefully Seth Jones). He expects Hartsburg to be very helpful in their development. - Jay Varady and Mark LeRose will stay on as Hartsburg's assistants. Varady retained his title as associate head coach. - There were three players in attendance: center Zack Dailey, right wing Kellan Tochkin and goaltender Thomas Heemskerk. They all seemed excited about the hire. - Both organization and coach need to do their homework when going through the hiring process. But it sounds like no one did more homework than Hartsburg's wife, Peggy, who apparently had the entire regional geography down prior to the Hartsburgs' visit two weeks ago. - The Tips also announced their first games of the upcoming season. Everett opens on the road against Seattle on Friday, Sept. 25, then holds its home opener against Vancouver the following evening. Now that's the way to start the season with a bang. The Tips will also be hosting their annual preseason tournament on Labor Day weekend (Sept. 4-6) again. --- Corrected, 4:15 p.m. Oops, I got the date wrong for Everett's season opener. They actually open the previous week on Fri. Sept. 18 in Seattle. But the Tips home opener is still Saturday, Sept. 26 against Vancouver. Sorry about that. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Watch the press conference on your computer (updated) For those of you who would like to watch Craig Hartsburg introduced as Everett's new coach from the comfort of their work cubicles, the Tips are broadcasting it live on the internet. It is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m., so feel free to bring your lunch. --- Update, 11 a.m. Better yet, watch it here: Free video streaming by Ustream ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Hartsburg confirmed A source in the Silvertips organization has confirmed that Craig Hartsburg will indeed be Everett's next coach. He will be introduced at tomorrow's press conference. This is a big name. Hartsburg has seven seasons of experience as an NHL head coach, including 48 games last season with the Ottawa Senators. I believe that's the most NHL head coaching tenure of any coach in the WHL, though I can't say with certainty. It's more NHL coaching time than Vancovuer Giants coach Don Hay, who's a WHL coaching legend. He has more NHL games coached than former Everett coach Kevin Constantine. Hartsburg also has plenty of experience at the major-junior level, with six season as a head coach in the OHL, including three division titles. He's also not far removed from juniors as he coached the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 2004-08. He also has hardware from coaching Canada to gold at the 2007 and 2008 World Juniors. The prevailing opinion when Everett's coaching search began was that the Tips were looking for a big name with strong track record. I'd have to say they accomplished that, and more, with the hiring of Hartsburg. I look forward to learning more about him at tomorrow's press conference. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Is it Hartsburg? We'll know soon The Silvertips are holding a press conference at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow to announce their new head coach. The Sault Star has reported it will be former NHL bench boss Craig Hartsburg. Stay tuned. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Report: Hartsburg to be next Everett coach The Sault Star is reporting that Craig Hartsburg will be Everett's next head coach. The Star had earlier reported the former NHL coach was scheduled to visit Everett two weeks ago. Hartsburg coached the NHL's Ottawa Senators last season before being fired 48 games in. He has a total of seven seasons experience as an NHL bench boss, as well as six seasons as a major-junior coach in the OHL. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Tips ink first rounder Nicholas Walters The Tips locked up an integral part of their future plans this morning, signing defenseman Nicholas Walters to a WHL education contract. Walters was the first of Everett's two first-round picks in this year's bantam draft, taken eighth overall. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound native of St. Albert, Alberta, had four goals, 24 assists and 68 penalty minutes in 32 games for the St. Albert Raiders last season. He had indicated following the draft that he intended to commit to the Tips. Walters and his family are in town for the weekend, and it was good meeting Walters in person. He seemed comfortable interacting with me, which was nice. It's always good when the higher-profile players are easy to work with from a media standpoint. So the easier part of Everett's recruiting of this year's first rounders is complete. Now comes the hard part, convincing defenseman Seth Jones, taken 11th overall, to sign up, too. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Overager intrigue This is interesting. Today I received word that Everett claimed a pair of overagers off waivers, picking up the rights to former Prince George Cougars Alex Poulter and Colin Scherger. Poulter, a center, and Scherger, a defenseman, will attend training camp in August and compete for roster slots. This certainly shakes things up a bit. When the season ended, Tips general manager Doug Soetaert anointed winger Shane Harper, center Zack Dailey and defenseman Shayne Brown as Everett's prospective overagers for next season. Defenseman Mike Alexander was invited to camp, but with the understanding it was for the purpose of showcasing himself for other teams. Center Jesse Burt was released. Everything seemed cut and dried. But this changes things completely. I understand Scherger was brought in as insurance against Brown being unable to recover from the hip-flexor issues that plagued his 2008-09 season. Scherger, who had one goal and nine assists in 65 games for Prince George last season, was sort of the league's plus/minus freak. It evened out toward the end of the season, but for a while he was a double-digit plus on a team where everyone else who played regularly was a double-digit minus. I'm not sure what this means for Alexander, but it may indicate he's decided to move on from his WHL career. Meanwhile, Poulter is coming off a somewhat disappointing season. As an 18-year-old the Colorado native had a promising 16 goals and 21 assists in 72 games. However, he slipped to eight goals and 15 assists in 65 games last season, when he apparently was playing through injury. The Tips believe that a healthy Poulter may be able to get back onto the track he was on two years ago. This does a lot of things. First off it creates competition, meaning no one can take it easy this offseason believing his roster spot is secure. Secondly, it opens up the possibility of a trade. And thirdly, it gives the Tips options on how to distribute their 20-year-olds. Instead of being locked into two forwards and a defenseman, the Tips could conceivably decide to go with three forwards or one forward and two defenseman. So given this information, how do you see Everett's overage situation shaking out next season? ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! News from the league meetings. The WHL concluded its annual general managers meeting Tuesday, announcing a handful of minor changes in how the league operates. Nothing earth-shattering here. The most significant news is that video instant replay, which was used league-wide during the playoffs, will now be used in the regular season. Given the technology was already installed at all the arenas, this was inevitable. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
The Tips and Team USA Two members of the Silvertips organization were summoned by Team USA today. Associate head coach Jay Varady has been named to the coaching staff for the U.S. at the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatoon and Regina. Varady will handle the video duties. It will be his first time coaching at World Juniors. Varady will also one of the evaluators at the team's evaluation camp in August, a duty he also performed last year. Speaking of evaluation camp, Everett left wing Tyler Maxwell was one of 43 players invited to the camp. The 18-year-old Maxwell, who had 22 goals and 24 assists in 57 games last season as a rookie, was one of 24 forwards who will compete for approximately 13 roster slots. Maxwell is one of three WHL players on the invitation list, joining Spokane forwards Tyler Johnson and Mitch Wahl. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Observations on the protected lists Alan Caldwell (link on left) has now completed his rundown of the prospects for each WHL team. I thought it would be interesting to see how many names I recognized on other teams' lists who have either been on Everett's list or attended training camp with the Tips. Here's what I came up with: Former Everett listed players on other lists (with team, position and birth year): Steven Seigo, Chilliwack, D, 90 Ryan Doner, Chilliwack, C, 92 Ryan McDonagh, Seattle, D, 89 Zach Budish, Tri-City, C, 91 Former Everett camp invitees now on other lists: Sam Fioretti, Moose Jaw, RW, 93 This was all I could find, but it isn't necessarily a complete list. If you happen to peruse Alan's lists and come up with someone else, let me know. So what do I read from this? First off, three of the four players who have changed hands are NCAA guys who aren't expected to play in the WHL (Seigo, McDonagh, Budish), and I think shuffling of that type of player is fairly common. Otherwise, I find it an incredible testament to the depth of Canadian youth hockey. Alan's prospect lists are made up primarily of 91s, 92s and 93s, essentially players who participated in the past three rookie camps around the league. I saw several players among Everett's rookie invitees the past three years who caught my eye, but didn't make Everett's list (or were subsequently dropped). That there's only two players who I can identify who were passed over by Everett and later picked up by other teams, I find it an indication of just how difficult it is for Canadian kids to make the WHL grade, even as prospects. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Quick notes on Jones, Hartsburg First off I want to correct my previous post. I said the story about Seth Jones would run Friday, but apparently my mind wasn't working quite right that day. The story is actually running on Saturday (meaning it has to be written by Friday, which is what I was thinking). Second, according to the Sault Star today was the day rumored Silvertips coaching candidate Craig Hartsburg was to visit Everett. Well the organization, as expected, has no comment on whether Hartsburg is in town or not. I haven't seen Hartsburg. If you happen to spy him walking down the street let us know. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Chatting with Seth Jones I just got off the phone with Silvertips draft pick Seth Jones and his mother, Amy. Everett selected the Dallas resident and son of former NBA player Popeye Jones 11th overall in this year's bantam draft and, of course, drafting the slick defenseman was considered a gamble as Jones has not yet committed himself to the WHL. Well, there was no earth-shattering announcement today regarding Jones' future. He and his family are still weighing all the options. However, both Seth and Amy said they were happy it was Everett that drafted Jones. It sounds like the Tips spent the most time among WHL franchises courting Jones and his family prior to the draft. If nothing else it was enough to convince the Joneses to check it out as they're scheduled to visit Everett later this month. For anyone who's curious, Jones will be playing midget hockey in Denver next season, suiting up for the same Colorado Thunderbirds program that produced current Tip Ryan White and Everett draft pick Josh Racek. For the full story on Jones and his through process about his hockey future, check Friday's edition. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Silvertips looking at Craig Hartsburg? Thanks to Gregg Drinnan (link at left) for the heads up on this one. The Sault (Ontario) Star is reporting that Everett has contacted former NHL coach Craig Hartsburg about its vacant head coaching position. Hartsburg began last season as the head coach of the NHL's Ottawa Senators before being fired 48 games into the season. He has seven seasons worth of NHL coaching experience with Chicago, Anaheim and Ottawa, compiling a 201-208-69-13 record, though before this past season he hadn't coached in the NHL since 2001. He also has six seasons of coaching experience in the OHL, going 226-125-23-23. Most recently he coached the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 2004-08, twice leading the team to division titles. Hartsburg also played 10 seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars. This is the first name that's been linked with the Everett job. Hartsburg wouldn't confirm anything in the story, but he didn't deny anything, either. He also said he was looking at NHL options, too, so even if the Tips are after him they aren't a lock to land him. But this certainly would fit into the category of a name hiring, as many (including me) suspect the Tips to shoot for. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
A look at Everett's prospects, via Alan Caldwell Once again Alan Caldwell (link on left) is making lists of every team's prospects during the offseason, and Everett's are up first. Every Tips prospect on the 50-player protected list is listed along with his age, size and stats, so it's a wonderful reference tool. Alan has a way of getting a hold of updated protected lists, which I do not, so there's always a handful of changes that are news to me. Therefore, I like to do a quick once over of the players who were added and dropped. First off, here's the prospects who were apparently dropped since training camp last fall, along with their position and birth year: Brett Chartier, LW, 91 Paul Grenier, LW, 91 Brad Robbins, RW, 91 Kyle Janzen, D, 92 Devin Dambrauskas, D, 92 Matthew Lumsden, RW, 93 Keifer Johnston, D, 93 Austin Wuthrich, RW, 93 Janzen we already knew about, I figured Grenier and Dambrauskas had been dropped as they were well down the depth charts in their age groups, and Robbins was a no-show at training camp last fall. None of the 93s were surprising as they were all late-round draft picks who either didn't distinguish themselves at training camp or didn't show up at all. I guess the one that caught my eye was Chartier, as at one point he was considered the best all-around 1991-born forward in the system (ahead of Byron Froese, Kellan Tochkin and Cameron Abney, if you can believe that). But last summer Chartier informed the Tips he was headed the NCAA route, he had an up-and-down season as a rookie in the USHL, and I guess both sides have now cut ties. Now here's the names who have been added to the list since last training camp, minus the recently-drafted 15-year-olds: Joshua Birkholz, RW, 91 Dylan Smith, RW, 92 Nick Bjugstad, RW, 92 Derek Forbort, D, 92 Manraj Hayer, C, 93 Brett Mulcahy, C, 93 Mitchell Loose, LW, 93 Keenan Martens, D, 93 James Barr, G, 93 Smith, Hayer and Mulcahy were known to have been added to Everett's list and have already been tracked on the blog. Hayer in particular is considered a part of Everett's future after his strong showing as a training camp invitee and subsequent strong season at midget AAA. Martens attended training camp and played well enough to make me take notice, and it looks like it was well enough to grab the Tips' attention, too. He, Loose and Barr all played a step down from midget AAA -- Barr played midget AA, while Martens and Loose both played in a 15-year-old league -- so it's hard to say how legitimate they are as prospects. Loose at least fills the role of a good-sized 93-born forward that Everett has in short supply. Birkholz, Bjugstad and Forbort are Americans with good reputations -- Birkholz is ranked 43rd among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's final rankings for this year's draft (42 spots ahead of Froese), Forbort was selected for the U.S. NTDP U-18 team next season, and Bjugstad is considered one of the top high school sophomores in Minnesota. However, they've all already committed to NCAA universities, so in all likelihood they're just talented players the Tips are hoping to get lucky with. It's also interesting to see that both center Jordan Schroeder and defenseman Max Nicastro, who are elite 1990-born players, are still on Everett's list. I guess the Tips are still holding out hope of hitting a home run there. So all-in-all, while there's been some shuffling on Everett's list, I'm not sure it's the type that will impact Everett's future much. I don't anticipate a Paul Van de Velde or Drew McDermott: players who were listed during the season and made the roster the following season (Hayer has a shot, but he doesn't really count as it was obvious he'd end up on the list after one day of training camp, thus putting him essentially in the same boat as the draft picks). For the most part these players are either projects or flyers, so if one (besides Hayer) ends up playing for Everett at some point it will be a bonus. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! |
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