(Photo from Doug Love/Tri-City Americans)
Training camp opened this week in Kennewick which means hockey season is officially starting here in the desert of Washington State. It’s a great time to look at a possible depth chart for the Tri-City Americans heading into the 2017-18 season.
The 
Americans bounced back in 2016-17 after missing the playoffs the previous season for the first time in 12 years. They finished 3rd in the U.S. Division with 41 wins and 85 pts. in their return to the WHL postseason. They were streaky at times, but showed some real flashes of being a dangerous team in the Western Conference.
Forwards (16)
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| Jordan Topping (97)* | Michael Rasmussen (99) | Isaac Johnson (99) |
| Nolan Yaremko (98) | Morgan Geekie (98) | Sasha Mutala (01) |
| Maxwell James (97)* | Kyle Olson (99) | Connor Bouchard (01) |
| Parker Aucoin (98) | Brett Leason (99) | Kash Rasmussen (01) |
| Riley Sawchuck (99) | Paycen Bjorkland (00) | |
| Carson Focht (00) | ||
| Kelti Jeri-Leon (00) |
The forward group is going to see very little change with 11 returning players from last season. Three of those returning players were taken in the 2017 NHL draft. Michael Rasmussen was taken 9th overall by Detroit and was named the American’s captain earlier this summer. The addition of Isaac Johnson, who played last season in the USHL, adds depth to the forward line. Rookie Sasha Mutala could possibly crack the lineup on a consistent basis. He has been highly praised since being drafted in the 1st round of the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft by the Americans. The rest of the rookie class will be fighting hard to crack the roster that is now more stacked with veterans.
Defense (11)
| Left Defense | Right Defense |
| Juuso Välimäki (98)^ | Dylan Coghlan (98) |
| Ethan King (99) | Dakota Krebs (99) |
| Daniel Gatenby (98) | Colten Gerlib (99) |
| Landon Fuller (99) | Roman Kalinichenko (00)^ |
| Liam Belcourt (00) | Samuel Stewart (00) |
| Mitchell Brown (01) |
The Americans’ defense will look a bit different this year after the departure of overage player Dalton Yorke and New York Islanders prospect Parker Wotherspoon during the offseason. The Americans have just three returning starters on defense this year. Landon Fuller was with the team last year, but played as a forward in limited action. He has been moved to defense for training camp. The Americans did trade for former Kamloops Blazer Daniel Gatenby who likely fill the hole left by the Wotherspoon departure. Former Lethbridge Hurricane Ethan King is in camp, and will most likely make the roster with his veteran presence on the blue line. Roman Kalinichenko was added via import draft and will likely have a spot available with the probable departure of overage/import player Vladislav Lukin.
Goalies (3)
| Goalies |
| Patrick Deaa (97)* |
| Beck Warm(99) |
| Xavier Cannon (01) |
The goalie tandem for the Americans this year will look a bit different. Rylan Parenteau and Evan Sarthou shouldered most of the load last season. Both have departed. Parenteau was an overage player last year and Sarthou decided to retire recently. Former Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Patrick Dea is in camp for the Americans and will likely earn the starting spot. Beck Warm has seen limited action the last couple of seasons and will likely be the favorite going into camp to earn the backup role. However, don’t count out Xavier Cannon pushing for that spot on a nightly basis. He has a big frame and was solid in net last year for the West Vancouver Academy 15’s. 6’5” Talyn Boyko will likely see some action this season as well although it will be limited to 5 games or less as he is still 15 years old. Cannon and Boyko are likely who the Americans are looking at as the future of goaltending in Tri-City.
^=import player
*=overage player
