The Kamloops Blazers coaching staff and GM Matt Bardsley wrapped up training camp Monday by trimming the roster down to 38. Kamloops will bring four goaltenders, 11 defensemen, and 23 forwards into their five game pre-season which finds the team at home for the first three and on the road to Kelowna and then Prince George for the last two.
Blazer roster sits at 38 following training camp.
4 – goaltenders
11 – defensemen
23 – forwards https://t.co/yPXDkiJrnv— Jon Keen (@JonKeenNLSports) August 28, 2018
Of the 38 players who remain, 20 of them are considered WHL rookies. WHL teams are allowed to keep 23 players on their active roster, with 18 dressing on any given night. Assuming all the incumbents come back and don’t lose their spot, this means there are five spots up for grabs (this could obviously change due to injury). Two of those sports should go to the team’s two new imports, Martin Lang (RW) and Jonas Sillanpää (D), leaving three open spots to battle for. Listed below are the rookies looking to crack the roster and the positional outlook for the season.
Centres
- Caedan Bankier (2003 Born, cannot play full-time this year)
- Reese Belton
- Jerzy Orchard
- Josh Pillar
- Logan Stankoven (2003 Born, cannot play full-time this year)
Centre is widely believed to be the most important forward position, and possibly only behind goaltender for the most important position on the team. The Blazers have three returnees, leaving one starting position open for one of the rookies to jump into. 2017 first round pick Josh Pillar should take up that spot, but don’t sleep on Saskatchewan born Jerzy Orchard. The unsigned forward really impressed at training camp and if he can continue that play, he could certainly warrant a spot on the 23-man roster over signed players Riley Appelt and Reese Belton.
Left Wingers
- Colby Feist
- Riley Ginnell
- Daylan Kuefler
- Kyrell Sopotyk
- Caige Sterzer
While Kamloops is packed with left wingers having seven players signed including 227lb 20-year-old Jermaine Loewen, that doesn’t mean everything is set in stone. The Blazers have two incumbents on the left side and one off-season acquisition in 19 year old Kobe Mohr, leaving one spot open for competition. 2001 born Kyrell Sopotyk would be the betting favorite to take that spot, but as always, we will see what the pre-season brings.
Right Wingers
- Nate Hinds
- Martin Lang
- Matthew Seminoff (2003 Born, cannot play full-time this year)
The right side consists of two returnees, one import, and one off season acquisition. On the surface there doesn’t seem to be much room here but with Carson Denomie nursing a bit of an injury this pre-season, there could be an opportunity for Hinds or one of the right wingers to jump in and grab some playing time.
Defenceman
- Logan Bairos (2003 Born, cannot play full-time this year)
- Ethan Brandwood
- Quinn Schmiemann
- Jonas Sillanpää
- Trevor Thurston
The defence on this Kamloops Blazers team should be hitting their stride with seven players returning who played games in the WHL last year. In addition to those players, Finnish import Jonas Sillanpää will also look to patrol the Blueline with regularity. Needless to say, there isn’t a lot of room for rookies on the backend this year. With that said, injuries always occur and the younger players will need to be at the top of their game to take advantage of that opportunity should it arise.
Goaltenders
- Dylan Garand
- Rayce Ramsay
The goalie situation is an interesting one. The easy solution would be to send Garand to a Junior A or B team to hone his game and be ready to get called up in case of an injury to either Ferguson or Palaga. The interesting part when looking beyond this year, Ferguson will age out and the reigns will be passed to Palaga, with Garand backing up full-time (Which is how they are likely to start this season while Ferguson is at Vegas Golden Knights camp.) Of course, if the decision to host the Memorial Cup falls the Blazers way this October, the planning will need to start to decide on the starting goalie for May 2020.
Something that should be noted is that players, especially on the offense, tend to play all over the place. The 5th best right winger might slot in as the 4th line left winger, it really is all up to the coaching staff to find the right places for each player to succeed.
Notes
- Watch for a new game presentation, not just including the new white LED lights, but some new coloured LED lights up near the larger white LED lights.
- The new Loge Seating in the Sandman Centre is set to be completed for the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
