Daily Dose of the Dub: Balcers gets first NHL goal; Trades slow down with deadline looming; former Bronco gets first pro goal; Ross gets first WHL win

Balcers gets first in NHL

After appearing in his first NHL game the previous night, former Kamloops Blazer Rudolfs Balcers scored his first NHL goal in a 5-4 loss to Carolina. Here’s the clip:

Trades slowing down 

After 13 trades in four days to start the new year, the last couple of days have seen a bit of a standstill. Last year between January 1-10 we saw 40 trades made, and 31 the year before that. Things are expected to heat up in the coming days leading up to January 10 trade deadline. To stay up to date with all the transactions, follow along with our WHL Trade Tracker that is updated as the trades happen:

Sissons finds the back of the net

Former Swift Current Bronco (‘14-‘18) Colby Sissons scored his first professional goal for the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. The 20-year-old is in his first season as a pro after spending parts of four seasons with Swift Current despite going undrafted in the WHL Bantam Draft. In 208 career WHL games he collected 121 points and played a major role in the Broncos’ run to the WHL championship where he had 23 points in 26 playoff games as well as an appearance in the Memorial Cup where in three games he had four points. Sissons was signed to an entry level contract by the New Jersey Devils as an undrafted free agent and has played in 24 games in Binghamton this season, recording one goal and seven assists.

Elder hits a milestone

Ross earns first WHL win

Newly signed Seattle Thunderbirds goalie Roddy Ross stopped 19 of 22 shots and earned his first WHL win in a 6-3 win over Regina. He was signed by Seattle on January 1st.

Three Stars of the Night

1st Star: Vancouver’s Trent Miner stopped all 24 shots in a 6-0 win over Kootenay for his second career WHL shutout.

2nd Star: Lethbridge’s Dylan Cozens had a goal and two assists in the Hurricanes’ 5-2 win over Edmonton.

3rd Star: Seattle’s Noah Philp recorded two goals and an assist as the T-Birds doubled up the Pats 6-3.

Honourable Mentions

Saskatoon’s Josh Paterson had a goal and an assist in the Blades’ 5-2 win over Brandon….Everett’s Max Palaga stopped 37 of 38 shots in a 5-1 win over Kamloops….Vancouver’s Milos Roman had a goal and an assist in the Giants’ 6-0 win over Kootenay….Lethbridge’s Liam Hughes had 39 saves in a 5-2 win….Seattle’s Andrej Kukuca scored two goals in a 6-3 win….