Daily Dose of the Dub: McGrew back to Spokane, Newkirk back to Portland, WHL teams make final cuts before opening day

Capitals send four players back to WHL

The Washington Capitals have assigned Aliaksei Protas (Prince Albert Raiders), Eric Florchuk (Saskatoon Blades) and Alex Kannok-Leipert (Vancouver Giants) back to the WHL. All three should be in the lineup for opening weekend in the WHL. The club also released Beck Warm (Tri-City Americans) from his amateur try-out and he will likely start at least one game for Tri-City on opening weekend.

McGrew headed back to Spokane 

It’s not often that you see an NHL-signed 20-year-old skater make his return to the WHL but that’s exactly what’s happened with Jake McGrew. That’s not to say McGrew is a bad player, or not ready to turn pro, the San Jose Sharks are just in a unique situation in that they don’t have an ECHL affiliate and thus don’t have as many roster spots for their prospects.

You won’t see Spokane Chiefs fans complaining though, as this move likely puts them over the edge for a repeat run to the WHL Western Conference Final, even if they don’t get Ty Smith back from the New Jersey Devils.

Fairbrother officially re-joins Silvertips

Gianni Fairbrother has officially re-joined the Everett Silvertips following training camp with the Montreal Canadiens. The defenseman who is entering his 19-year-old season was battling injuries at Canadiens camp and won’t be in the Silvertips line-up for opening night.

Islanders return Newkirk to Winterhawks

The New York Islanders have returned Reece Newkirk to the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and he should be in the lineup on opening weekend.

Thunderbirds drop Stutzle from their protected list 

With Andrej Kukuca coming back to the WHL for his final season of junior eligibility as a “two-spotter” (a player who is both an overage and import player) the Seattle Thunderbirds have released Tim Stutzle from their 50-man protected list. Stutzle was selected in the first round of this year’s import draft but had yet to sign with the club. Kukuca was a first-round pick in the 2018 CHL Import Draft, scoring 25 goals and 32 assists in 59 games last season with the T-Birds.

Blazers release Orchard from the active roster 

The Kamloops Blazers have released 18-year-old Jerzy Orchard from their active roster as the final cut to their roster before the regular season. Last year with the Blazers, he had one goal and two assists in 41 games. The Delisle, Saskatchewan native will report to the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL.

Cox returns to SJHL’s Hawks 

Zach Cox (124 GP, 13 G, 8 A with the Lethbridge Hurricanes over two seasons) has returned to the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks for his final season of junior eligibility after being released from a try-out with the Swift Current Broncos. Cox played five games with the Hawks, registering two goals and four assists before signing on with the Hurricanes.

Wheat Kings cut 16-year-olds Dube and Hyland 

The Brandon Wheat Kings have released 2018 second-round pick Brett Hyland and 2018 fifth-round pick Jaxon Dube from the active roster. Both will head back to their respective U-18 programs.

Gutenberg named captain of Wheat Kings 

Sticking with the Wheat Kings, they’ve named Connor Gutenberg the 63rd captain in franchise history. The Brandon native is entering his fifth and final season with the Wheat Kings organization as a 1999-born player. Joining the leadership group will be Cole ReinhardtLuka Burzan, Zach Wyntinck and Braden Schneider.

Silvertips name Patterson, Wylie assistant captains 

In other leadership news, the Everett Silvertips have appointed Max Patterson and Wyatte Wylie as the team’s assistant captains. The leadership group includes three of the four overage players currently expected to return to the WHL.

Luypen raises over five thousand dollars, shaves lid for a kid 

We’d like to give a shoutout to Edmonton Oil Kings forward Jalen Luypen who raised $5450 for Kids Cancer Care. He started with a goal of $2323 in reference to his jersey number, #23, and easily blew past that goal. He also shaved his head in the process. Way to go Jalen!

Pats discontinue team app 

If you’re a Regina Pats fan and you noticed the Regina Pats app stopped working yesterday, it’s not just you. The team announced they have canceled their current app with plans to introduce a new app in the near future. In the meantime, you can head to reginapats.com or keep visiting this site as our Chris Clark will be following the team all year and have everything you need to know about the team.

Hannoun joins ECHL’s Gladiators

Dante Hannoun (314 GP, 108 GP, 171 A with the Victoria Royals and Prince Albert Raiders) has signed on with the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators for the 2019-20 season.