Daily Dose of the DUB: A night of WHL firsts and alumni moves

Gustafson scores first WHL goal

2004-born forward Jordan Gustafson scored his first WHL goal last night as the Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Portland Winterhawks 3-2. Gustafson’s game-winning goal came at 19:07 of the second period to put the Thunderbirds up 3-2. The Thunderbirds selected Gustafson in the first round of the 2019 WHL Draft. He was playing in his fifth WHL game.

Gronick scores first WHL goal

2004-born Forward Kyren Gronick scored his first WHL goal in the Prince George Cougars 5-4 loss to the Kamloops Blazers last night. Gronick’s goal came at 17:47 of the first period while on the power play and gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead. The Prince George Cougars selected Gronick in the second round of the 2019 WHL Draft. It was Gronick’s first WHL game.

MacAdams scores first WHL goal

2004-born forward Carter MacAdams scored his first WHL goal in the Prince George Cougars 5-4 loss to the Kamloops Blazers. MacAdams’s goal came with just two seconds remaining in the opening period and gave the Cougars a 3-1 lead. MacAdams was a fourth-round pick of the Cougars at the 2019 WHL Draft. He was appearing in his first WHL game.

Ziemmer scores first WHL goal

2004-born forward Koehn Ziemmer scored his first WHL goal in the Prince George Cougars 5-4 loss to the Kamloops Blazers. Ziemmer’s goal came at 15:04 of the second period to give the Cougars a 4-3 lead. The Cougars took Ziemmer in the first round of the 2019 WHL Draft. It was Ziemmer’s third WHL contest.

Berry earns first WHL win

2002-born goaltender Jackson Berry secured his first WHL win as the Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Portland Winterhawks 3-2. Berry turned aside 28 of 30 shots against him. The Moose Jaw Warriors sixth-round pick at the 2017 WHL Draft, Berry was signed by Seattle in the off-season. He was making his sixth WHL appearance.

Boyko earns first WHL shutout

2002-born goaltender Talyn Boyko earned his first WHL shutout in last night’s 3-0 Tri-City Americans win over the Spokane Chiefs. Boyko turned aside all 26 Chiefs shots in the victory. The win moves his record this season to 2-2-0-0 and he now owns a 2.35 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage this season. Boyko was a third-round draft pick of the Americans at the 2017 WHL Draft. He has played in 38 games.

Habscheid moves into tie for sixth all-time in WHL wins

With win 548 in the books as the Prince Albert Raiders defeated the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-2, Marc Habscheid moves into a tie for sixth place in all-time coaching wins. Habscheid tied with Ernie (Punch) McLean who coached the Estevan Bruins in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and then went on to coach the New Westminster Bruins in two stints from 1971-1980 and 1985-1987. McLean won four straight WCHL titles with New Westminster. Habscheid has been the head coach of the Kelowna Rockets, Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals, and the Prince Albert Raiders.

Dach makes return to Blackhawks

Following an injury that occurred during training for the IIHF World Junior Championships, Kirby Dach (133GP, 38G, 91A with Saskatoon) made his return to the Chicago Blackhawks lineup last night. Dach did not figure into the Blackhawks’ 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators but did play 20:08.

Johnson reassigned to IceHogs

Forward Reese Johnson (187GP, 55G, 45A with Red Deer) has been reassigned by the Chicago Blackhawks to the Rockford IceHogs. He was serving on the Blackhawks taxi squad. Johnson has played in five NHL games this season with the Blackhawks but has yet to hit the scoresheet. In seven games with the IceHogs, Johnson has three goals and three assists.

Rubins reassigned to Marlies

Defenceman Kristians Rubins (109GP, 10G, 41A with Medicine Hat) has been reassigned to the Toronto Marlies by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rubins was on the team’s taxi squad and has yet to appear in an NHL game this season. In 16 games with the Marlies, Rubins has one goal and two assists.