With the October 10th deadline to cut down to three overage players looming, two WHL teams have some big choices to make.
Medicine Hat Tigers (4): The Tigers have forward Ryan Jevne and defensemen Dalton Gally, Dylan MacPherson and Linus Nassen.
The return of Nassen and MacPherson from tryouts with the NHL’s Florida Panthers and AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds have forced the Tigers to make a choice. Jevne has played in all nine games and has four points. Gally played in five games to start the season but has been scratched in favor of Nassen and MacPherson since they have been back.
Swift Current Broncos (4): The defending WHL champions have forwards Tanner Nagel and Andrew Fyten and defensemen Matthew Stanley and Artyom Minulin.
They are without both Pouliots now with Ryan Pouliot being off of their roster.
Even without Pouliot they have four 1998-born players. Nagel has zero points in five games, while Fyten has two in four games. Then on the blue line, Stanley has one assist in the four games he’s played for the Broncos since coming back to them via waivers from Lethbridge.
It appears they may get some type of extension on the deadline though as Brockman said in a video posted to scbroncos.com that Minulin has to be cleared by surgeons in order to return to the team. He has yet to play but is listed on the roster.
If Minulin joins the team, they would be over the import limit too with forward Joone Kiviniemi and defenseman Roope Pynnonen.
Tri-City Americans (4): The Ams have forwards Nolan Yaremko, Parker AuCoin and Brett Clayton and defenseman Anthony Bishop.
Yaremko is second on the team in points with five goals and three assists in five games. He is a lock to stay as the team captain while Michael Rasmussen is away.
AuCoin has six points in five games and seems to be set with the team as well.
Clayton has one assist in three games. Bishop has played in just one game, but is out with an upper body injury for six weeks.
This should mean they will get to carry four overage players as well until Bishop returns. The decisions seems to be between Clayton and Bishop.
So it does appear that the Tigers are the only team who has to make a decision by the 10th of October.
The Brandon Wheat Kings, Edmonton Oil Kings and Everett Silvertips are all sitting below the limit with only two 1998-born players.
Weekly Report notes:
Lethbridge: Tyler Lowe reassigned to the AJHL.
Moose Jaw: Goalie Ethan Fitzgerald was reassigned to “TBD.”
Portland: Matt Quigley listed as week-to-week. He took a high hit from Kamloops’ Jermaine Loewen on Friday.
Prince Albert: Kody McDonald listed as out indefinitely with a lower body injury. He has not missed any games yet and it is unknown what caused the injury.
Seattle: Reece Harsch out day-to-day. He took a hit from Sean Richards of Everett on Friday.
Tri-City: Matt Dorsey sent to the Wenatchee Wild. He played with them last year.
Kamloops names their leadership group
The Blazers name their 2018/19 leadership group:
C – Jermaine Loewen
A – @NKneen
A – @zaner19
A – Luc Smith
A – @11_bstuart
More info: https://t.co/vL7Egd2iq2 pic.twitter.com/48iWOGbcPS— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) October 9, 2018
Three Stars:
- Kyle Olson – the Anaheim Ducks prospect had a goal and three assists for four points in the Tri-City Americans 6-4 win over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. He doubled his point output so far this year and now has eight in five games.
- Vince Loschiavo – The Edmonton overager had two goals in a losing effort. It’s already his third, two-goal effort this year. Edmonton is now 0-2 in the five-game U.S. Division leg of their road trip.
- Isaac Johnson – had a goal and two assists for three points for the Americans.
Honorable mentions:
-Parker AuCoin had two goals for the Americans.
