Brian Liesse

Daily Dose of the Dub: Additions being made as players depart for World Juniors; what teams are most impacted by their missing stars?

Brandon Wheat Kings:

-Jiri Patera – Goalie – Czech Republic – 1999

The Vegas Golden Knights draft pick is one of three goalies on the Czech U20 selection camp roster. The Wheat Kings have called up 16-year-old netminder Connor Ungar from the Northern Alberta X-treme Prep team. He has a 2.24 GAA and 0.916 save percentage. It is expected that 17-year-old Ethan Kruger will get most of the starts while Patera is away. Patera is likely to make the team and miss the next right games at least.

Calgary Hitmen:

-Vladislav Yeryomenko – Defense – Belarus – 1999

He is currently playing in the World Junior Division 1 tournament in Fussen, Germany. Through two games, Belarus is 2-0 in Group A and Yeryomenko is a plus-two. The tournament goes through December 15th. He has already missed two games and will likely miss the next three. The next time he will see action with Calgary is 12/28.

Edmonton Oil Kings:

-Vladimir Alistrov – LW – Belarus – 2001

-Andrei Pavlenko – RW – Belarus – 2000

Both are playing in the World Junior Division 1 tournament in Germany. Through two games Alistrov has two assists, an even rating and three shots and Pavlenko is a plus-one with one shot.

Everett Silvertips:

No players away at World Junior camps.

Kamloops Blazers:

No players away at World Junior camps.

Kelowna Rockets:

-Libor Zabransky – Defense – Czech Republic – 2000

-Lassi Thomson – Defense – Finland – 2000

Zabransky has already joined the Czech team training in Nanaimo. Thomson will be with the team all this week and leave Saturday. If Zabransky makes the team, he would end up missing at least eight games, while Thomson would miss five.

Kootenay Ice:

No players away at World Junior camps.

Lethbridge Hurricanes:

-Calen Addison – Defense – Canada – 2000

-Head coach Brent Kisio is also away as an assistant with Hockey Canada.

If Addison makes the team, he would be out of the lineup for eight games.

Medicine Hat Tigers:

-Mads Sogaard – Goalie – Denmark – 2000

With Denmark’s camp starting on 12/16, Sogaard could play in the next three games but likely will not play on Saturday the 15th. If that is the case and he makes the team, he will miss that game and the seven after the break. Right now Jordan Hollett is the only other goalie on roster.

Moose Jaw Warriors:

-Head coach Tim Hunter is Canada’s head coach and will be away.

-Josh Brook – Defense – Canada – 1999

Brook is likely battling for one of the same spots Addison is. He does have the advantage of having his head coach in Moose Jaw as the bench boss for Hockey Canada. If Brook makes the team, he will miss all eight of the games that Hunter is out for.

Portland Winterhawks:

-Cody Glass – Center – Canada – 1999

Glass is out at least nine games, if he makes the final roster. A good sign for him to make it for Canada is the fact that he was the first-line center in practice on Tuesday.

Prince Albert Raiders:

-Sergei Sapego – Defense – Belarus – 1999

-Aliaksei Protas – Center – Belarus – 2001

-Ian Scott – Goalie – Canada – 1999

-Brett Leason – RW – Canada – 1999

The Raiders have the most players away for international play. Sapego had a goal in each Belorussian win so far, while Protas had a goal and an assist in the win on Tuesday. They both have already been away from four games and will miss three more.

Scott and Leason will each miss nine games should they make the final Canadian roster.

That would make for a combined 32 player games missed and three games without four players.

The the absence of these players, the Raiders have added 2001-born goalie Brett Balas and 2003-born forward Tyson Laventure.

Prince George Cougars:

No players away at World Junior camps.

Red Deer Rebels:

-Alexander Alexeyev – Defense – Russia – 1999

This all depends on his health now after he took a rough hit from Zane Franklin on Tuesday night. If he is able to play for Russia, he will miss five games for Red Deer.

Regina Pats:

No players away at World Junior camps.

Saskatoon Blades:

-Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen – LW – Norway – 1999

Kristian has missed four games and be away two more. Norway is 0-2 so far; losing 5-3 to Belarus and 4-0 to Germany. He has three shots so far.

Seattle Thunderbirds:

No players away at World Junior camps.

Spokane Chiefs:

-Jaret Anderson-Dolan – Center – Canada – 1999

-Ty Smith – Defense – Canada – 2000

-Filip Kral – Defense – Czech Republic – 1999

Anderson-Dolan has been away with an injury prior to the selection camp.

If the three make their teams, they will be out the next eight games. Anderson-Dolan has not played since 10/27 and has only made it into two games in the WHL this season.

Swift Current Broncos:

No players away at World Junior camps.

Tri-City Americans:

-Krystof Hrabik – Center – Czech Republic – 1999

Hrabik could very well be out the next seven games for the Americans.

Vancouver Giants:

No players away at World Junior camps.

Victoria Royals:

-Igor Martynov – LW – Belarus – 1999

-Phillip Schultz – LW – Denmark – 2000

Martynov has two assists so far at the World Junior Division 1 tournament. Schultz will join the Danes for the start of camp on 16th.

Martynov has missed four games and will be away three more. Schultz could be away on Saturday as well and the six games after the break if he makes the Danish team.

Lethbridge signs Wheatcroft and Thiessen

-Lethbridge announced that they had signed 2002-born forward Chase Wheatcroft and 2001-born d-man Rylan Thiessen. Wehatcraft was a listed forward who plays in the AMHL with the Calgary Royals. He has 12 goals and eight assists for 20 points in 21 games. He also has a goal and an assist for two points in three AJHL games with the Calgary Canucks.

Thiessen is also a listed player and has 23 points in 19 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings Midget AAA team.

Gunville passes away

-Some really sad news to report as well. The Raiders announced that Director of Player Personnel Run Gunville passed away on Tuesday from cancer. DubNetwork expresses their condolences to Gunville’s surviving family and the Raiders organization.

Three stars of the night:

  1. Gary Haden (Saskatoon) – The Saskatoon Blades and Edmonton Oil Kings were tied at three after 40 minutes and Haden had a goal and an assist. In the third, he took over with three straight goals and the Blades flew by Edmonton 6-3.
  2. Nolan Volcan (Seattle) – The Thunderbirds captain extended his point streak to nine games in a big way with his second career hat trick and an assist for four points in Seattle’s 6-5 win over Prince George.
  3. Tarun Fizer (Victoria) – He notched his first career hat trick and was a plus-five as the Royals held off the Portland Winterhawks 7-4.

Honorable mentions:

Zack Andrusiak added two goals and three assists for five points for Seattle… Scott Walford (four assists) and Dante Hannoun (two goals and two assists added four point nights for the Royals… Leif Mattson had two goals as the Kelowna Rockets edged the Kootenay Ice 3-1… Ethan Anders turned away 31-of-32 shots and Red Deer slipped by the Kamloops Blazers 2-1.

Troubling moments:

Jermaine Loewen of Kamloops missed the game in Red Deer tonight. He served the first game Saturday against Calgary and the second one tonight.

Kobe Mohr was handed a one-game suspension for a play in the same game and has already served it.

Sean Richards was handed an eight-game suspension for his hit Saturday in Kent against Seattle. This was the longest suspension for any WHL player since Sam Ruopp was handed eight games for a one-man fight back in 2016. This was the fifth time he has been suspended. He got five games earlier this season. In total he has been suspended 20 games.

-Tuesday night, 7:46 into the game, Zane Franklin was the latest Kamloops Blazer to be given a five-minute major and game misconduct for a hit on defenseman Alexander Alexeyev. If he is suspended, he would be the fourth Blazer this season and it would be the fifth time a Kamloops player had been suspended (Loewen has been suspended twice).