Calla on way back to Blazers

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
Brady Calla is no Mighty Mouse, but the Kamloops Blazers hope he has come to
save the day.
The Blazers, who are riding a four-game losing streak and are without four
regulars for tonight’s WHL game against the Prince George Cougars (7
o’clock, Interior Savings Centre) need help like a M*A*S*H unit needs
doctors.
Well, he’s not wearing a cape, but Brady Calla is back.
The AHL’s Rochester Americans returned Calla to the Blazers on Tuesday, and
the timing could not have been better.
“At this time of year, it gives us a fresh face and some new ideas,” said
Blazers head coach Barry Smith. “There’s more energy, especially now that we
have a few injuries, so it will be a real positive for us.”
The Blazers’ injury list became quite long quite quickly in the last week.
Not expected to play tonight are:
Captain Scott Wasden, who injured his right shoulder in a 5-2 home loss to
the Chilliwack Bruins on Sunday and is expected to return on the weekend;
Defenceman Kurt Torbohm, who is still a couple of days away from returning
from a concussion;
Right-winger Kenton Dulle, who injured an arm at practice last week and is
still a week away; and,
Centre Mark Hall, who is out for the season with a knee injury.
Calla will more than fill a spot on the roster for the Blazers. The
20-year-old right-winger from Kelowna was one of Kamloops’ top players last
season after coming here in a trade from the Moose Jaw Warriors for
defenceman Keaton Ellerby.
Calla ended last season with 40 points, 12 of them goals and 30 of them in a
Blazers uniform, in 66 games. After the Tri-City Americans swept the Blazers
out of the first round of the playoffs, Calla, a third-round selection of
the Florida Panthers in 2006, played six regular-season games for Rochester,
and picked up two goals and two assists.
Through eight games with Rochester this season, Calla had one assist and
nine penalty minutes. He wasn’t expected to return to Kamloops, but the
Blazers are happy to have him.
“It gives us a veteran guy and some more leadership in the dressing room,”
Smith said. “I think it gives us another guy to look to.
“He was at training camp so he knows the system and should be able to step
right in and provide an impact for us, hopefully (tonight),” Smith said.
Justin Leclerc will get the start in the Blazers’ goal after Jon Groenheyde
got the nod in both weekend games — Sunday’s loss and a 5-0 beating courtesy
of the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Saturday. Leclerc had started nine
straight games before the weekend, but wasn’t feeling well and sat out.
Now Groenheyde is under the weather and missed practice Tuesday.
“Jon got the same thing that Justin had last week,” Smith said. “He’ll dress
(today) — we just decided to keep him away instead of bringing (the illness)
into the room and everybody else.”
JUST NOTES: The Blazers (10-12-0-3) are sixth in the Western Conference, two
points back of the Everett Silvertips (11-8-3-0) and two ahead of the
Cougars (10-3-0-1) and the Seattle Thunderbirds (9-12-1-2). . . . As soon as
Calla hits the ice tonight, the Warriors will receive a fourth-round pick in
the 2009 bantam draft, as per a condition in the Ellerby-Calla deal. The
condition was that if either played as a 20-year-old, the other team got a
fourth-round pick. . . . Ellerby, who was a first-round pick of the Panthers
in 2007, is playing for Rochester and has two assists in 11 games. . . .
Rochester is 2-13-1. . . . Three members of the Kamloops Storm practised
with the Blazers on Tuesday. D Josh Caron, D Daniel Medland-Marchen and F
Ryan Hanes skated at Interior Savings Centre, and Hanes will dress for
warmup tonight. He will be a game-time decision. . . . In 14 games with the
Storm, Hanes, a 16-year-old from Kamloops, has 15 points, 10 of them goals.
. . . Because Groenheyde was out of practice Tuesday, Marty Recchi, the
brother of Blazers co-owner Mark Recchi and director of player personnel
Matt Recchi, suited up in goal.
mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca