Blazers look to future with trade

This story appeared in Monday's Daily News. Got busy Sunday night -- gee, I wonder why? -- and forgot to post it. . . .

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Tired of history repeating itself in the form of first-round exits from the WHL playoffs, the Kamloops Blazers management has acted in hopes of breaking a cycle that is 10 seasons old.
In an attempt to erase links to the past and guarantee a brighter future, the Blazers traded right-wingers Tyler Shattock, 19, and Jimmy Bubnick, 18, and defenceman Zak Stebner, 19, to the Calgary Hitmen, getting back two former first-round bantam draft picks — centre Chase Schaber, 18, and defenceman Austin Madaisky, 17.
The Blazers also picked up a conditional third-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, while giving up a conditional 2011 fourth-round pick.
The Blazers (19-20-2-3), who are seventh in the Western Conference, also have added forward Rhyse Dieno, 16, to their roster. Dieno, a list player, had 43 points in 29 games with the Saskatoon Blazers. He was tied for sixth in the Saskatchewan midget AAA league’s scoring race.
The moves leave the Blazers with 22 players, including 13 forwards and seven defencemen.
“We’ve said all along that we want competitive people in here and I think it was time for a change,” Kamloops general manager Craig Bonner said late Sunday morning. “It’s time for new people . . . new players to step up and take charge of the team.”
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Madaisky, from Surrey, was the 14th overall selection in the 2007 bantam draft. A sophomore, he has 23 points in 39 games with the Hitmen this season and is on NHL Central Scouting’s watch list for the 2010 draft. He is seen as having good size, good mobility and good offensive instincts.
Schaber, a 6-foot-0, 195-pounder from Red Deer, was taken with the 20th pick in the 2006 bantam draft. He has 27 points in 40 games this season, his third in the WHL. Observers feel he is a solid two-way player with tremendous leadership skills who would have better offensive numbers if used in different situations.
Bonner referred to Schaber as “a real character kid (who) plays hard.”
Shattock, from Salmon Arm, was the Blazers’ captain. He was a fourth-round selection by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s 2009 draft.
“I’m kind of in between. It’s a weird feeling, for sure,” said Shattock, who was in his fourth season here. “I didn’t think I was going but obviously Kamloops is going in a different direction so it’s unfortunate that I had to go. But that’s the business.”
Shattock admitted feeling “tough” about leaving because “I’ve been here five years. I live an hour away from here. I’m leaving friends and family.”
But he said that he would be feeling positive about things when he, Bubnick and Stebner started the drive to Calgary this morning.
“I’m not going to go in there with a bad attitude,” he said. “They showed some want in me so I can show the same for them. I’m going to play hard for those guys. They’ve got a chance.”
The trio will drive to Calgary and then fly to Saskatoon. From there, they’ll head for Prince Albert and a Tuesday night game with the Raiders. The Hitmen are to meet the Blades in Saskatoon, the hometown to Bubnick and Stebner, on Wednesday.
“I’m a little bit shocked . . . I was shocked at the start,” Bubnick said. “But as the day went on I got excited. For sure, it’ll be tough to leave. This has been my winter home for two and a half years and I have a lot of friends in the city and on the team.
“But Calgary has some pretty good players and it’s pretty exciting.”
Bubnick spoke with both Calgary general manager Kelly Kisio and head coach Mike Williamson. Coincidentally, Kisio coached Bubnick’s oldest brother, Michael, with the Hitmen a few seasons ago, while Williamson coached another brother, Jon, with the Portland Winterhawks.
“They’ve got a great team,” Bubnick said of the Hitmen. “We’ll add some depth and some scoring touch.”
Bubnick also will be reunited with Calgary defenceman Kyle Aschim, 19, who is a good friend.
“We lived on the same street growing up,” said Bubnick, adding that Aschim took part in the outdoor and road hockey games involving the Bubnick and Schenn boys.
Bubnick, Shattock and Stebner will be back here Feb. 20 for a Saturday night game with the Blazers.
“Playing against the guys . . . it’s going to be pretty weird,” Bubnick said. “Just playing against the orange and blue will be a weird feeling for sure.”
Shattock, too, said he will feel strange being a visitor here. He did say, though, that he would have liked to have seen more stability during his time here.
“It seems like there has always been changes,” Shattock said. “It’s tough. It’s always tough when things are always changing. You never really know . . . we lost coaches and stuff like that.
“Hopefully, those young guys they brought in will help them in the future because all I want is to see the team win.”
In other words, more than a little bit of Shattock always will be a Blazer.
Kamloops has suffered the ignominy of nine first-round playoff losses in 10 seasons; in the other season, the Blazers didn’t make the playoffs, the first time that has happened in franchise history.
“I like all three of the guys we moved. I think they’re good kids,” Bonner said. “But the reality of it is that we’re in seventh place . . . we’re not where we want to be. We need new people and new energy here.”
Bonner said he has seen progress since making a coaching change on Oct. 26 “but we still have a ways to go.”
Bonner pulled the trigger the morning after his club won its second straight game to complete a weekend sweep of the Kelowna Rockets.
On Saturday, the Blazers got 42 saves from goaltender Kurtis Mucha, 20 of them in the second period, as they won 4-1 in Kelowna.
The Blazers, who lost 13 times to Kelowna last season, are 5-1-0-0 against the Rockets this season. The Blazers beat the visiting Rockets 6-4 on Friday and now have won two straight games for the first time since Nov. 6 and 7; they are 9-11-0-3 since then.
Shattock, Dalibor Bortnak, Bubnick and Colin Smith scored for the Blazers after Lucas Bloodoff got the game’s first goal for the Rockets (19-24-2-0), who have lost four in a row and nine of 10.
Kelowna goaltender Mark Guggenberger stopped 21 shots.
The Blazers scored three first-period goals after Bloodoff opened the scoring on the power play. But the visitors may have won this one when they killed off a two-minute 5-on-3 midway through the second period.
“This weekend was huge,” Mucha told the Kelowna Daily Courier. “We came out strong on Friday, had a strong game, and even though the shot clock (on Saturday) was a little reversed, we found a way to get the win, and that’s the most important thing.
“But (that penalty kill) took control of the game. I said to myself ‘If I kill this off, this’ll be a big boost to the team.’ And right after that, we took control of the puck and started going into their end, so it was good.”
JUST NOTES: Kamloops D Linden Saip had an assist to run his point streak to seven games. He has 11 points, including five goals over that stretch. . . . Smith’s goal was his second of the season and his first since Nov. 13. He had played in 15 games without scoring. . . . The Blazers scratched F Mark Hall (concussion) and F JC Lipon. . . . With the trading of Shattock, Bonner said he will “discuss” things with the coaching staff before a new captain is named. “I’m not sure where we’re going with that,” he added. . . . The Blazers are at home Wednesday to the Portland Winterhawks. Game time at Interior Savings Centre is 7 p.m.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

THE TRADE
COMING:
Austin Madaisky, 17, defence
Ssn GP G A P PM
2009-10 39 5 13 18 46
2008-09 48 2 7 9 16
TOTALS 87 7 20 27 62
———
Chase Schaber, 18, forward
2009-10 40 8 19 27 24
2008-09 53 8 12 20 24
2007-08 49 3 1 4 30
TOTALS 142 19 32 51 78
———
GOING:
Tyler Shattock, forward
2009-10 42 22 28 50 65
2008-09 68 30 39 69 82
2007-08 48 9 14 23 45
2006-07 58 7 9 16 51
2005-06 2 0 1 1 2
TOTALS 218 68 91 159 245
———
Jimmy Bubnick, forward
2009-10 44 17 23 40 44
2008-09 72 25 32 57 41
2007-08 64 9 18 27 24
2006-07 2 0 1 1 0
TOTALS 182 51 74 125 109
———
Zak Stebner, defence
2009-10 42 7 11 18 81
2008-09 75 11 23 34 109
2007-08 64 2 8 10 49
2006-07 1 0 0 0 0
2005-06 2 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 184 20 42 62 239