Blazers trim roster to 27

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers re-assigned two players over the weekend, getting their roster down to 27.
Defenceman Jordan Thomson, 15, was returned to the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, who play out of Souris, Man., while forward Dallas Calvin, who turns 17 on Sept. 27, will join the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters.
Thomson, who is too young to play in the WHL on a full-time basis, was the fourth overall selection in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft.
Thomson picked up an assist in the Blazers’ 4-2 exhibition victory over the visiting Victoria Royals on Friday night.
“He’s an exciting player,” Blazers head coach Guy Charron said, “as is young (Joe) Hicketts. I was impressed with both those kids.”
Hicketts, who is from Kamloops, was selected by Victoria with the 12th pick of the 2011 draft. He played for the Royals on Friday and then was left at home. He will play for a midget team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Calvin is a list player who has signed with the Blazers. He played last season with the junior B Beaver Valley Nitehawks of the Kootenay International league.
Charron said he met with the Trail native on Monday and “he would rather go back and play junior” with the Smoke Eaters.
“Calvin played junior B last season,” Charron said, “and saw the difference in the level of play here. It was quite an eye-opener in Vancouver on Saturday and he might have been surprised.”
The Blazers gave up five power-play goals in that one, resulting in a 6-3 loss in a game played at the Ladner Leisure Centre.
The Giants, who had lost 4-3 in OT to the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday, scored two PP goals before the game was nine minutes old and never looked back.
Linemates Brendan Gallagher and Marek Tvrdon each scored twice for Vancouver, with Jordan Martinook and Cain Franson adding one each.
Tvrdon was playing in his first game since suffering a shoulder injury in October.
Defenceman Austin Madaisky, with two, and winger Chase Souto scored for the Blazers. Madaisky scored on a 5-on-3 power play and also while shorthanded.
The Giants finished 5-for-11 with the man advantage; the Blazes were 2-for-5.
Vancouver goaltender Brendan Jensen went the distance, making 31 saves. The Blazers started with Cole Cheveldave, who stopped 12 of 15 shots, and finished with Taran Kozun, who gave up three goals on 24 shots.
Sophomore centre Logan McVeigh of the Blazers was held out of practice Monday after showing concussion symptoms. He was injured Saturday. McVeigh now will have to be symptom-free for a week before he can resume practising.
JUST NOTES: F Matt Needham (elbow) took part in a full practice for the first time on Monday. He suffered an elbow injury in an ATV accident prior to the start of training camp. . . . The Blazers are carrying three goaltenders, nine defencemen and 15 forwards. . . . With school starting today, the Blazers will get back to their normal schedule with practices starting at 2 p.m. . . . They next play Friday against the Rockets. Game time, at Interior Savings Centre, is 7 p.m. . . . The Brandon Wheat Kings have lost veteran D Brodie Melnychuk, 20, with a broken wrist suffered during training camp on the weekend. He is listed as being out indefinitely.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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