Friday, September 16, 2016

Giants' Benson has shoulder injury . . . Thunderbirds get goaltender from Rebels . . . Broncos win, go to 5-1-1

F Erik Christensen (Kamloops, Brandon, 1999-2004) has signed a one-year extension with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SHL). Last season, he had nine goals and 15 assists in 42 games.
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F Tyler Benson of the Vancouver Giants just can’t seem to escape the injury bug. Benson, the first overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft, is in Penticton, B.C., with the Edmonton Oilers prospects team for the annual YoungStars Classic. But he didn’t play in the Oilers’ tournament opener against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night thanks to a shoulder injury incurred in a WHL exhibition game against the visiting Victoria Royals on Sunday. Benson sat out the last eight minutes of that game, something the Giants said was precautionary. . . . Benson got into 30 games last season and put up 28 points, including nine goals. But he had early-season surgery to remove a cyst from his lower back area and missed a lot of time. . . . An Edmonton native, he was selected by the Oilers in the second round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . In 2014-15, as a freshman, he recorded 45 points, 14 of them goals, in 62 games.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds acquired G Rylan Toth, 20, from the Red Deer Rebels on Friday for a third-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . Toth, who was placed on the Rebels’ protected list in December 2012, had a regular-season record of 54-33-10 in 100 appearances with Red Deer. The Saskatoon native is 4-10 in the playoffs. . . . Last season, Toth was 26-15-1, 2.67, .912 and put up five shutouts. In the playoffs, he went 3-6, 3.15, .905. He also played in four Memorial Cup games, going 2-2, 2.99, .901. . . . Toth’s arrival in Seattle gives the Thunderbirds three 20-year-olds, the others being F Scott Eansor and F Cavin Leth. . . . The Rebels also have the maximum three 20-year-olds — G Trevor Martin, D Colton Bobyk and F Evan Polei. . . .
In Seattle, Toth joins Logan Flodell, 19, Ryan Gilchrist, 18, and Carl Stankowski, 16, as goaltenders still on the roster. . . . The Rebels, meanwhile, are left with veteran Trevor Martin, 20, and freshmen Riley Lamb, 18, and Dawson Weatherill, 17, competing for their goaltending spots. . . . 
This isn’t the first time Seattle has gone to Red Deer for a goaltender. On Aug. 5, 2015, the Thunderbirds got Taz Burman from the Rebels F Lane Pederson and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. Burman was 7-4-0, 3.20, .877 in 16 appearances with Seattle before being dealt to the Swift Current Broncos with F Jamal Watson and a conditional second-round draft pick for G Landon Bow. With the Broncos, Burman was 8-10-3, 3.39, .903. . . . Burman, 19, is 1-0-0, 2.19, .921 in two appearances in this exhibition season.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Brandon, D Ivan Provorov and F Ty Lewis had shootout goals to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . F Connor Gutenberg scored twice for Brandon (2-2-0), his second goal, and third of the preseason, forging a 2-2 tie at 15:41 of the third period. That one came via the PP; his first goal was a shorthanded effort. . . . D Chase Harrison and F Dawson Leedahl each had a goal and an assist for the Pats (3-3-1). . . . F Nolan Patrick, who is recovering from sports hernia surgery in July, wasn’t in Brandon’s lineup. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Brendan Semchuk had a goal and two assists to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 5-4 victory over the Rockets. . . . Semchuk was playing his first game since Jan. 2 when his freshman season was ended by an injury. . . . D Dylan Plouffe also had a goal and two assists for Vancouver (1-3-1), while D Marcus Kichton had two assists. F James Malm and D Matt Barberis each had a goal and an assist. . . . Kelowna (3-2-0) got a goal and two assists from F Kole Lind. . . . The Rockets dressed only 14 skaters, four under the maximum. They have eight players at NHL camps, with F Rod Southam injured and D Nolan Foote ill. . . . The Giants, meanwhile, dressed 15 skaters, including five defencemen. . . . 
In Crowsnest Pass, Alta., F Tristen Nielsen scored two goals and added an assist to help the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Lucas Cullen also scored twice for Calgary (3-1-1), with D Vladislav Yeryomenko scoring his fourth goal and and adding an assist. . . . F Colton Kroeker scored his fifth goal for Lethbridge (2-4-0). . . . 
In Ralston, Alta., the Medicine Hat Tigers blanked the Red Deer Rebels, 4-0. . . . F Steven Owre scored three times for the Tigers (3-2-0), with F Mason Shaw drawing three assists. . . . The Rebels (3-2-0) were outshot 32-14. . . . G Duncan McGovern recorded the shutout. . . .
In Prince George, F Yan Khomenko scored twice to help the Cougars to a 4-0 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Khomenko, a Russian, had five goals and three assists in 46 games as a freshman with the Everett Silvertips last season. The Cougars picked him up last week. . . . F Colby McAuley added a goal and an assist for the Cougars (3-3-0), while D Max Martin had two assists. . . . Goaltenders Nick McBride (19 saves) and Tavin Grant (9) shared the shutout. . . . The Blazers (2-3-0) have nine players at NHL camps; the Cougars have eight. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Alexander True scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . F Sami Moilanen scored twice for Seattle (4-2-0). . . . D Lucas Skrumeda had a goal and an assist for Everett (2-3-1), which forced OT on F Riley Sutter’s goal at 8:26 of the third period. . . . True, who is from Denmark, scored the shootout winner against Everett G Lasse Petersen, who also is from Denmark. . . .  
In Swift Current, the Broncos scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-2. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen pulled the Broncos into a 2-2 tie at 17:38 of the first period. The home boys won it with two third-period goals, from F Calvin Spencer and D Artyom Minulin, the latter into an empty net. . . . The Broncos (5-1-1), who were 3-for-5 on the PP, got two assists from F Aleksi Heponiemi, giving him 15 points, including 10 assists, in six games. . . . F Tim Vanstone scored his third goal for the Raiders (3-2-0). . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Kailer Yamamoto scored 41 seconds into OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Chiefs (3-3-0) led this one 2-0 in the first period, only to have the Americans (3-3-1) tie it on a goal by F Vladislav Lukin at 15:29 of the second. . . . D Evan Fiala had two assists for Spokane.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:24 PM
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