Moose Jaw Center Object Of Attention
The asking price for center Curtis Brown is the question of the day as Western Hockey League general managers gather for meetings capped by tonight’s All-Star game in Prince George, British Columbia.
It’s no secret that Brown, a second-round draft choice of the NHL Buffalo Sabres, is on the trading block. His club, the Moose Jaw Warriors, are out of playoff contention in the WHL East.
The trading deadline is Thursday.
Spokane general manager Tim Speltz said the anticipated cost of the 19-year-old East all-star - who had 51 goals with 53 assists last season - makes it unlikely he’ll be a Chief for the stretch run.
Although Warriors GM and coach Al Tuer has made it known the Chiefs “have the resources” to acquire Brown, Speltz said the two sides “haven’t gotten down to specifics.
“When we do, if I’m a betting man, I’m betting that Curtis won’t be in a Spokane Chiefs uniform,” Speltz said Monday from Prince George.
Still, Speltz said he intends to find out who Tuer wants for Brown, who played for Chiefs coach Mike Babcock in the ‘92-93 season in Moose Jaw.
“I think it would cost us too much this year and next year,” Speltz said, “but if we could trade for a player who would make an impact - without creating too big a hole - we’d do it. Everybody’s looking to improve.”
Brown is an impact player with great character. He’s also a drafted 19-year-old, who probably won’t return to junior hockey next year.
Speltz added another concern:
“We have things going fairly well right now. The chemistry of our team is good. You never know how a trade will alter the mix.”
No Cougs? (who cares?)
Although the host team, Prince George, has nobody in tonight’s All-Star game, that’s not all bad.
Interest is reportedly high, the league’s first All-Star game since 1991. A full house in 5,725-seat Prince George Coliseum is expected.
Spokane’s Jason Podollan, one of four Chiefs in the game, is an assistant captain with the West.
New voice a hit
Richard Clear wasn’t the only rightwinger on 1510 KGA last week.
With Randy Favaro down with a shoulder injury, the Chiefs found good use for their right winger on a five-game swing through the Alberta prairies.
Favaro, 19, did the commentary for broadcaster Craig West.
After he warmed to the task, Favaro was better than pretty good, given the fact a player has no room to criticize his team on his team’s broadcast. He offered a perspective that can only come from a player.
At Medicine Hat on Saturday night, for example, he touched on the problems goalies around the league are starting to have with the presence of 6-foot-4, 200-pound Chief Martin Cerven in front of the net.
Cerven is an emerging star.
West said he’s had players doing color before, but Favaro and Shane Maitland, who played on the ‘90-91 Memorial Cup team, rate as the most effective.
Trouble in Tri-City
The Tri-City Americans paid a price for winning three weekend games in as many nights.
Star left wing Terry Ryan required eight stitches to close a wound in Seattle after taking a high stick from ex-Chief Kevin Popp of the Thunderbirds. Ryan left the game midway through the second period with a concussion.
Ryan spent Saturday night in Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center and did not play in the Americans’ 8-6 win Sunday night in Kelowna. His availability for tonight’s All-Star game is unknown.
Potentially more disruptive was the injury to defenseman Alexander Boikov. He took a puck to the inside of his right knee in Kelowna and was carried off.
The injury is described as a deep bruise. If it keeps Boikov out, Tri-City is down to only two veterans on the blue line, Byron Briske and Dan Smith. The other healthy D-men are rookies. Technically, Smith, who’s in his first year in the league, is a rookie at 19.
Around the WHL
On the agenda at today’s WHL general managers meeting is the interlocking schedule that puts each team in everybody else’s rink at least once. Under the new proposal, instead of playing home and home every season, some teams would meet only once a year. That sucks. … The Chiefs have 24 regular-season games remaining, 12 at home, 12 on the road. … Kamloops’s 3-0 win at Portland Saturday night was the Winter Hawks’ first shutout loss at home since Nov. 4, 1989, a span of 234 games.
, DataTimes