Two Chiefs Expected To Get Invites From Their Countries
Spokane’s Brad Ference and Ty Jones are expected to be invited to selection camp this week by their respective World Junior Tournament team coaches.
Ference, a defenseman, probably will be among 32 candidates invited to try out for Team Canada when invitations go out Wednesday.
Team Canada coach Tom Renney will cut to 22 players by Dec. 18 for the tournament in Winnipeg.
Jones, a winger, played for Team USA a year ago. He’s expects to receive an official invitation to the American team’s selection camp Wednesday or Thursday.
Scott Gomez of the Tri-City Americans is also considered a certainty for selection to Team USA.
Other Western Hockey League West stars most likely to go through Team Canada’s selection process are Dylan Gyori of Tri-City; Brenden Morrow, Jason LaBarbara and Andrew Ference of Portland; Robyn Reghr of Kamloops; Kelowna’s Scott Hannan; Prince George’s Scott Myers, Blair Betts and Tyler Bouck; and Bret DeCecco of Seattle.
The world’s top 19-and-under hockey players will compete in the WJT from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5.
“Brad is a definite candidate. They (Team Canada) need as much experience at that level as they can get,” said Tri-City coach Don Hay, who coached Canada to the ‘95 gold medal. “They want to show that last season was an off-year, and get back to winning the gold.
“They want physical players, but they also need skaters at that level,” Hay said.
Team Canada lost its stranglehold on the gold medal a year ago when in eight games the team scored only 13 goals and failed to reach the medal round for the first time since 1992. They won the ‘97 championship - their last of five straight - with Chiefs coach Mike Babcock behind the bench.
Notes
Assuming he gets clearance to resume contact in practice this week, Portland defensman Andrew Ference hopes to play in Saturday night’s game in Portland with the Chiefs. Ference has been sidelined with a broken collarbone. … Parry Shockey, in town Wedneday night to watch two teams he coached - the Chiefs and Regina Pats - talked about his dismissal in Regina. Shockey led the Pats to their first division title in 14 years last year, but was sacked nine games into this season. “They wanted a puppet and I wasn’t going to be one,” Shockey said… . Pats player Todd Fedoruk said the atmosphere is more relaxed under Shockey’s replacement, Tim Tisdale… . Shockey’s son, John, who played two seasons in Spokane, is a defenseman with the Idaho Steelheads after having a strong camp with the Kansas City Blades of the IHL.
Former Chiefs goaltender Aren Miller, who started the season with Toledo in the East Coast League, was promoted Friday to the Detroit Red Wings’ affiliate in the American Hockey League, Adirondack (Glen Falls, N.Y.). Although Miller’s numbers in Toldeo were unimpressive (5.30 goals-against average with an .862 saves percentage in seven games), he had a promising start with Adirondack. He came on in relief in his first game there during the weekend to stop all 13 shots he faced… . Darcy Loewen, a standout in four seasons with the Chiefs in the 1980s, will continue his career overseas, with Nottingham of the British Premier League. Loewen came out of a brief retirement to play four games with the Idaho Steelhead in Boise before accepting the British offer… . Former Chiefs captain Hugh Hamilton is with the Florida Everglades of the East Coast League, after starting the season with the American Hockey League Beast of New Haven. Hamilton appeared in one AHL game, sat out four and was sent down to the ECHL Oct. 19.
The Chiefs have a candidate for WHL player of the month in Daniel Bohac, who had 14 points in 10 games in November. He had a hat trick against the Brandon Wheat Kings and a short-handed goal, one of nine he scored in November. Dylan Gyori of Tri-City, who scored the game-winner Saturday night in Spokane, is another exceptional candidate. Gyori logged 29 points in 14 games, when the Ams went 10-2-2… . Spokane’s Jared Smyth had a five-game scoring streak stopped in Saturday night’s 5-3 loss to Tri-City.