Poised For Run At Cup Gm Says Chiefs Plugged Holes With Trades
The Spokane Chiefs are “dramatically improved” after the jockeying they did prior to the Western Hockey League trade deadline.
That statement may be a little prejudicial, coming from the man who engineered the changes. But Chiefs’ general manager Tim Speltz makes a valid case on behalf of the deals that brought size and experience to Spokane.
The Chiefs acquired defenseman Rick Berry from the Seattle Thunderbirds, left wing Cam Severson from the Prince Albert Raiders and goaltender David Haun from the Brandon Wheat Kings.
“We shored up two areas we had to,” Speltz said Monday, referring to Haun and Berry.
Haun, 19, who was alternating starts with the Wheat Kings, gives the Chiefs a proven goaltender. Berry complements the club’s defensive corps with size and savvy.
“If you look at where we were on Jan. 15, and see us now, we’re dramatically improved,” said Speltz, whose club takes on the struggling Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday night in the Arena. “We paid for what we got, no question, but we felt we could afford it.”
The goaltender was a priority.
“David gives us a couple of dimensions,” Speltz said. “First, we don’t have to rely on Aren (Miller) to be the workhorse he was. Take nothing away from Shaun Fleming (Miller’s 17-year-old backup), but he’s not ready for where we are right now.”
The Chiefs will play for the championship of major junior hockey as the host club in the Memorial Cup tournament May 9-17.
Haun was the starter in Brandon, but had lately fallen into disfavor with coach Bob Lowes, who was using his two rookie netminders, Jomar Cruz and Jamie Hodson, with increasing frequency.
Haun, at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, is a contrast to the 6-3, 210-pound Miller. “You can’t compare them,” said Speltz, who characterized Haun as “agile, quick and a battler.”
Speltz said he wouldn’t speculate on how the organization will deploy its goaltenders.
“Mike (Babcock, the coach) probably feels Milsy is the guy and yet we’re not going to send him into those four-games-in-five-nights situations,” he said.
Berry and Severson, both listed at 6-2 and 200, give the Chiefs needed size. Two key forwards - Greg Leeb and Trent Whitfield - are small. And neither defensemen Zenith Komarniski nor Perry Johnson is a giant. With Leeb, Whitfield, Johnson and Komarniski, “We thought we had to get bigger,” Speltz said.
“Berry can fit in anywhere from one to five on our back end,” he added.
Speltz said he wasn’t worried about new players blending in. The chemistry is set by veterans who are still here, he said.
The Chiefs draw a seemingly easy assignment this week, with two last-place clubs coming in. After Wednesday night’s Medicine Hat game the Chiefs meet the Tri-City Americans on Saturday night.
Coach Rick Carriere - fired at Red Deer early in the year and snapped up at Medicine Hat - cleaned out most of his veterans by last week’s trade deadline. Former Chiefs defenseman Rob Sandrock returns to the Arena with the Tigers. Ex-Seattle Thunderbirds A.J. Van Bruggen and Jouni Kuokkanen - acquired last week from Seattle - are other familiar faces with Medicine Hat.
The Tigers will try to snap a 13-game losing streak tonight in Tri-City.
Temple finds a home at home
Forward Jeff Temple wound up playing for his team of choice, the Brandon Wheat Kings, after flirting last week with an invitation to join the Chiefs.
Temple started the season with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Traded to Red Deer, he refused to report. The Chiefs acquired his rights, but the 19-year-old center and left wing wanted to remain close to his home.
He grew up in Brandon, Manitoba.
Spokane wanted an experienced goaltender, so the Chiefs exchanged with Brandon the rights to Temple for goalie Haun.
Temple told The Spokesman-Review last week he planned to enroll in school. Apparently the college route didn’t seem as attractive when the hometown Wheat Kings came calling.
A source in Brandon said the Wheat Kings are the only WHL team Temple wanted to play for.
Around the WHL
The woeful Prince Albert Raiders are 3-0 since the trade deadline. Part of the reason is the play of ex-Chiefs Marc Brown and Justin Kelly, whom the Raiders picked up from Spokane last week for veteran forward Severson.
Prince Albert also helped itself by claiming former Chiefs captain Joel Boschman. Traded to the Red Deer Rebels last November for a pick in the bantam draft, Boschman was let go by the Rebs. Prince Albert got the veteran defenseman for nothing. … Boschman, Brown and Kelly join a last-place team that hasn’t won at home in 16 games since Oct. 21, but with a three-game spurt on the road they’re within nine points of catching Moose Jaw for what appears to be the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Tri-City Americans trainer Jerry Fredericksen knows how it feels to sleep with the enemy. After a game in Kamloops on Friday night, Fredericksen got off the team bus to look for a bag. Before he could climb back on, the bus pulled out for home. Not to worry. Fredericksen hitched a ride back to Kennewick on the Kamloops Blazers team bus. Luckily the Blazers had a Saturday night date in Tri-City… . The Americans continue to struggle. Saturday night they led 5-2 only to surrender three goals in the first two minutes of the third period on the way to a 7-6 loss to Kamloops… . The Ams sent scoring leader Mike Hurley to the Portland Winter Hawks for forward Bobby Duncan, who had pair of goals in his home debut in Tri-City.
The Seattle Thunderbirds were caught in a serious personnel change last week at the trade deadline. Players were sent out before some of their replacements could get in. As a consequence, the Birds had only 12 skaters - six under the usual 18 - dressed for their Friday night game in Portland. … Portland drew 17,782 that night for ceremonies marking the 15th anniversary of the Winter Hawks’ Memorial Cup championship team.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo