New scout gets look as Chiefs hit the ice

The Spokane Chiefs hit the ice for the first time on Friday, with the focus on seeing top players from recent bantam drafts and seeing what kind of progress they have made.

Up in the stands and the owner’s box were a handful of Chiefs’ scouts and their new leader, Chris Moulton.

Moulton came to Spokane from the Western Hockey League rival Calgary organization during the off-season. As a scout, he’s actually much more familiar with the Chiefs’ younger players than he is their veterans. He has goals for all the players during Spokane’s three-day training camp, which continues today, and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. with the Red-White game.

“We just want kids to grab the bulls by the horns,” said Moulton. “There are opportunities in this organization, in particular for the older kids to take a chance and grab an opportunity. As far as the younger kids, I just want them to play, enjoy Spokane, and show us what they can do.”

He is based in southern British Columbia and will spend most of his season on the road. He said early on he wants to see his team play as much as possible, to fully appreciate where the team’s strengths and weaknesses lie before he spends the year on the road.

He said he already feels satisfied with the comfort level that he’s seen at camp.

“I think we’re fine,” he said. “I think there are some holes to be filled.

“Up front, we have a lot of returning guys. I think guys have to either: (a) step up their game; or (b) changes will have to be made.

“On the blue line, there are holes to be filled. We don’t have all the returning guys like we do up front so some young kids have to come here and try and earn a spot. And, in net, we have Jim (Watt) and Kevin (Opsahl) and these young guys coming.”

Moulton, Ray Dudra, Tim Speltz, and the rest of the scouts huddle after each game with the coaching staff and evaluate the top players in the game. The four teams will be pared to two teams for Sunday’s Red-White scrimmage.

Young guns

The Chiefs’ last two No. 1 bantam picks were paired on the same line and looked good.

Drayson Bowman, a 16-year-old, was a winger to 2005 first-round pick, 15-year-old Mitch Wahl of California.

Both players looked good in their first ice time. Bowman, a little bigger player, held his own up front and had several good shifts. Wahl, whose game is more quickness and puck handling, showed his offensive firepower and set up some of his teammates well.

“They’re going to complement each other well; they’re going to be a good combination for years to come,” said Moulton of the pair.

Each of the players said they are excited to be in camp. This is the first one for Wahl, who can’t play in the league as a 15-year-old and will spend this winter with the L.A. Kings AAA 18-U team.

That’s the situation in which Bowman found himself last year, his first Chiefs camp. He played in Kimberley, British Columbia, in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL).

“It felt a little weird, just to get into competitive hockey again,” said Bowman. “But, as the game went on, I’m sure everybody felt better. My effort was good; I didn’t quite have everything together, but it will get better as camp goes on.”

Bowman did so in the second game, scoring a pair of goals. As for whether he plans on making the team this year, Bowman said he hopes to contribute to the franchise as it tries to rebound from a last-place finish.

For his part, Wahl was smiling ear-to-ear after he came off the ice. He had a couple of goals, but also showed a lot of promise as a playmaker. “It was really fun; I was really excited to come to this camp,” said Wahl. “I’ve been looking forward to it for a few months now.”

Wahl said he immediately noticed the difference in level of play from youth hockey.

“Bigger guys, faster, harder shooting, everything,” he said, humbly.

Off-season programs

Several of the Chiefs applied themselves to the goals of increasing weight, quickness, agility – or all of the above.

Most notable in the weight gain category is tough man Myles Stoesz, who added nearly 20 pounds of mostly muscle mass. He said it’s a nice feeling to be knocking some people around on the ice.

Spokane’s Derek Ryan, the Western Conference’s top rookie last year, tried his best and gained only about 4 or 5 pounds, but all of it muscle. Ryan’s game relies more on speed and his stick handling anyway.