Chiefs’ Lynch stays home, awaiting trade

The Lynch Era has officially ended with the Spokane Chiefs.

The team confirmed Tuesday what had been rumored on the eve of training camp: Defenseman Jason Lynch won’t be back with the Western Hockey League team. The Chiefs are trying to trade him and he’ll stay at home until that happens.

Lynch, a 6-foot-4, 214-pounder, will be a 19-year-old this season. He is the youngest of four brothers to have played with Spokane, following in the footsteps of Doug, Scott and Jeff.

In February 2003, the Lynches earned the distinction of being the only set of four brothers to play together in a major junior game. The game marked the WHL debut of Jason, then 15. He broke in with the Chiefs the following season and played in 38 games, then played full seasons with the club the last two years.

In a situation that might seem a bit puzzling from the outside – Lynch was an assistant captain last season – both Lynch and general manager Tim Speltz said the matter was straightforward.

“I just feel like I need a fresh start,” said Lynch, refusing to cite specific reasons. Lynch said it wasn’t one thing that caused him to ask for a trade, but several factors.

“From his standpoint, he was looking for a fresh start,” said Speltz. “From our standpoint, we are looking players that want to be part of the solution.”

Speltz said representatives of the Chiefs met with Lynch, like all players, at the end of last season and told him what was expected during the off-season and the upcoming season. Sometime after that meeting, Speltz said Lynch asked to be traded.

Lynch’s two full-time seasons were spent on teams that struggled to win and missed the playoffs. He scored nine points with the team, had minus-13 ratings each of the past two seasons, and had a career-high 191 penalty minutes last season.

“In other news, Speltz confirmed that all of this year’s drafted bantam players, including No. 1 overall pick Jared Cowen, will attend camp.

Players report Thursday and the camp ends Sunday.