Chiefs debut tonight

They’ll all be there tonight.

General manager Tim Speltz will be there, watching his Spokane Chiefs officially begin defense of their Memorial Cup and Western Hockey League titles in Cranbrook, British Columbia, against the Kootenay Ice.

Kootenay general manager Jeff Chynoweth will be there. He’ll be in the spotlight when his father – former WHL Chairman of the Board and president Ed Chynoweth – is honored in a pregame ceremony prior to a contest that will be broadcast live across Western Canada and in Spokane.

And league commissioner Ron Robison will be there as well, to dedicate the season to the elder Chynoweth – the man responsible for four decades of building major junior hockey to what it is today who lost his battle with cancer earlier this year.

The Ed Chynoweth Cup – formerly the President’s Cup and awarded to the Chiefs last spring after they swept Lethbridge in four games for the league title – will be there in memory of Big Ed, and in memory of what Spokane accomplished.

“It might be overstated a little, but to be first team to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup – that’s so special for me, personally, but also for the organization,” Speltz said. “Ed was a friend of the Chiefs, for sure, and it means a lot for us to be at that game with the trophies we earned last year. We’re playing in the feature game and we’re the only ones playing that night, us as the champions, playing Ed’s team that he was responsible for bringing to Kootenay – it’s fantastic.

“It’s going to be special night, no doubt about it.”

There will be some players, though, who won’t be there. That means it’s also going to be another night of opportunity, for veterans and rookies alike.

The guys who weren’t able to play as much last season as rookies – forward Dustin Donaghy or defenseman Brett Bartman, for example – will see plenty of ice time while newcomers will continue to showcase their potential for the coaches while many key veterans are away at NHL camps.

“We’re really looking forward to the season beginning, of course, but we have to also be patient right at the start here,” Speltz said.

Last season’s first-line center, Mitch Wahl, a second-round pick of the Calgary Flames in this summer’s NHL draft, will make the trip after he was released from camp with the Flames. He returned to Spokane Wednesday.

But all other prospects will be gone, including last season’s leading scorer, Drayson Bowman, who has an outside chance of cracking Carolina’s roster after signing with the Hurricanes over the summer. Forward Justin McCrae is also at camp with Carolina, and veteran defensemen Jared Spurgeon (New York Islanders) and Justin Falk (Minnesota Wild) are gone as well.

Memorial Cup MVP goalie Dustin Tokarski is still at camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but could return soon, while forward Tyler Johnson earned an invite to stay in Phoenix for main camp with the Coyotes.

Ice chips

The Chiefs are ranked No. 1 in the WHL preseason poll of hockey writers. Spokane received 14 first-place votes and 371 points. Kelowna (343 points) was second and Lethbridge (335) third. … All WHL players will wear the initials E.C. on their helmets this season to honor Ed Chynoweth. … Import forward Ondrej Roman, a Dallas Stars prospect, is still home in the Czech Republic, with no new developments on his transfer agreement being signed by the IIHF, Speltz said.