By PATRICK KING
sporstnet.ca
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas for teams across the Canadian Hockey League.
As the principal feeder league to the National Hockey League, many of the member teams had been awaiting word on their top players who were attending NHL camps. Perhaps the most anxious team was the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings, whose core is back and intact for a run at the Memorial Cup.
Just one day after receiving Brayden Schenn back from Los Angeles camp, the Wheat Kings discovered overage forward Matt Calvert would return. A fifth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008, Calvert was actually offered an NHL contract but turned it down to play for his hometown team, who are hosting the Memorial Cup in May.
“Matt has shown a tremendous commitment to the organization by passing up his first professional contract for the opportunity to play in the Memorial Cup,” Wheat Kings head coach and general manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement.
Calvert was unavailable for comment Tuesday as he returns from Columbus to Brandon. His return will reunite one of the most dominant junior lines the past two seasons, alongside Schenn and Dallas Stars prospect Scott Glennie.
The Wheat Kings also received European players Alexander Urbom and Toni Rajala last week. McCrimmon told sportsnet.ca that Urbom would play in many of the same situations as Keith Aulie did last season. Rajala joined the Wheat Kings but remains sidelined with a knee injury sustained during the summer at the Finnish world junior camp.
The Saskatoon Blades, whom many consider the Wheat Kings’ strongest adversary in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, got an unexpected surprise when overage defenceman Sam Klassen was returned by the New York Rangers. Klassen, who went undrafted, signed with the Blue Shirts this summer where it was then believed the Blades would be without him.
The Blades then went about improving their chances by adding a scorer in a trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Saskatoon traded for Jeremy Boyer, a local product who had 56 points through 71 games with the Thunderbirds last season.
In the Ontario Hockey League, a pair of Midwest Division rivals just got stronger as the Kitchener Rangers and London Knights were the beneficiaries of NHL camps closing. The Rangers will finally have former United States Hockey League star defenceman John Moore in the lineup after the Columbus Blue Jackets assigned him to Kitchener on Monday. Moore is a dynamic skater with offensive vision and should be a big factor in the resurgence of the Rangers this season.
The Knights, meanwhile, will see the return of forward Nazem Kadri from Toronto Maple Leafs camp. Kadri had impressed with the Maple Leafs but will be better suited joining his hometown Knights for his fourth season in the league.
The Calgary Hitmen received a big boost Sunday when 53-goal scorer Joel Broda was reassigned by the Washington Capitals. Broda scored the game-winner in his first game back on Sunday, a 3-2 win over Central Division rival Red Deer. The Hitmen should remain in the thick of things this season with Broda’s unexpected return.
The Portland Winterhawks, meanwhile, also saw the return of an overager in goaltender Kurtis Mucha who attended the Edmonton Oilers’ training camp.
Chiefs-Hurricanes blockbuster
It didn’t take long for the first blockbuster trade to be consummated in the league this season. The Spokane Chiefs, winners of the 2008 Memorial Cup, could be back in contention after the addition of forward Kyle Beach from the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Beach is the league’s most dominant power-forward. He is known as a pest and intimidating presence but his career has been underlined by a perceived bad attitude. The Chiefs aren’t worried about his alleged character issues after having played against him, as a U.S. Division opponent with the Everett Silvertips, for the first two and a half seasons of Beach’s career.
“He’s a Kelowna boy and obviously Kelowna’s in the Western Conference as well so that will give him a couple trips home,” Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz explained. “I think that’s important for any player but I think Kyle was comfortable out here.
“He’s physical and he can beat you a number of ways. He’s the complete package.”
Spokane named Jared Cowen captain after he was returned by the Ottawa Senators. Cowen missed the end of last season after a knee injury sidelined him from the end of January through the playoffs. In his first game back on Saturday he had two points, including the game-winning goal against the Tri-City Americans.
sportsnet.ca will have an in-depth look at the Spokane Chiefs later this week.
In return for Beach, the Hurricanes acquired defencemen Mike Reddington and Landon Oslanski. Lethbridge also added overage goaltender Linden Rowat and Czech forward Radim Valchar in separate deals with the Regina Pats and Portland Winterhawks.
Cousineau takes off with Rocket
Fresh off winning the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season with Drummondville, overage goaltender Marco Cousineau is back with a championship-calibre team.
The P.E.I. Rocket traded their first-round pick in 2011 to acquire Cousineau from Drummondville. His experience at last year’s Memorial Cup made him one of the most highly sought-after players of the new season.
“He brings a lot of experience,” P.E.I. head coach Guy Chouinard said. “Obviously to have another champion in the dressing room could only help.”
In three starts since joining the Rocket, Cousineau has a 2-1 record and a .957 save percentage. Chouinard felt that by adding Cousineau his team could remain one of the top teams in the top-heavy Atlantic Division.
“We can have a good year and finish fourth,” he said. “To be even with (teams like Moncton) sometimes you need goaltending. We know what (Nicola) Riopel did for them last year in Moncton. Hopefully Cousineau can repeat for the P.E.I. Rocket this year.
“It doesn’t matter which league you play in — your goaltender has to be your best player and obviously for us Cousineau will become and has become our best player so far. I think it’s a big step — I don’t think we’re done yet — but it’s a big step towards what we want to achieve this year.”
NOTES: The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds traded disgruntled forward Michael Fine to the Kingston Frontenacs late on Tuesday. Fine had previously been sent home to await a trade. The Frontenacs sent a trio of conditional draft picks in exchange for Fine … The Saginaw Spirit extended the contract of head coach Todd Watson and promoted him to general manager … The Acadie-Bathurst Titan re-signed general manager Sylvain Couturier to a 10-year extension through the 2019-2020 season … Eric Veilleux agreed to a contract extension as head coach of the Shawinigan Cataractes … Drummondville defenceman Dmitry Kulikov agreed to a contract with the Florida Panthers. Kulikov can play up to nine games in the NHL before a decision on his future needs to be made … The Vancouver Giants acquired forward Cass Mappin from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for left winger Andrej Kudrna … Portland acquired forward Killian Hutt from Regina for a draft pick … Saskatoon traded Tyler Matheson to Kelowna for a conditional draft pick.
