ICE CHIPS: The KOOTENAY ICE begin their 19th season in the WHL and 17th in CRANBROOK after posting a 1-4-0-0 record in five pre-season games...The ICE hold a 9-6-2-1 overall record in season-opening games (4-3-1-1 on the road)...KOOTENAY, who play seven of their first eight games away from home, will conclude the two-game road trip tomorrow in EDMONTON...The ICE home opener is October 3 vs. SPOKANE.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: KOOTENAY is currently carrying 27 players (three goaltenders, nine defensemen and 15 forwards)...The ICE roster is made up of two 1994-born players, eight 1995-born players, seven 1996-born players, seven 1997-born players, and three 1998-born players...KOOTENAY has 11 first-year players on its roster.
DID YOU KNOW: KOOTENAY has qualified for post-season play in each of the 16 years the team has been based in CRANBROOK (the longest active streak in the WHL)...The ICE also hold the WHL record for most consecutive seasons (15) with a .500 or better record (1999-2014)...KOOTENAY holds a 58-63-13-3 lifetime record versus RED DEER (33-29-8-1 at home, 25-34-5-2 on the road, 9-4-9-3 in overtime)...Tonight marks the sixth time the ICE have opened the regular season against the REBELS, with KOOTENAY holding a 1-2-1-1 record..Forward SAM REINHART led all ICE scorers against RED DEER during the 2013-14 season series with nine points (2-7-9)…RYAN CHYNOWETH needs one game to reach 150 career WHL regular season appearances...LEVI CABLE is two games short of 200 career WHL regular season appearances...First-year Defenseman CALE FLEURY is the younger brother of REBELS Defenseman HAYDN FLEURY.
TRANSACTIONS / INJURIES: Forward JAEDON DESCHENEAU (ST. LOUIS BLUES) and Defenseman TANNER FAITH (MINNESOTA WILD) are both currently attending NHL Training Camps...Forwards JON MARTIN (VANCOUVER CANUCKS) and LUKE PHILP (TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS) have been returned to the ICE after attending their respective teams' Rookie Camps...Forward LEVI CABLE will be out of the KOOTENAY line up day-to-day with a lower body injury...Defenseman RINAT VALIEV will be out of the ICE line up four to six weeks with a lower body injury.
ONE YEAR AGO: After one game of the 2013-14 season the ICE were 0-1-0-0, after two games 0-2-0-0 and after three games 1-2-0-0.
DRAFTED PLAYERS: RINAT VALIEV - Toronto Maple Leafs (3rd Round, 2014 NHL Draft), JAEDON DESCHENEAU - St. Louis Blues (5th Round, 2014 NHL Draft), TANNER FAITH – Minnesota Wild (5th Round, 2014 NHL Draft).