ICE CHIPS: The KOOTENAY ICE opened the season with a 5-3 win in RED DEER last night...KOOTENAY, who play seven of their first eight games away from home, will conclude a stretch of three consecutive games away from home September 27 in RED DEER...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 23-14-3-2 lifetime record versus EDMONTON (14-5-1-1 at home, 9-9-2-1 on the road, 5-3-2 in overtime)...The ICE posted a 2-2-1-1 record versus the OIL KINGS last season...Forwards SAM REINHART (3-2-5), LUKE PHILP (2-3-5) and Defenseman RINAT VALIEV (0-5-5) led all KOOTENAY scorers against EDMONTON during the 2013-14 season series with five points…RYAN CHYNOWETH appeared in his 150th career WHL regular season game Friday in RED DEER...LEVI CABLE is one game short of 200 career WHL regular season appearances...First-year Defensemen BRYAN ALLBEE, DYLAN OVERDYK and CALE FLEURY recorded their first career WHL points (all assists) Friday against RED DEER…With a birthdate of November 19th, 1998, FLEURY is the youngest player currently on a WHL active roster.
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' Prospect Camps...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).