NEXT HOME GAMES
Saturday, October 26 – Brooks Bandits – 7 PM
Tuesday, October 29 – Okotoks Oilers – 7 PM
With five regular starters out of the lineup nursing various injuries, the Canmore Eagles have caught a slight break as they prepare for a very difficult portion of their upcoming Alberta Junior Hockey League schedule.
While forwards Nils Moser (knee), Luke Simpson (elbow), Lane Olson (mono), Colton Sandboe (concussion) and defenceman Jakob Lavoie (ankle) recover on the sidelines, the upcoming Selection Camp for the Canada West Junior A World Championship team will put a significant dent in the lineups of both the Brooks Bandits and Okotoks Oilers.
Although no Eagle players were invited to attend the Selection Camp, three Bandits players and two Oiler players were selected and will be missing from their club’s lineups when the two teams come to Canmore for games on Saturday, October 26 and Tuesday, October 29 respectively.
The Team Canada West Selection Camp will run in Calgary from Saturday, Oct. 26 to Wednesday, Oct. 30.
When Brooks (12-2-1) comes to Canmore for Saturday night’s game, they will be without the services of defenceman Maddison Smiley (11 points in 15 games) and forwards Patrick Lee (12 points in 15 games) and Anthony Paskaruk (11 points in 15 games).
In Tuesday night’s home game against the Oilers, Okotoks (9-4-2) will be without the services of forwards John Edwardh (11 points in 15 games) and Rhett Gardner (8 points in 15 games).
“We are very disappointed that none of our players were selected to attend the camp because a couple of our players certainly deserved the opportunity,” said Eagles Head Coach and General Manager Andrew Milne, who specifically singled out Connor Wilson (16 pts in 17 games) as an obvious omission.
Ironically, Milne will be attending the Canada West Selection Camp as an “assistant coach/talent evaluator” at the request of Hockey Canada.
In Milne’s absence, assistant coach and ass. GM Jeremy Reich will assume the head coaching role for a few games. Former Eagle’s assistant coach Kurtis Jones has also agreed to come back and help out behind the Eagle’s bench.
“Jeremy has been here for a full year now, so this will be a great opportunity for him to grab the reigns and take control of the club for a few days,” said Milne. “He’ll probably feel much more comfortable assuming the role of head coach without me anywhere near the dressing room. It will be a great experience for Jeremy and hopefully the players will respond well.”
NOTEBOOK: Saturday night’s home game against the Bandits is “CHEAP BEER NIGHT” with Molson draft beer available in the Eagles Nest Lounge for just $3 – courtesy of Canmore’s Rose and Crown Restaurant and Pub. . . .Eagle’s Equipment Manager Phil Marra was also asked by Hockey Canada to attend the Team Canada West Selection camp and has accepted the role . . .The Eagles have submitted all the necessary paperwork to the Alberta Government for their Stadium Liquor license and are hoping for official approval very soon.