Typical of the early going, roster shuffling continued as the Lloydminster Bobcats opened their Alberta Junior Hockey League regular season.
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New defenceman Quinn Keeler arrived in time for practice last Thursday, Sept. 18, the day before the Bobcats’ inaugural game at the new Cenovus Energy Hub.
Keeler, a 19-year-old Calgarian, played in the BCHL last season with the Cranbrook Bucks. He joined Lloydminster after a pre-season stint with Cranbrook this month.
“He’s a player that we’re familiar with from the Calgary Royals organization,” said Nigel Dube, the Bobcats’ general manager. “Obviously, he went west last year.
“Our scouting staff do a great job of following players and having those notes, so if somebody becomes available, you can look back (and check his credentials). We talk about it a lot, it’s not only the player but the person, so we knew a lot about Quinn’s character. Also, he’s close to (Bobcats forward) Kael Screpnek. They played together two years ago (with the U18 AAA Royals).”
TIMELY ARRIVAL
Keeler stepped into Lloyd’s lineup for both weekend home games as the Bobcats split with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, a 4-2 win Friday and a 4-0 loss Saturday.
His arrival was timely, because the Bobcats were missing two returning defencemen in Dylan Deets and Noah Smith. Deets, 17, was injured soon after his return from a WHL tryout with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Smith, 18, is recovering from off-season surgery. He’s projected to be out of action until at least mid-October.
“Keeler brings some experience back there,” Dube said. “You’ve got a couple of veteran players that are in the stands right now, and maybe for some time, so he adds a little bit of steadiness and some calmness as well.”
Bobcats coach Eric Labrosse saw those qualities — and more — in Keeler during both games on the weekend.
“I think he brought us what we were expecting,” Labrosse said. “He brought some stability on our D squad, having some experience from the BCHL last year. He’s a righty, which are hard to find sometimes, to have a (right-shot) defenceman. He has that experience, so he helped us.
“I thought he did exactly what I expected of him. He broke out pucks well. He was able to sustain some offence from the blueline, also. So, overall, I was happy with his weekend.”
Keeler and his buddy Screpnek assisted on Matthew Hikida’s power-play goal in Friday’s opening-night victory.
OHA PREP SNIPER
The Bobcats have also added to their forward depth with the arrival of Tucker Robertson, who most recently spent the pre-season in the BCHL with the Trail Smoke Eaters.
The 18-year-old native of West Kelowna, B.C., scored 23 goals and 54 points in 36 games last season with Okanagan Hockey Academy’s U18 prep team.
Lloydminster scouts tracked his progress during his three years with OHA’s U16, U17 and U18 prep clubs.
Robertson was slated to hit the ice with the Bobcats for the first time at practice Monday, Sept. 22.
GOYETTE GOES HOME
Dube said Robertson would provide skill up the middle, especially with the sudden departure of Quebec major junior recruit Loic Goyette just days before the regular season.
“He chose to go back home,” the GM said about Goyette, who turns 20 in October.
“Yeah, a surprise, for sure. (Here) a couple of days and gone back. But we’ll move forward with the guys that want to be here and work toward our common goals.”
Goyette played three-plus seasons in the QMJHL, but after leaving Lloydminster he wasn’t expected to return to major junior for his overage year, Dube said.
“No, I think he’s going to look to pursue other things in life, outside of hockey.”
BOOST FOR LANCERS
Among other roster changes at the end of the pre-season, Lloyd moved 19-year-old defenceman Charlie Stucke back to the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, where he played the past two years.
On the local front, 17-year-old defence prospect Rhett Romanchuk was returned to the U18 AAA Lloydminster Lancers after an extended pre-season stay with the Bobcats. He’s overcoming an injury as he prepares for the opening of the Lancers’ regular season Oct. 4. They finish their exhibition schedule this weekend with a tournament in Devon.
Past and potentially future Bobcats began the WHL regular season last weekend.
Red Deer goaltender Matthew Kondro made 39 saves in the Rebels’ 4-1 loss to the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday. The Bobcats acquired Kondro’s AJHL rights in an August trade with the Drumheller Dragons. He turns 18 in December.
Kondro might become available now that Red Deer has regained the services of Chase Wutzke, the 19-year-old goaltender who just this week signed with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.
In his WHL debut, Calgary forward Ty Hynes picked up an assist in the visiting Hitmen’s 5-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday.
The 17-year-old Hynes, who has family roots in Lloydminster, signed with the Bobcats after attending their spring prospects camp. This week, however, the Hitmen announced the signing of Hynes to a WHL deal.
MOORE MAKES MAGICAL DEBUT
Cooper Moore, the Bobcats’ rookie sensation last season, continues to make strides with the major junior Kamloops Blazers. In his first WHL regular-season game, the 19-year-old forward scored the winning goal shorthanded Saturday as host Kamloops defeated the Spokane Chiefs 6-4. A week earlier, Moore signed with the Blazers after performing well in the pre-season.
“It was incredible,” Moore said about his WHL regular-season opener. “You dreamed of playing in the league as a kid, so to see it come true and to experience that was great. Also, it was amazing to get that first goal and first win of the season. Hopefully, lots more to come of both.”
HUB’S OPENING NIGHT ‘UNREAL’
Lloydminster was abuzz Friday as 1,827 fans showed up for the first official game at the Hub. The Bobcats had just moved into the new arena the previous week, after staging training camp and most of the pre-season at the venerable Centennial Civic Centre.
“Great work by everybody on the team to put it together,” Dube said on opening night. “From our ticketing (crew) to all our volunteers, making sure everything worked smoothly.
“We worked within the means of what we had tonight, and I thought our team executed a game-day operation like no other, for the first real kick at the can here in the building. The support was unreal, and what a turnout. That’s a big part. If we can do that every game here, what an exciting place it will be.”
It was a tough act to follow Saturday night, but attendance for the second game still eclipsed the 1,000-fan mark. The count was 1,042, for a two-game weekend total of 2,869.
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