As tourist destinations go, Edmonton isn’t a city that readily springs to the forefront. The region is flat, it’s windy, and, let’s face it, cold in winter.

Adam Brown could care less about all that stuff. Why, he’d love to live there, albeit it as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.

One week from now, Brown will leave Kelowna for Edmonton on a free-agent tryout with the Oilers. His stay in Alberta will be short — just 36 hours — before leaving for Penticton to compete in the Young Stars Tournament at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The round-robin tournament runs Sept. 11-15, and features top prospects from the Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity,” said Brown, who leaves for Edmonton on Sept. 8. “How long I’ll be Edmonton depends on how I do, so it’s not for a set period of time. After the Young Stars Tournament, we’ll see what happens from there.”

Should the 20-year-old be returned to Kelowna, for what would be his final season of major-junior eligibility, it’ll be a move that’s OK with the Rockets’ top goaltender.

“This should be a really exciting season,” said Brown. “We have a lot of good, young guys coming in, a couple of 16-year-olds stepping in on defence who are going to be really good, and with the large number of returnees we have, I think we have a shot at a really good season.”

If there’s one aspect that underscores this camp, it’s confidence. Not swaggering confidence, but, rather, strong knowledge that this team is on the cusp of something good. Much like the 2008-09 team before it took off following the mid-season acquisition of Mikael Backlund.  

“I think there’s a lot of similarities between this team and the 2009 team,” said Brown. “That team had a lot of older, returning guys who were ready to step into big roles and had young guys who filled into their roles as well. Right now, I see a lot of both in this team. So there are some similarities, but this is also a different team. Hopefully we can have a little better start to the season.”

Yes, that terrible start to 2010-11.

For a refresher, the Rockets lost their first four games of the season, seven of their first 10 and 10 of their first 14 before stringing together a six-game winning streak and establishing consistency. Statistically, the losses didn’t hurt Kelowna, as the Rockets placed first in B.C. Division standings and second in the Western Conference, well behind first-place Portland.

Continuing on with new starts, Mitchell Callahan will be facing a new beginning as his journey into professional hockey starts.

“I’m happy, but it’s also overwhelming,” said Callahan, 20, a Detroit Red Wings draft pick. “This is the first time I’m not going to be playing with some of these guys again. But it’s also exciting to be here at main camp, because everybody’s really pumped up for the season. I think all the guys are excited because they’re going to have a pretty good team. I don’t know where I’ll wind up yet, so it’s kinda exhilarating to see where I’m going to go.”

In the short-term, Callahan, who hails from Whittier, Calif., is off to Traverse City, Mich., on Sept. 8 for a prospects tournament with Detroit. After that, it’s likely off to the Red Wings’ farm team in Grand Rapids, Mich., Griffins.

“Kelowna has been my home for the past three years, and it’s pretty sad to leave it,” said Callahan, who signed a three-year contract with Detroit last spring. “But, at the same time, I want my career to move on.”

ICE CHIPS: With Kelowna’s training camp having reached its halfway point, the Rockets were expected to cut around a dozen or so players from the roster list of 56 on Wednesday night. . . . There will be more cuts, as the team wants to be between 27 and 30 players for its two exhibition games this weekend. The Rockets host the Vancouver Giants on Friday night, then the Victoria Royals on Saturday evening. Both contests feature 7 p.m. starts. . . .  Among the camp attendees is the Rockets’ first selection from the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft, Rourke Chartier, a 5-foot-7 centre from Saskatoon who was selected 15th overall. . . . Too young to play in the WHL this season, Kelowna’s goal is to have Chartier make the roster next season. . . . Said Rockets assistant general manager Lorne Frey of Chartier: “You can’t miss his passion for the game. He loves to play, he has a good work ethic and his skill level is outstanding. He’s competitive . . . he’s just one of those young guys that you love to watch play and you know that you’re going to get the same effort out of him every night.”

Growing season for Sissons

Sophomore forward adds size, maturity; faces big expectations

Colton Sissons has grown since last year. Physically and mentally.

A year ago, the North Vancouver forward joined the Kelowna Rockets in decent shape and tilted the scales at an even six feet and 173 pounds. Today, after countless hours of training this past spring and summer, he’s an inch taller and is noticeably bigger, and especially fitter, having added 17 pounds of lean muscle.

“I thought I was in pretty good shape last year, but, this year, I really pushed myself in the gym,” said Sissons, who had 17 goals and 41 points in 63 games last season, his first WHL campaign. “I really worked hard and I feel really good coming into training camp. I feel stronger and faster, and the cardio is pretty good, too.”

“He’s put on some weight and he did a good job in physical testing,”  Rockets coach Ryan Huska said of Sissons, 17, who was 180 pounds in April but is now 190. “Like most guys, he wants to give himself a chance to start on the right foot, and you can see the work he put in during the off-season.”

While adding size is always a big bonus, Sissons’ biggest off-season accomplishment was jamming a duffel bag of confidence into his brain.

Last season, the rookie was hesitant when it came to media interviews, his answers clipped and short — a sure sign of youth and nervousness. But on Tuesday, with Kelowna having opened its training-camp doors, Sissons didn’t hesitate in being interviewed. In fact, he was comfortable with the interview, a 180-degree turnaround from just a  year ago.

“He’s growing, and I think he’s going to be an exciting player,” Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton said. “I absolutely see him being a professional player.”

For Sissons, his growth can be directly linked to Kelowna’s two-round playoff run, especially against the Portland Winter Hawks in the second round.

Though Portland won the best-of-seven series 4-2, the Rockets pushed the Hawks and gained a lot of self respect.

“I think I progressed a lot from Day 1,” said Sissons. “I was pretty anxious, pretty nervous at first, but then I settled down after Christmas and got onto a pretty good line and started producing more offence. I think I just took my game to a whole new level after Christmas.

“In the playoffs, against Portland, if we had won Game 3 in Kelowna (a 5-4 Portland win), I think we would have taken the series,” continued Sissons, who had three goals and six points in 10 playoff games. “It was a really tight series and I thought we played really hard. It could have gone either way. It’s just too bad it didn’t go our way.”

Asked if pushing Portland resulted in a confidence boost, along with Kelowna returning 19 players this season, Sissons said yes.

“We’re totally optimistic about this season,” said Sissons. “We’re really happy with the group of guys we have coming back and everyone’s excited. If we get off to a little bit of a better start this season, there should be no stopping us when we start our playoff run.”

Though the Rockets have a rosy season ahead — Kelowna has a proven goaltender in Adam Brown, their defence, though young, seems locked up and they have four solid snipers in Sissons, Zach Franko, Brett Bulmer and Shane McColgan — the main questions for this year’s training camp surround the team’s offence. 

Questions like: Who’ll be in the top six? Sissons, for one, but where will he play? The first line or second line?

“Colton is a guy we’re going to need,” said Huska. “Every position is going to be earned, but we fully expect Colton to be (among the top six forwards). He was there last year for us; he centered our top line in the second half of the season, and he did a great job. So we’re expecting him to continue to develop.”

“Up front, there’s going to be some real good competition on who gets to play where,” added Hamilton, stating his team is not only built for this season, but 2012-13 and 2013-14 as well because of his team’s young blue-line. “Getting in the top 12 should be OK, but to get in the first nine is going to be a push for some guys. Getting into the top six, well, a bunch of guys will be wanting to get into those positions.”

“The fight for positions, I think, is going to be really good for us,” said Sissons. “It’s going to keep us sharp so that no one gets lazy or gets comfortable; everyone is going to have to bring a consistent game. Our coaches said that there’s going to be a lot of accountability, so if we’re not producing, you’re not going to be in the top six.”

ICE CHIPS: Main camp continues today, starting at nine a.m. . . . Main camp features 56 players divided into three teams. Overall, there are six goaltenders, 18 defencemen and 32 forwards. . . . Today’ schedule: Practice (Team 3), 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.; Scrimmage (Team 1 and 2), 10:45 a.m. to noon; Practice (Team 1), 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.; Scrimmage (Teams 2 and 3). 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Rockets to open main-camp doors Tuesday

With rookie camp over and done with, the Kelowna Rockets are now getting down to business.

The business of main camp, that is.

Today, starting at 9 a.m., tryouts for Kelowna’s 2011-12 roster commence at Prospera Place. Main camp action runs until Friday, with two practices and two scrimmages a day, except for the final day, which features just a two-hour practice. On Monday afternoon, the team held its registration and players meeting, and between 55 and 60 players are expected to compete in main camp.

And with 19 returning players from last season’s roster, it’ll be slim job pickings for those who hope to crack the Rockets’ approximate 24-player lineup, regardless of what type of “no-jobs-are-safe-here” spin that Kelowna puts forth.

Certainly not returning are last season’s three 20-year-olds — forwards Evan Bloodoff, Geordie Wudrick plus defenceman Zak Stebner — and Kelowna’s two Europeans, Gal Koren and Andreas Stene, both of whom were released in May.

Also all but gone are Kelowna’s top player, defenceman Tyson Barrie (Colorado Avalanche), who should move on to pro hockey this season, most likely the AHL, along with gritty forward Mitchell Callahan (Detroit Red Wings).

In March, Colorado, which selected Barrie in the third round of the 2009 NHL entry draft, 64th overall, signed the blue-liner to a three-year entry-level contract, all but ensuring his graduation from the WHL. Callahan, drafted by Detroit in 2009, signed a three-year deal with the Wings last year.

So, who’s returning? Let’s start with the team’s two goaltenders, who are locked into their positions, that being 20-year-old starter Adam Brown and 18-year-old backup Jordon Cooke. Overall, there will be five goalies at main camp.

Last season, Brown was one of the league’s top goalies in the regular season, with a third-best save percentage of 91.6 per cent. He also had the fifth-best goals-against average at 2.59. Darcy Kuemper of Red Deer topped both categories at 93.3 and 1.86.

Defensively, six blue-liners should return, including rookie Madison Bowey, who was called up for the playoffs. The defence also features just one 20-year-old in Kevin Smith, though there are two solid 19-year-olds in Mitchell Chapman and Colton Jobke. The other returning defencemen are Damon Severson and MacKenzie Johnston. 

 Also expected to be in main camp is rookie blue-liner Jesse Lees, who was called up for three regular-season games in 2010-11 — which means the realistic number of locked-up jobs is 20, not 19. 

Up front, 11 forwards should return, including leading scorer Shane McColgan, 20-year-old Cody Chikie and rookie Tyrell Goulbourne, who was called up from midget late in the season and played well in post-season action against the Portland Winter Hawks. Other returning forwards include Zach Franko, Colton Sissons, Spencer Main, Brett Bulmer and Jessey Astles.

Kelowna’s rookie camp, which ran Thursday to Sunday, attracted 160 players, of which, around 10 were selected to compete in main camp.

Practice and scrimmage times this week are as follows:

Tuesday: Practice (Team 1), 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.; Scrimmage (Teams 2 and 3), 10:45 a.m. to noon; Practice (Team 2), 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.; Scrimmage ( Teams 1 and 3), 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Wednesday: Practice (Team 3), 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.; Scrimmage (Team 1 and 2), 10:45 a.m. to noon; Practice (Team 1), 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.; Scrimmage (Teams 2 and 3). 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Thursday: Practice (Team 2) 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.; Scrimmage (Teams 1 and 3) 10:45 a.m. to noon; Practice and Scrimmage, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday: Practice, 10 a.m. to noon.

Rockets battling over import’s playing rights

By Larry Fisher

The Daily Courier

The Dubuque Fighting Saints have won this battle, but might still lose the war. That is, the war over dynamic Latvian forward Zemgus Girgensons, a top 2012 NHL draft prospect.

The Kelowna Rockets selected Girgensons with the 45th overall pick in this summer’s CHL Import Draft, but the 17-year-old won’t be reporting to the Central Okanagan for next week’s rookie camp. Instead, Girgensons will be returning to Dubuque, Iowa, where he posted an impressive 21 goals and 49 points in 51 games last season for the Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League.

Still, Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton hasn’t given up on luring Girgensons north of the border at some point this season or next.

“It’s at a stalemate,” Hamilton said. “His agents think (Dubuque) is where he should be playing and he’s very loyal to that program. But I know as soon as he’s drafted, the NHL team’s not going to want him in Dubuque and they’re not going to want him going to the University of Vermont, either. We’ll have a real good opportunity to have him here for sure next year, and potentially after Christmas this year. When the Latvian team plays in the world juniors, we’ll be very aggressive again there.”

There is no transfer agreement between the WHL and USHL and no transaction would be necessary for Girgensons to jump ship mid-season. The Rockets have rolled the dice on high-end Europeans in the import draft and successfully landed them in years past, such as current Calgary Flames forward Mikael Backlund, who was another late arrival but helped lead Kelowna to the 2009 WHL championship and Memorial Cup final.

The Rockets have also had success with another Latvian product, Lauris Darzins, a left-winger who called Kelowna home from 2004 to 2006, was drafted by the Nashville Predators and currently plays in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. Hamilton even had Darzins help in selling Girgensons on Kelowna and the Rockets, to no avail.

“We’re going to go after him still,” Hamilton insisted. “I’m not worried about him starting the year down there because the USHL is stealing players out of Canada on a daily basis right now, so it won’t bother me if we steal one out of there.”

For now, the Rockets will have to settle for one import — Slovakian sniper Filip Vasko, the 58th overall selection this year. Kelowna traded for that pick, acquiring it from the Portland Winterhawks, after catching wind that Vasko was contemplating coming overseas to play.

“This guy was never coming over and then we got word late in the draft that he would consider coming and would consider coming here, so we took a gamble and picked him,” Hamilton said of Vasko, who is expected to arrive in Kelowna next Wednesday. “We’re excited to have him coming, and from all reports he’s a pretty good player. He’s another skilled guy and he’s going to be a good draft pick next year, too.”

Rockets head coach Ryan Huska is looking forward to Vasko’s addition, to see where and how he fits into the depth chart. Also 17, Vasko has played against older competition the past two seasons in Slovakia’s under-20 league, tallying 23 goals and 60 points in 78 games, plus 32 goals and 71 points in 61 games at the under-18 level.

“I’ve had great reports from a lot of different coaches on this young man,” Huska said. “One guy you could make a comparison to is Zach Franko, where he’s a very fast and skilled forward that will hopefully fit in nicely with one of our offensive lines.”

Vasko joins a talented offensive core that already consists of last year's leading scorer Shane McColgan, Franko and another top 2012 prospect in Colton Sissons, with the potential for veterans Brett Bulmer and Mitchell Callahan to return if released by their respective NHL clubs.

Huska added that he’d gladly welcome Girgensons to the fold in the future. The hope is these imports, specifically Vasko for the time being, will be upgrades on last year’s castoffs — forwards Andreas Stene of Norway and Gal Koren of Slovenia.

“We went through a tough year last year,” Hamilton said. “The two kids we had, they both came and did everything they could, but they just weren’t good enough. And there’s no sense having those (European) guys if you’ve got Canadian guys that are better than them. Hopefully (Vasko) will be a better fit for what we want and need.”

Brown lands tryout with Oilers

Edmonton invites goalie to prospects camp

By Larry Fisher

The Daily Courier

Adam Brown is finally getting his chances at the next level.

The Kelowna Rockets goaltender, who went undrafted by NHL teams this year and last, recently accepted a free-agent tryout with the Edmonton Oilers, and will attempt to earn an entry-level contract at next month’s Young Stars prospects tournament in Penticton. This, after already auditioning for the Los Angeles Kings during their rookie camp in early July.

“The day after the NHL draft, I got a call from L.A., so I jumped on that opportunity,” Brown said. “It was a really good experience for me. I felt like I stacked up well. I got really good feedback coming out it, and I felt like I made a good impression there.

“But that’s a team with a lot of depth in goal and it’s a hard organization to jump into at this point. I was waiting to hear back on whether they would have a spot for me in their main camp in September or not. But in the meantime I got an invite from Edmonton. I felt that was a little better fit for me.”

At Penticton, Brown will also be playing in front of his father, Newell Brown, an assistant coach for the host Vancouver Canucks. The five-team showcase, which runs from Sept. 11 to 15 at the South Okanagan Events Centre, also features prospects from the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks.

“It’s a huge opportunity for me and I’m just really excited to be going,” said Brown, 19. “(Newell) will be there watching. He’s not on the bench — he’s just in the stands — but just the fact that he’s there, and he’ll get to see me play and how I perform in that tournament, will be a neat experience for me. I just have to go there and try to turn some heads and show them what I can do.”

Brown has showed well in three seasons. He played second to Mark Guggenberger in Kelowna’s run to the 2009 WHL champion-ship and Memorial Cup final, but wound up supplanting the veteran in his sophomore season, then proved his mettle as the team’s undisputed starter last season.

Backstopping a young team, Brown posted 36 wins in 60 games, including three shutouts, while lowering his goals-against average from 2.80 to 2.59 and raising his save percentage from .905 to .916.

“We made contact with the Oilers to see if they had interest in him, and they did,” said Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton. “He deserves an opportunity. Arguably, from Christmas on, he might have been the best goalie in our league last year.

“We’re thrilled for him. And it appears to be an organization that’s looking for young guys, so hopefully he’ll get a real good look there. But, selfishly, we’re hoping he’s back here being our No. 1 goalie and having another stellar year.”

That’s the likely scenario as Edmonton seems set in net at the pro level. The Oilers will likely start the season with a tandem of Devan Dubnyk, a former Kamloops Blazer, and veteran Nikolai Khabibulin, a former Stanley Cup champion. The Oilers also signed journeymen Yann Danis and David LeNeveu to play for the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. At the ECHL level, Olivier Roy, a former world junior goalie for Canada out of the QMJHL, is expected to make his pro debut with the Stockton Thunder this fall.

Plus Edmonton own the rights to Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers, a contender for Canada’s 2012 world junior team, and the Oilers just selected two Finnish goalies in June’s entry draft. Roy and Bunz are also likely to share the crease with Brown during the Young Stars tournament.

“I have a lot of confidence in my game,” Brown said. “I don’t really think of it as going up against those guys. Obviously there’s competition with them because there’s only a certain number of spots. But, for me, it’s not competing against them, it’s always competing against the puck and competing against the forwards. It’s all about stopping pucks for a goalie. It’s not about what the other guys do; it’s all about what you do out there.”

Rockets head coach Ryan Huska, also an assistant with Canada’s national junior team, which recently held a summer evaluation camp, sees some similarities between Brown and Bunz, and thinks both can achieve NHL success someday.

“Both have their strengths and both are guys that love to compete,” Huska said. “That’s important when anybody looks for future goaltenders — guys that will do anything to stop pucks, and both are that way. Hopefully they both have a good showing with the Oilers and go on to have good (WHL) seasons.”

Nothing has come easy for Brown over the years, and he’s never relied on his dad’s connections to get him where he wants to go. That’s why the Oilers’ invitation was even more rewarding.

“I’d take an opportunity wherever I got it. If the Canucks were a team that was interested in me, I definitely wouldn’t turn it down just because of that,” said Brown. “But when you have a family member in hockey, and in an organization like that, you always have people that second-guess you and say ‘he’s only doing it because of this or that.’ So it’s good to make your own name and do your own thing.”

When more than 200 names were called over seven rounds at the 2011 NHL draft in Minnesota without mention of Brown, Hamilton was left shaking his head.

“It’s just funny the way they’re running this thing right now with goalies. They seem to think they need 6-foot-2 guys, and yet the guy that won the Stanley Cup is not 6-foot-2,” Hamilton said of the generously listed 5-foot-11 Tim Thomas, who keyed the Boston Bruins’ victory over Vancouver. Brown is almost as tall, measuring 5-foot-10.

“In Adam’s case, he’s fought through every adversity there is and he’ll fight through this,” Hamilton continued. “I’m sure he’ll open some eyes and I’m confident he’ll do real well down at that (Young Stars) camp.”

Huska shared that sentiment, and doesn’t expect Brown to disappoint the Oilers’ brass.

“It seems like Adam’s always gotta be the guy that goes about things the hard way,” Huska said. “I know the way Adam approaches things, and with his preparation, he’ll be ready and he’ll make himself get noticed at this prospects camp. He’s a good, young goalie and he’ll continue to try to prove people wrong until he gets himself there (to the NHL).”

Brown admitted the latest draft snub is serving as added motivation for this season.

“I’ve been in the gym a ton. I’m in the best shape of my life right now,” Brown said. “I’ve been working really hard off the ice on my quickness and athleticism and also my flexibility. Once I get back on the ice, it’ll be more my battle and compete. I have the technical base, I just have to get myself out of my comfort zone sometimes to be able to make that extra save here and there.”

McColgan upbeat despite early exit from U.S. camp

By Larry Fisher

The Daily Courier

Shane McColgan is no stranger to producing offence. Yet, for whatever reason, the Kelowna Rockets’ leading scorer struggled to put up points at last week’s American world junior evaluation camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., and was subsequently sent home to Manhattan Beach, Calif., earlier than expected.

Playing on a line with top draft picks J.T. Miller and Rocco Grimaldi, McColgan skated in one mini-tournament game against Finland and a couple of U.S. intrasquad matches before being cut.

The week-long event featured two American entries, Finland and Sweden, with the U.S. trimming to one squad at the midway point.

“It was a good experience, and obviously I’d rather still be there, but I’ll be back in December to show them what I can do again,” McColgan said. “They just told me to keep working hard and be a leader and a captain on the team next year for Kelowna, to have a good first half of the year and get invited back for December (selection camp) and hopefully make the team.”

McColgan led the Rockets with 21 goals and 66 points in 67 regular-season games last season, before adding a team-best eight goals and 19 points in 10 playoff games as the Rockets bowed out in the second round, losing to the Portland Winterhawks in six games.

At 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, McColgan is better suited to an offensive role than a checking assignment at the world juniors, which open on Boxing Day in both Calgary and Edmonton.

He’ll have his work cut out for him in cracking the top-six forwards on Team U.S.A., for whom fellow Rocket and California product Mitchell Callahan represented as a bottom-six energy player at last year’s tournament in Buffalo.

“They told me at the beginning of camp that they wanted me to produce offensively and that’s what I do best, and I think why I got cut is because I wasn’t doing that,” McColgan said. “But I was playing a good two-way game and good defensively. They just wanted to see me score and I wasn’t providing that.”

McColgan has prior international experience with U.S. national teams, finishing third at the 2009 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Germany, and also earning a roster spot for last summer’s Ivan Hlinka tournament, only to be sidelined by a knee injury.

Still, Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton suspects more than mediocre statistics for McColgan’s sudden departure from the latest evaluation camp.

“Unfortunately, I think there’s politics involved in this,” said Hamilton. “The American program has to get over that when these guys play in the CHL, they still deserve the same chance.

“We give the college guys a chance although very few of them make it. They don’t want our guys, but in the end, if they want to win, they’re going to need our guys.

“I hope for Shane’s case that he’s in the top end of the scoring at Christmastime and they have to reconsider. I have a funny feeling that Shane McColgan will have the last laugh here.”

Rockets head coach Ryan Huska took a softer approach. As an assistant coach with Canada’s world-junior team, Huska headed for Lake Placid to do some scouting, but he arrived after McColgan’s release.

“They have a ton of good players in that (U.S.) program, so I don’t think you can second-guess any of the decisions that they did make,” Huska said. “But it’s too bad, I would have liked to see him play and compete with some of his peers, to see how he would stack up with the rest of that American team.”

McColgan was one of only two WHL players invited to the U.S. camp, along with speedy forward Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who had helped the U.S. to a bronze medal at the 2011 world juniors.

In total, there were 11 CHL-bound players among 44 hopefuls, with the other nine from the OHL, including several recent NCAA defectors.

“You can tell right when you get there that most of the guys are from college and the U.S. national program. It’s just different styles of play,” said McColgan. “But it was cool seeing all the different leagues playing against each other and how they stack up. It’ll be a really strong team. We have a lot of size and skill. We’re just going to grind away and try to beat you guys in Canada and win the gold.”

With his usage of the word “we,” it’s obvious McColgan still has himself pencilled into the American lineup. He has less than six months to permanently ink a spot.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was about 12 or 13 years old, and it’s definitely not out of reach yet,” said McColgan. “There were three or four guys that got cut in the summer camp like I just did here and there were a few guys that didn’t even go to the summer camp that made (last year’s) team in December. So I’m still keeping my head high. I just have to come into the season strong and help my team win.”

A fifth-round pick (125th overall) by the New York Rangers in June’s NHL entry draft, McColgan will return to Kelowna next Monday to continue his off-season training under Rockets athletic therapist Jeff Thorburn. The Rockets open camp on Aug. 29, with McColgan then leaving Kelowna on Sept. 8 for his first official audition with the Rangers at a prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich.

Once touted as a potential top-10 pick and a sure-fire first-rounder, McColgan’s draft stock plummeted over the last two seasons in Kelowna. This, despite also finishing his rookie season as Kelowna’s highest-scoring forward with 25 goals and 69 points in 71 games — three points back of defenceman Tyson Barrie.

“He did nothing wrong,” Hamilton said. “I think he gets a bad rap because people think he’s selfish and this and that, but he’s a team guy. I don’t think that (draft position) is a big deal. He’s a good player that’s going to be given an opportunity down the road here to show what he can do. Kudos to the Rangers, they took the chance and went with him, and they’ll be rewarded with a special player.”

Hectic days for Huska

By Larry Fisher

The Daily Courier

For a second straight summer, the off-season was shortened for Ryan Huska.

The Kelowna Rockets’ coach will be back on the ice leading his WHL club through rookie and regular training camps later this month, but Huska got a head-start on preparations over the last couple of weeks.

First, he was in Edmonton for Hockey Canada’s evaluation camp, helping oversee the nation’s top 47 prospects vying for roster spots on the under-20 team for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship. The tournament starts on Boxing Day in both Edmonton and Calgary.

Huska will serve as an assistant coach to Don Hay of the Vancouver Giants during the upcoming showcase. Last winter, he was an assistant coach on Dave Cameron’s staff that won silver.

From Edmonton, Huska headed south to Lake Placid, N.Y., where he did some scouting at the American’s summer camp, which included a mini-tournament against Sweden and Finland that wrapped up on Friday. One player he didn’t get to see there was Rockets leading scorer Shane McColgan, who was released prior to Huska’s arrival when the U.S. trimmed its camp roster.

“It was just me that went down, and it was more so a chance to get a look at some of the European teams, because you don’t get that opportunity anywhere else,” said Huska. “And it was a chance for me, again, to learn from some other coaches, watching some practices, and also getting a little bit of an idea about some of the players we’ll be facing at Christmas-time.”

For the most part, Huska and Hay are focused on their roster. That could change, as always, depending on which prospects make the jump to the NHL. Among those auditioning in Edmonton who might not be available come December was Edmonton’s top overall pick, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

“Everything is still kind of up in the air right now,” Huska said of the team make-up. “We have to wait and see what happens with some of the guys that are going to go to their NHL camps. From there, once we know who’s being re-assigned to junior, you can kind of start putting your team together.”

As for camp standouts, Huska highlighted those already receiving praise in various media reports, including forwards Devante Smith-Pelly of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (Anaheim) and Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings (Ottawa).

“Those two definitely had strong showings, but a lot of guys really played well in the camp,” he said, “and that’s a good problem to have. We have a lot of players that we can choose from, and a lot of guys that are capable of playing and doing really well for Canada.”

For Hay, the camp was as much about putting his stamp on the squad as it was determining its depth chart. Hay previously led Canada to gold at the 1995 world juniors in Red Deer and needed to establish his presence 17 years later with a group of players that were mostly in diapers back then.

“We felt it was a very successful camp,” Huska said. “Don did a great job of getting our guys to understand what he was expecting of them in terms of work ethic and the type of style we want to play.”

Rockets' colour man wins golf tournament

OK, so it's not exactly hockey. But it is hockey related.

Gord McGarva linked together a pair of unbeatable rounds this week. That he did so at the home of golf, in St. Andrews, Scotland, made it an even more memorable result.

Earlier this week, McGarva won a two-day qualifying tournament for the right to play in a three-day, match-play tournament at St. Andrews. In qualifying, the West Kelowna resident topped the 240-player field with a five-stroke victory and won the Victory Cup, awarded to the lowest qualifier. McGarva, the only Canadian in the field, shot three-over-par 73 on the Eden Course on Monday, then a one-under par 70 on the New Course on Tuesday for a two-day total of two-over 143.

In addition to winning, McGarva also had recorded the only below-par round in qualifying. The runner-up was Allister Raphael (73-75—148) of Littlestone, England, in a field that featured entries from across Europe and two Americans, but mostly from the U.K.

“It was fun, but it was tough conditions, for sure,” McGarva said from Scotland, where he spends his summers golfing and caddying. “On the first day, the wind was 25-to-30 miles per hour.”

In match play, though, McGarva’s winning ways came to an immediate stop. In opening-round action on Wednesday at the Eden tournament, which has been in existence since 1919, McGarva lost to Russull McNamara of Scotland.

“Unfortunately, in match play, I lost my first game on the first extra hole,”  said McGarva, adding that rain and wet grips played an outcome. “But that’s the way it goes in match play. You win some, you lose some.”

A local high-school teacher, McGarva equalled winning the Victory Cup to his 1999 victory at the Ogopogo Tournament, held annually at The Kelowna Golf and Country Club.

“This is certainly a highlight, right up there with winning the Ogopogo,” said McGarva. “To win a golf tournament, in Scotland, in St. Andrews, by five shots, is amazing. The smile on my face never left, even after I lost in match play.”

Asked if there are any courses in B.C. that resemble the links-style courses at St. Andrews, McGarva quickly replied Sagebrush Golf and Sporting Club near Merritt.

Further, McGarva also caddied for Kelowna’s Samantha Richdale when she tried qualifying on July 25th for the Women’s British Open at Carnoustie. Richdale, 27, failed to qualify, shooting a 71 in the one-day event and missed by just one stroke, though she was the first alternate.

“Getting to caddy for her, I learned some things just by watching her play and then implemented them into my game,” said McGarva. “Watching a professional play, you can’t help but learn something or get reminded of something. Such as trusting your abilities and focusing on the task at hand. These are things I know, but it’s nice to be reminded of them.

“And it helps to plan out every shot, like the professionals do and navigate your way around the course. To caddy for her was a great opportunity. I only wish that she could have gotten into the Women’s British Open. But the way she handled not getting in, and she was disappointed at not making it into the tournament, it was very professional, truly first-class.”

Playoff success topping Myers’ list

By Larry Fisher

The Daily Courier

Terry Pegula is sparing no expense in making the Buffalo Sabres a Stanley Cup contender. One of the new owner’s biggest expenses will come next summer, when towering defenceman Tyler Myers is up for a new contract.

Entering the final season of his entry-level deal — which will pay him US$875,000 with an additional $425,000 in potential performance bonuses for a cap hit of $1.3 million — Myers will be due a sizeable raise as a restricted free agent ahead of the 2012-13 campaign.

Team success, though, remains Myers’ top priority after first-round playoff exits in his first two NHL seasons.

In that sense, the 6-foot-8 defence-man is on the same page as Pegula.

“One thing I think everyone has really noticed with Terry is he’s very passionate for the team, the city and for the fans,” said Myers, a former Kelowna Rocket, who, like many NHLers now, relocates to the Okanagan during the off-season.

“You can tell he wants to win. Our main objective is to bring the Cup to Buffalo, and Terry’s doing everything he can to help us out with that.”

Everything including locking up a potential long-term defence partner for Myers by inking former Vancouver Canucks blue-liner Christian Ehrhoff to a 10-year, $40-million contract in late June, just days after finalizing the sale of the franchise.

“He’s obviously a big pick-up and we’re all really excited to have him,” Myers said of Ehrhoff. “Even just watching him in the playoffs, one thing I noticed is he’s got a bomb (of a shot). I’m sure we’ll be using that a lot, on the power play.”

With franchise goaltender Ryan Miller also in the fold for at least the next three seasons, and a deep supporting cast on the back end and up front, Myers feels the off-season additions of Ehrhoff, fellow rearguard Robyn Regehr and scoring forward Ville Leino could put the Sabres over the top sooner than later. Regehr was acquired in a trade from Calgary, while Leino was another free-agent signing set to earn $27 million spread over the next six years.

“It’s been great. Ever since Terry came in, everybody is pretty excited with the way our team is shaping up,” Myers said. “Coming into this season, especially the way we played in the second half last year, everyone is looking forward to it.”

Having tasted playoff success in junior — winning a WHL title and losing the Memorial Cup final with Kelowna in 2009 — Myers is hungry for the same experience as a pro.

“That’s the plan, for sure,” he said. “It’s a competitive league and it was a tough loss against (Philadelphia) last year. It just makes me — along with the other guys, I’m sure — want to win even more.”

Myers, who has spent the last two summers training in Kelowna, is still developing. At 21, he also hasn’t fully grown into his tall frame.

“There’s always room to work on things,” said Myers, who is listed at 227 pounds. “One thing I noticed, especially coming into last season, is I don’t want to try to do too much. Defence first, keep it simple and let things fall into place. Play hard, that’s the big thing, but there’s always room for improvement.”

It should be a learning experience for Myers with Ehrhoff and Regehr now around.

In Kelowna’s alumni game, Myers skated on the same squad as Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators.

“He’s a guy that always brings a leadership presence to the room and to the guys around him even if he doesn’t say anything,” Myers said of Weber, who was awarded $7.5-million, one-year deal in arbitration on Aug. 2. “Just with what he’s done and to be the good guy he is on top of it, he’s definitely someone a lot of guys look up to, myself included.”