GETTING INTO STRIDE: The Blazers have started the 2012-13 season with a 9-0-0-1 record. The Blazers have won their last seven games by a combined score of 33-8. The hockey club is in the middle of one of the toughest stretches of the year. They are playing four games in five nights this week and seven in eleven days overall. The Blazers took the first game of their Central Division road trip with a 5-2 win in Calgary on Sunday night. The Blazers won their second game last night 4-0 over the Red Deer Rebels. Following tonight’s game, the Blazers will head south and finish up their Central Division road trip with a game in Lethbridge on Friday, October 19^th and in Kootenay on Saturday, October 20^th. The next home game is not until Friday, October 26^th when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings.  

Vs. Edmonton – Last Season (2-Game Series)
Game 1: 11/12/11, vs. Edmonton 2, Kamloops 5
Game 2: 02/14/12, vs. Edmonton 2, Kamloops 3

Blazers won the season series 2-0-0-0

Vs. Edmonton – This Season (3-Game Series)
Game 1: 10/17/12, at Edmonton, Kamloops
Game 2: 11/06/12, vs. Edmonton, Kamloops
Game 3: 12/12/12, at Edmonton, Kamloops

Blazers are 0-0-0-0 in season series

ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The Blazers roster currently sits at 25 players (2 goaltenders, 9 defensemen and 14 forwards). The Blazers swung a deal with Tri-City last week to acquire 19-year-old rearguard Sam Grist. Grist is a 6’4”, 200lb defender who adds size and experience to the backend. The roster includes 12 players selected in the WHL Bantam Draft, eight players from the free agent list, four players via trade, and one player selected from the CHL Import Draft. The roster breakdown by region includes eight players from Alberta, six from B.C., five from Saskatchewan, three from Manitoba, one from the USA, one from the Czech Republic, and one from Switzerland. There are 18 WHL veterans on the roster and seven WHL rookies. Four of those rookies spent time with the Blazers throughout the regular season and playoffs last season.

THE MATCH UP: The Blazers and Oil Kings will meet three times this season. The Blazers won the season series last year with two home ice wins by scores of 5-2 and 3-2. This season, the Blazers will make two trips to Edmonton, with the Oil Kings making one trip to Kamloops in November. The Oil Kings are the defending WHL Champions and the Blazers have started the season strong with a 9-0-0-1 record.

KAMLOOPS BLAZERS ‘Who to Watch’: The Kamloops Blazers forward crop is arguably among the best in the WHL. The return of 20-year-old Brendan Ranford (4+10=14) is a big help for the Blazers. Ranford has led the Blazers in scoring the last two seasons with 86 points in 2010-11 and 92 in 2011-12.  Ranford is joined by the trio of Colin Smith (7+14=21), Tim Bozon (8+7=15), and JC Lipon (9+15=24). Smith, who had 35 goals and 85 points last season, is the center on the dynamic line. Bozon, who had 36 goals last season, is slotted at left wing and tends to be the guy to finish. Lipon, who had 65 points last season, is the right winger whose grit and tenacity on the puck helps create chances. The Blazers also have 20-year-olds Dylan Willick (3+5=8) and Jordan DePape (1+1=2) up front. Both players are veteran 20-year-olds who have recorded 20+ goal seasons and averaged just under a point a game. A pair of 17-year-olds have taken on a bigger role and shown they are capable of handling it in the early stages of the season. Cole Ully (5+2=7) and Matt Needham (2+3=5) both had terrific rookie seasons and are providing offensive depth to the hockey club. Chase Souto (1+2=3) has played with Needham and Ully and has been solid in the early going. The depth continues as Aspen Sterzer (1+1=2) and Rob Trzonkowski (1+1=2) can skate and easily move up the line-up if needed. Both are veteran players who love to take the body on the forecheck. Add in rookies Brayden Gelsinger (0+0=0), Aaron Macklin (0+1=1) and Mitch Friesen (0+0=0), and the Blazers boast a formidable group of forwards. The Blazers return six WHL veterans on defence and have three rookies on the back-end. A pair of 19-year-old defensemen will lead the way as Tyler Hansen (0+1=1) and Marek Hrbas (1+4=5) provide two different dynamics to the back-end. Hansen was among the league leaders in +/- last season and is looked upon to shut down the opposition’s top players. Hrbas is expected to play in all situations. The addition of 19-year-old Sam Grist (0+5=5) adds more size and grit to the back-end. A trio of 18-year-olds have stepped up their game this season led by third-year rearguard Brady Gaudet (0+4=4). Along with Gaudet, Tyler Bell (0+1=1) and Landon Cross (1+2=3) are both into their second seasons. Jordan Thomson (1+4=5) has had a great start to the season. The 16-year-old is a smart and steady presence for the Blazers. Josh Connolly (0+0=0) and Ryan Rehill (0+1=1) continue to develop and improve day in and day out. In goal, the Blazers are strong. Cole Cheveldave (6-0-0-0, 1.65, .936) is expected to make a bulk of the starts this season. The 19-year-old was a second team Western Conference All-Star last season. 18-year-old Taran Kozun (3-0-0-1, 2.02, .936) is the back-up. Kozun has already got his feet wet with some playing time early on this season and he has been sharp. The 18-year-old spent some time with the Blazers during the start of the regular season and in the playoffs last season.

EDMONTON OIL KINGS ‘Who to Watch’: The Oil Kings are the defending WHL Champions and have returned a majority of that roster. They will be looking for another run at the Ed Chynoweth cup this season. Up front, the Oil Kings are led by Michael St. Croix. The 19-year-old had 106 points last season and is a dynamic player. He has plenty of forwards to work within 20-year-olds T.J. Foster and Dylan Wruck. Others up front include the highly touted 17-year-old Curtis Lazar, Edmonton Oilers draft picks Travis Ewanyk and Mitchell Moroz. You can’t forget 1^st round NHL draft pick Henrik Samuelsson, Stephane Legault and the physical Klarc Wilson. Young players on the Oil Kings roster include Brandon Baddock, Luke Bertolucci, Brett Pollock, and Cole Benson. Benson is the only veteran out of that list. The Oil Kings have a ton of depth and talent up front. Despite losing their Captain Mark Pysyk to the pro ranks, the Oil Kings have a ton of talent on the back end led by 4^th overall NHL pick Griffin Reinhart. He has a terrific surrounding cast that includes veterans Keegan Lowe, Cody Corbett, Ashton Sautner, and Mason Geertsen. The Oil Kings have yet to play with Martin Gernat who is a big rangy defender with a mighty shot. He will return at some point this season. Dyson Mayo and Stephen Shmoorkoff round out the defense. In goal, the Oil Kings have one of the best in the league in 19-year-old Laurent Brossoit. He is expected to push for a spot with Canada’s World Junior team. His back-up is 17-year-old Tristan Jarry. Jarry is another highly touted goaltender who may get drafted to an NHL team this June.

NHL DRAFT: Tim Bozon (Montreal, 3^th round, 64^th overall in 2012), Colin Smith (Colorado, 7^th round, 192^nd overall in 2012)

INJURY REPORT: Jordan DePape (Upper body, one week), Landon Cross (Lower body, day-to-day). Man games lost due to injury – 13.

DID YOU KNOW… Rob Trzonkowski is the first Blazer to ever wear #37… First year defenseman Jordan Thomson leads all WHL rookies with a +9 rating this season… JC Lipon leads the Blazers and the WHL in scoring with 9 goals, 15 assists and 24 points… Dylan Willick takes over the Blazers current iron man streak playing in his 197^th consecutive game tonight after Bronson Maschmeyer played in 216 consecutive games to finish his junior career… Brendan Ranford is the longest serving Blazer and has played 286 WHL games and has 284 points all with the Blazers which puts him 11^th in Blazers all-time scoring after passing Robin Bawa’s 278 points on Wednesday… Ranford needs to play 56 more games this season to surpass C.J. Stretch’s record of 341 career games in a Blazer uniform… Colin Smith, Tyler Hansen and Dylan Willick are the Blazers Alternate Captains, with a Captain yet to be named… The Blazers boast three players who scored 35+ goals last season in Brendan Ranford (40), Colin Smith (35) and Tim Bozon (36)… Forward JC Lipon is the WHL Player of the Week for the second week in a row after putting up 6 goals, 4 assists in three games last week… JC Lipon has 19 points in his last six games, including nine goals… Defenseman Josh Connolly is the younger brother of former Prince George Cougar Brett Connolly… The Blazers have nine different players who have scored the game winning goal in nine wins so far this season.