WINNIPEG ICE ANNOUNCE ROSTER FOR 2021 SEASON
Winnipeg, MB – The Winnipeg ICE have announced the roster for the 2021 Western Hockey League season. The roster to compete in the Regina Hub consists of 26 players: three goalies, eight defenceman, and 15 forwards.
There are 15 returning ICE regulars from last season, plus four players who played games for the ICE in 2019-20, and seven newcomers set to see their first taste of WHL action.
ICE Captain Peyton Krebs is among the returnees after helping Canada to a silver medal at the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship and starting the season in the American Hockey League with the Henderson Silver Knights. Krebs was the 18th overall pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019. Connor McClennon begins his 3rd season, the high-scoring winger was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. And, Carson Lambos is set for his second WHL season. Lambos is highly-touted for the 2021 NHL Draft as one of two ‘A’ prospects in the East Division Hub.
Returning 20-year-old Jackson Leppard, coming off his first 20-goal campaign, will play in his second season with the ICE after being acquired from the Prince George Cougars in 2019-20. Leppard brings 228 games of WHL experience to the ICE. A pair of newcomers, goaltender Carl Stankowski and forward Anderson MacDonald, round out Winnipeg’s overage contingent.
2019 2nd Overall pick in the WHL Draft, Conor Geekie is set to make his presence felt in his first full season with the ICE. The former Yellowhead Chief got a taste of seven WHL regular season games last year during a season in which he scored 18 goals and added 17 assists in 26 games for the U18 Chiefs.
2020 1st-round pick Zach Benson joins the ICE in the Hub as an affiliate player. Benson was selected 14th overall by Winnipeg after scoring 30 goals and adding 56 assists in just 30 games for Yale Hockey Academy in the 2019-20 season. Benson earned CSSHL Bantam MVP honours for his efforts.
Age Breakdown:
2000-born (3): Leppard, MacDonald, Stankowski
2001-born (5): Krebs, Ladyman, Muir, Smallwood, Orzeck
2002-born (7): Alexander, Form, McClennon, McMaster, Milne, Pederson, Zloty
2003-born (7): Bertholet, Bruce, Lambos, Prosofsky, Raeside, Waldie, Young
2004-born (3): Boucher, Geekie, Hauser
2005-born (1): Benson
Provincial Breakdown:
NB (1): MacDonald
MB (8): Bertholet, Bruce, Geekie, Ladyman, Lambos, Muir, Raeside, Young
SK (2): Form, Prosofsky
AB (12): Alexander, Boucher, Hauser, Krebs, McClennon, McMaster, Orzeck, Pederson, Stankowski, Smallwood, Waldie, Zloty
BC (3): Benson, Leppard, Milne
How They Were Built:
- 1st RD Picks (7): Krebs, McClennon, Geekie, Lambos, MacDonald (QMJHL), Benson, Leppard
- Total ICE Draft Picks (17): Krebs, McClennon, Geekie, Lambos, Bruce, Form, Prosofsky, Alexander, Boucher, Hauser, McMaster, Orzeck, Pederson, Waldie, Zloty, Benson, Milne
- Listed Players (4): Young, Raeside, Stankowski, MacDonald
- Acquired Via Trade (5): Leppard, Muir, Bertholet, Smallwood, Ladyman
View the full ICE roster by clicking here.
The ICE are set to open up the 2020-2021 season on March 13th vs the Brandon Wheat Kings 8pm.
Radio: coverage begins 7:30pm, CFRW 1290 AM
Stream: winnipegICE.ca
Watch: watch.chl.ca/whl
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