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Rockets battling over import’s playing rights

Larry Fisher, Kelowna Daily Courier, August 19, 2011

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.”

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Spitfires continue pursuit of Schmaltz

Jim Parker, The Windsor Star, October 21, 2011

The Windsor Spitfires will draw a lot of attention for the 2012 NHL Draft.

Eight current players on the roster are up for the draft for the first time in June, but Spitfire fans should not forget the name Jordan Schmaltz.

“He’s a top 10 player,” Spitfires head coach Bob Boughner said.

And someone the Spitfires have been trying to bring to Windsor since the club took the offensive-minded defenceman in the seventh round of the 2010 OHL Draft from the Chicago Mission minor midgets.

“We’ve talked to his advisor,” Boughner said of Kurt Overhardt, who also represents Spitfire goalie Jack Campbell.

“We’ve expressed our heavy interest to get him into a Spitfire uniform.”

For two years, the Spitfires have had their overtures rebuffed by Schmaltz and his family, who have son Nick Schmaltz eligible for the 2012 OHL Draft.

“It hasn’t been as pleasant as I had expected,” Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel said. “I think he’s making a mistake in not exploring his options.”

At this point, the 18-year-old Schmaltz is playing his third season in the United States Hockey League with the Sioux City Musketeers in Iowa.

Next year, he’s scheduled to attend North Dakota University on a full-ride scholarship, but the Spitfires believe professional hockey will come calling long before he gets his degree.

“He won’t play four years of college hockey,” Rychel said.

“(And) you can’t attend an NHL training came when you go to college.”

International Scouting Service has Schmaltz rated 21st overall, but at six foot-two and 175 pounds with a big offensive upside, most expect him to climb much higher.

When the draft arrives in June and Schamltz’s name is called in the first round, that’s when things might get interesting.

“He has to make a decision,” Boughner said.

“College is the right decision for some guys, but a guy like that, we’re the one that going to get you prepared for the NHL.”

Boughner said Cam Fowler, who compares to Schmlatz in many respects, is a perfect example.

He turned down a scholarship from Notre Dame University, came to the Spitfires for one season where he won a Memorial Cup.

He was then taken in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks and went straight to the NHL.

“The Cam Fowler situation is a perfect scenario where you could be in the NHL in 18-to-24 months,” Boughner said.

For now, the Spitfires would just like Schmaltz to make a phone call and not to someone and not to someone in club management.

“Just look at Cam Fowler,” Rychel said.

“(Schmaltz) should pick up and phone and call Cam Fowler or his dad should pick up a phone and call Perry Fowler (Cam’s dad) or pick up the phone and talk to Jack Campbell, (who walked away from a scholarship at the University of Michigan to join the Spitfires).”

If that call doesn’t come before the draft, the Spitfires are hoping it might come after the draft like it did for many players from this year’s NHL Draft.

J.T. Miller was headed to North Dakota until the New York Rangers made him a first-round pick and he changed directions and joined the Plymouth Whalers. He wasn’t the lone player to spurn college hockey for the OHL.

Goalie John Gibson passed on Michigan to join the Kitchener Rangers, Jamie Oleksiak left Northeastern University to join the Saginaw Spirit, Reid Boucher opted for the Sarnia Sting over Michigan State while Connor Murphy spurned Miami of Ohio to play in Sarnia.

“Bob and I have a great relationship with NHL teams,” Rychel said.

“Hopefully, he’s taken by one of those teams that can give him direction.”

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