Vancouver Giants down 3-D as road trip rolls through Prairies
Three regular defencemen out as six-game swing through the Central Division continues with visits to Medicine Hat Tuesday, Swift Current Wednesday and Lethbridge Friday.
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The Vancouver Giants are in the midst of a defenceman shortage.
Vancouver went into a Tuesday road game against the Medicine Hat Tigers with only five rearguards, and that included 15-year-old call-up Colton Alain, who joined the team this week.
Along the blue line, Vancouver is currently without Tom Cadieux, who received a two-game suspension for the boarding major he picked up in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Calgary Hitmen, and Carson Haynes (undisclosed), who was hurt against the Hitmen. As well, defenceman Colton Roberts left the Giants after the Calgary game for World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which gets going Thursday at the Langley Events Centre and Sungod Arena.
Vancouver finishes off its six-game swing through the Central Division with visits to the Swift Current Broncos on Wednesday and the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday.
The Giants carried a 4-7-1-2 record into the Medicine Hat game.
“People are going to get a chance to expand their roles and get opportunities sooner than they might have before,” Giants general manager Barclay Parneta said Tuesday.
Teams usually dress 12 forwards and six defencemen. Vancouver had a surplus of rearguards earlier this season and went with 10 forwards and eight defencemen for a 3-2 overtime loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds at the Langley Events Centre on Oct. 8.
NEXT GAME
Tuesday
Vancouver Giants vs. Medicine Hat Tigers
6 p.m. PT, Co-op Place.
Cadieux is one of Vancouver’s three 20 year olds. Haynes is 19. Robert is 16.
The remaining defencemen are Mazden Leslie, 17; Damian Palmieri, 18; Will Subject, 17; and Brenden Pentecost, 19.
Alain was Vancouver’s third-round selection in the 2022 WHL Draft, and by league rules can play five games with the Giants this season until his minor hockey season has finished. He can join Vancouver full time then.
The 6-foot-2, 161-pound Alain is a Victoria native and is playing for the Langford-based Pacific Coast Academy Under-18 prep team.
“This a chance for him to see what playing in the WHL is really like,” said Parneta, who added that he liked Alain’s size, competitive nature, ability to make plays under pressure and knack for getting his shot through from the point.
Forwards could take turns on defence during this stretch, Parneta said. Vancouver has used five forwards on power plays this season as well.
Parneta doesn’t expect Haynes to return to action on this trip. He didn’t elaborate further. The Under-17 Challenge runs through Nov. 12, so Roberts is out until then.
Vancouver traded away a defenceman on Oct. 24, dealing Nicco Camazzola, 19, to the Tri-City Americans in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 WHL Draft.
Vancouver returns home after the Lethbridge game and then has a weekend doubleheader on the road against the Prince George Cougars on Nov. 12-13.
Vancouver’s next home game is Nov. 18, when they play host to the Kamloops Blazers at the Langley Events Centre.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Giants haven’t been on a road trip to the Eastern Conference since they went to the East Division teams in October 2019. WHL teams go on one road trip to the opposing conference per season usually.
WHL teams’ schedules were cut to 24 games for 2020-21 and teams played only against their immediate region. The usual 68-game schedules were back last year but there was no crossover between the West and East conferences.
This season, it’s the East Division that is coming to B.C., which means a visit by the Regina Pats and their star centre Connor Bedard of North Vancouver. The Pats are at the Giants Nov. 25, the Victoria Royals Nov. 26, the Kelowna Rockets Nov. 29, the Blazers on Nov. 30 and the Cougars on Dec. 2.
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