NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
Levi Lamotte looks for a shooting lane while Evan Sterling defends during a scrimmage in the Western Canada Junior Hockey Prospects Camp at the Family Leisure Centre on Sunday, June 9, 2019.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
There will be plenty of local flavour when the Medicine Hat Cubs return to the ice in the fall.
The Cubs signed five Gas City products in recent weeks, including four members of the South Central Alberta Hockey League midget AA champion Medicine Hat Hounds.
Hounds forwards Levi Schlosser and Ryley Manz were the first to put pen to paper with the local Heritage Junior Hockey League Club, while three more were added to the system following the Western Canada Junior Hockey Prospects Camp at the Family Leisure Centre last weekend.
They were two of the top players on that team, said Cubs general manager Dave Kowalchuk, adding Schlosser already made an impact with the team after helping the Cubs nearly pull off a Game 7 upset of the Coaldale Copperheads in the South Division semifinal. Our coaching staff was really impressed with him and the guys in the dressing room absolutely love him. He’s a keen guy and he works really hard he didn’t miss a beat when he played for us in that Coaldale series. He was a key piece to the puzzle.
Manz led the champion Hounds with 32 goals and 32 assists over 42 games last season, while Schlosser followed close behind with 24 goals and 27 assists in 38 contests.
Joining Schlosser and Manz are fellow Hounds forward Austin Klimosko, defenceman Brandon Hauck and South East Athletic Club Tigers midget AAA forward Ethan Machan.
Klimosko closed out his Hounds season with 10 goals and 14 assists in 42 games, while defensive teammate Hauck added 33 assists with three goals in as many games from the back end.
Machan posted 17 goals and 11 assists in his 23-game season with SEAC.
The Cubs will return to the ice for main camp, Sept. 6-8 at the Kinplex.
