The Generals introduced five new players — four skaters and a goalie — Saturday night. The four skaters — two defenceman and two forwards — were all in the lineup.
Joining last week were defenceman Chel Anderson, 19, from Comox, who was acquired in a trade, and Connor McNary, 18, from Orlando, Florida, who was playing for the Vermont Academy Wildcats.
Also making debuts were forwards Wyatt Petryshen, 18, who played major midget for his hometown Calgary Buffalos, and Nate Fitzpatrick, 20, formerly playing Jr. A with the Soo Eagles of the NAHL, along with goalie Evgueni Makarski, 18, from Toronto, who came by way of the Tier 1 Richmond Generals in Virginia.
“It’s a lot colder up here,” McNary assessed prior to the start of Saturday’s game.
McNary had been scouted by the Gens’ newly-signed GM Lou Gravel, who is also the head scout for the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. Gravel said McNary had a good main camp with the Caps, but as McNary explaned: “but I hurt my knee, went home for rehab, called Lou back, and he said he had a spot for me here on the Jr. B Generals, so I decided to come up, play here, and try and work my way up to Jr. A.”
“From the net out — that’s how you rebuild a hockey team,” Gravel said Friday, agreeing that while it’s unusual to see a team bring in five new players at this point in the season, “when you’re 1-12 you need new players. I’ve already had a few calls,” he chuckled. “It’s making some of the teams in the league nervous.”