Everett Silvertips

The Everett Silvertips are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) that plays in Everett, Washington. They joined the league as an expansion team for the 2003–04 WHL season. The team name comes from the silvertip bear. The team plays at the Angel of the Winds Arena, a $71.5 million dollar multipurpose complex built in 2003 that seats 8,300 (or 8,513 with standing room only seats included) for hockey games.

History

 * Division titles won: 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–2007. 2014-15
 * Conference titles won: 2003-04
 * Regular season titles won: 2006–07

Immediate success
During the Silvertips' inaugural season in the U.S. Division of the WHL, the team solidified its place as one of the greatest expansion hockey teams in history after breaking a minimum of 10 junior hockey records for an expansion team in its first year. Under the direction of General Manager Doug Soetaert and Head Coach Kevin Constantine, the team won the U.S. Division title with a record of 35–26–8–2, while setting a record for a first year team in any of the major junior hockey leagues (the OHL, QMJHL, and WHL) by earning 80 points in the regular season standings, eclipsing the old record set by the 1982-1983 Longueuil Chevaliers of the QMJHL. Constantine received the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy from the league as the 2003–2004 Coach of the Year.

In the 2004 playoffs, the Silvertips swept the Spokane Chiefs 4–0 in the First Round before defeating the Vancouver Giants 4-2 in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. The team then played the Kelowna Rockets, the regular season champions and reigning WHL champions, for the Western Conference title. After falling behind in the series 3-1, the Silvertips improbably won three straight games in overtime to win its first Western Conference title, earning the chance to play the Medicine Hat Tigers for the WHL championship. The Tigers would go on to sweep the series 4–0, marking an end to the Silvertips' stellar first season.

2004–2005 season
Fresh off the success of its successful inaugural season, the 2004–2005 team was the youngest in the league. At one time, the team had a minimum of eight 16-year old rookies on the active game-day roster. With such youth and inexperience, the team was projected to falter but still managed to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season. After defeating the Portland Winter Hawks in seven games during a tough first-round playoff series, the Silvertips finished their second season in the WHL on a tough note by being swept by the Kootenay Ice 4-0 in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

2005–2006 season
The 2005–2006 season marked the second time the team had won the U.S. Division title, in only its third season of existence. After defeating the Tri-City Americans 4-1 in the First Round of the WHL playoffs, and the Kelowna Rockets 4-2 in the Western Conference Semi-Finals, the Silvertips' playoff run came to an end when the Silvertips were swept by the Vancouver Giants 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals. However, the Silvertips once again exceeded expectations by reaching the final four of the WHL Playoffs for the second time in only three seasons of existence.

Silvertips forward Peter Mueller won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy for top rookie in the league, becoming to the first Silvertips player to win that award.

2006–2007 season
The 2006–2007 season was one of the team's most successful to date. The team entered the season as the pre-season #1 team in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) "Top Ten" Rankings. The team remained on the CHL "Top Ten" Rankings list the entire regular season, being selected #1 overall for 13 of the 25 weeks the rankings were selected, never falling lower than #5. The team captured its third U.S. Division title in only four seasons of existence. The team was also awarded the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for having the best record in the WHL during the regular season, posting a record of 54–15–1–2 (111 points). Silvertips forward Zach Hamill became the first Everett Silvertip to lead the WHL in points with 32 goals and 61 assists for 93 points, winning the Bob Clarke Trophy. Silvertips forward Kyle Beach won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy for top rookie in the league.

After defeating the Spokane Chiefs 4-2 in the First Round of the WHL playoffs, the Silvertips' playoff run came to an abrupt end when the Prince George Cougars defeated the Silvertips 4-2 during the Western Conference Semi-Finals after the Silvertips led the series 2-0.



2007–2008 season
The 2007-2008 season began a transition period for the franchise. Constantine left during the preceding offseason to become Head Coach of the Houston Aeros AHL team. Assistant Head Coach John Becanic became Head Coach, with Jay Varady promoted to Becanic's former position. Six of the team's 10 leading scorers from the 06-07 season, as well as the backup goaltender, left the team early in the season, mostly through trades and graduation from the WHL. These departures included Peter Mueller, who joined the Phoenix Coyotes NHL team full-time. The transition from Constantine's defensive-centered coaching style to Becanic's coaching style for the returning players, and the team struggled at times during the season.

The Silvertips ended the regular season fourth in the U.S. Division and sixth in the Western Conference. The team was swept by the Spokane Chiefs, the eventual Memorial Cup Champions, 4-0 in the First Round of the WHL playoffs. This marked the first time the Silvertips lost in the First Round of the WHL playoffs but kept alive the team's ominous history of losing four straight games to be ousted from a playoff round.

2008–2009 season
The 2008-2009 season was one that began with low expectations. NHL-drafted players such as Zach Hamill, Leland Irving, and Dan Gendur -- as well as 2007-08 Team Captain Jonathan Harty -- left the team. Finding sufficient scoring, defense, and goaltending was in doubt. Graham Potuer and Taylor Ellington were the only remaining players from the team's very good crop of players taken in the 1988-born WHL Bantam Draft that had marked the team's success during the previous three seasons. The team had its youngest roster in franchise history.

Fortunately, just as rookies helped salvage the franchise's 2004-05 season, rookies helped salvage a potentially disastrous 2008-09 season. The most successful example of this might be the emergence of rookie Forwards Kellan Tochkin, Byron Froese, and Tyler Maxwell, nicknamed the "Kid Line". The three players combined for 177 points, making it one of the most successful rookie lines in WHL history. The trio was led by Tochkin, whose 74 points in 72 games led the team, as well as all WHL rookies, in scoring. In addition to the "Kid Line", rookie 16-year old goaltender Kent Simpson also exceeded expectations, and was later assisted by acquired goaltender Thomas Heemskerk.

The team record was above .500 for the first half of the season, but the roster's young and inexperience caught up in the second half of the season. The team ended its regular season with a 27-36-7-2 record, the first losing record in the franchise's history. However, if the emergence and success of the team's rookies had not occurred, the team's record would have likely been much worse.

The Silvertips ended the regular season fourth in the U.S. Division and seventh in the Western Conference. The team lost to the Tri-City Americans, the two-time U.S. Division Champions, 4-1 in the First Round of the WHL playoffs. This marked the first time the Silvertips had been ousted from the playoffs without losing four straight games.

Shortly after the 2008-09 season ended, Head Coach John Becanic was fired. Several months later, GM Doug Soetaert announced the hiring of former NHL and OHL coach Craig Hartsburg as the team's new Head Coach, marking the beginning of a new era for the franchise.

2009–2010 season
The 2009–10 season began slowly for Everett. After much inconsistency early on, the emergence of the "DHL" Line of captain Zack Dailey, leading scorer Shane Harper, and overage acquisition Chris Langkow, along with the top defensive pairing of rookie sensation Ryan Murray and import Radko Gudas, led to a team-record 14 consecutive wins during the month of January. The "Kid Line" from the previous year continued to improve and the trio of Daniel Iwanski, Clayton Cumiskey and Scott MacDonald provided depth as a solid checking line. The team also benefited from having the top goaltending tandem in the WHL in Thomas Heemskerk and Kent Simpson. Harper finished the year as the club's career goal leader with his 100th WHL goal.

The second-half hot streak led to the Silvertips tying Tri-City for the top record in the Western Conference, with a chance to beat out the Americans in the season's final game at the Spokane Chiefs. However, the Chiefs beat the 'Tips 3–2, dropping Everett to the third seed to face-off against the defending WHL champion Kelowna Rockets. The bigger and more physical Rockets wore down the 'Tips throughout the seven-game series, with Gudas missing several games due to injury. Kelowna held off Everett in double-overtime in Game 6, and finished the upset with a 2–1 win in Game 7, bringing a disappointing end to a surprising season for the Silvertips.

2010–11 season
The 2010–11 Silvertips entered the season with high expectations following the previous season's strong second half, and with the acquisition of new captain Landon Ferraro from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for Byron Froese. Everett also acquired centre Parker Stanfield from the Prince George Cougars and defencemen Brennan Yadlowski and Chad Suer from the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moose Jaw Warriors, respectively. Josh Birkholz and Cody Fowlie contributed as newcoming forwards.

However, the team never gelled and was beset by a myriad of injuries all season long. Head Coach Craig Hartsburg missed most of the first half of the season following heart surgery and was replaced on an interim basis by Associate Coach Jay Varady. One of the few bright spots was left winger Tyler Maxwell breaking the club record with 41 goals in the season. The team generally underachieved throughout the season amidst dwindling fan attendance, and barely sneaked into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Silvertips then were no match for the Portland Winterhawks, and were swept out of the first round. After the 2010–11 season, Hartsburg stepped down from the coaching position to pursue a coaching career with the NHL's Calgary Flames, as the team set about rebuilding for the first time in their short history.

2011–12 season
Prior to the 2011–12 season, Mark Ferner was hired by General Manager Doug Soetart to be Everett's head coach following four successive years as the head coach of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL)'s Vernon Vipers. The team began somewhat of a youth movement by parting with several veterans. Former NCAA player Josh Birkholz led the team in scoring, forward Ryan Harrison provided toughness and leadership and defenseman Ryan Murray continued his remarkable development by being named the youngest team captain in Silvertips history. Murray was selected second overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets following the season. Eighteen-year-old forwards Joshua Winquist and Manraj Hayer showed some scoring touch, and enforcers Josh Caron and Reid Petryk were acquired to help protect the youngsters. Goaltender Kent Simpson was being pushed for playing time by impressive rookie Austin Lotz.

The team struggled throughout the first half, however, winning only five games through the end of December and bottoming out with a ten-game losing streak. General Manager Doug Soetart was fired on February 2, 2012, and later sued the team for unpaid wages. Soetart was eventually replaced by Portland Winterhawks Assistant General Manager Garry Davidson. However, the team improved in the second half, led by strong goaltending from Kent Simpson and the top-scoring line of Harrison, rookie Kohl Bauml and Fowlie. After a late-season hot streak, Everett found itself in position to clinch a playoff berth in the final game of the season, on the road against the Seattle Thunderbirds. A hard-fought 6–4 victory in Kent by the Silvertips set up a first-round playoff matchup against the top-seeded Tri-City Americans. The young 'Tips fought mightily, but were overmatched by the much stronger Tri-City team, culminating in a sweep after a heartbreaking 4–3 overtime loss in Game 4.

2012–13 season
The Silvertips opened their tenth season with a very young roster that included 16-year-old forwards Ty Mappin, Dawson Leedahl and highly elite Tyler Sandhu, along with 17-year-old Carson Stadnyk, playing key roles. Captain Ryan Murray was lost for the season with a shoulder injury, and Swiss rookie Mirco Mueller emerged as the team's top defenceman. Goaltender Austin Lotz struggled early and had to battle for playing time with early-season pickup Daniel Cotton. Midway through the season, Head Coach Mark Ferner and Assistant Coach Chris Hartsburg were fired, and General Manager Garry Davidson assumed the head coach position on an interim basis for the remainder of the season. Injuries to several of the veteran forwards contributed to an up-and-down season, again leaving Everett in eighth place in the final Conference standings.

In the playoffs, the Silvertips found themselves facing the Portland Winterhawks, who were the top seed in the West and who had spent the entire season at or near the top of the CHL rankings. The Winterhawks were almost universally expected to sweep the series against the Silvertips with little effort; however, the Silvertips defied all expectations by winning two games in Portland before falling four games to two. While the series loss continued Everett's streak of being eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, in qualifying for post-season play the team maintained its streak of appearing in the playoffs in every year of its existence.

2013–14 season
The Silvertips set out to improve upon the previous years' mediocrity, along with increasing fan frustration, by guaranteeing a sixth-place or better finish in the Western Conference standings. With Joshua Winquist, Manny Hayer and Juhjar Khaira leading a veteran, but top-heavy, forward corps, and a revamped defence headed by new captain Matt Pufahl, the 'Tips stormed out of the gate with a 20–4–4 start. The early-season highlight was a 3–2 win over the League powerhouse Portland Winterhawks. Everett had the best record in the WHL entering the month of December, when several incidents of player misconduct at a concert and subsequent team event derailed a promising season. The team struggled immensely for the next two months, culminating in two players getting kicked off of the team.

Eventually, the 'Tips emerged back on track and stormed down the stretch with big wins over the Kelowna Rockets and in Spokane against the Chiefs, breaking a long losing streak in Spokane Arena. A big factor late in the season was the line of Brayden Low, Remi Laurencelle and Logan Aasman dominating possession of the puck while on the ice. Everett reached the playoffs where they faced the rival Seattle Thunderbirds. They were even favoured by many pundits in the series, albeit as the lower-seeded team. However, Seattle played an extremely physical series and wore the 'Tips down. Everett eventually lost the series four games to one, with the only win coming while Seattle enforcer Jaimien Yakubowski was suspended for Game 4.

2014–15 season
Everett's current protected list is as follows: Logan Aasman, F, 1995, Medicine Hat, AB Matt Anderson, D, 1999, Shakoppe, MN Ryan Anderson, F, 1999, Edmonton, AB Alex Astasiewicz, D, 1998, Salmon Arm, BC Patrick Bajkov, F, 1997, Nanaimo, BC Justin Baudry, D, 1996, LaBroquerie, MB (NCAA-Bemidji State) Kohl Bauml, F, 1994, Saskatoon, SK Blake Bergquist, F, 1999, Duluth, MN Ben Betker, D, 1994, Cranbrook, BC Josh Blanchard, F, 1996, Kelowna, BC (NCAA-St. Cloud State) Jake Christiansen, D, 1999, West Vancouver, BC Cole Chorney, F, 1996, Leduc, AB Kevin Davis, D, 1997, Kamloops, BC Connor Dewar, F, 1999, Gilbert Plains, MB Carson Dimoff, F, 1999, Scottsdale, AZ Matt Fonteyne, F, 1997, Wetaskiwin, AB Andrew Fyten, F, 1998, Didsbury, AB Spencer Gerth, F, 1998, Langley, BC Alex Gillies, F, 1995, Vernon, BC (NCAA-Michigan Tech) Carter Hart, G, 1998, Sherwood Park, AB Nick Henry, F, 1999, Portage la Prairie, AB Reid Hill, D, 1999, Duluth, MN Kevin Jakisch, D, 1998, Winnipeg, MB Tyson Jost, F, 1998, Leduc, AB Noah Juulsen, D, 1997, Abbotsford, BC Patrick Khodorenko, 1998, Walnut Creek, CA Bryce Kindopp, F, 1999, Lloydminster, AB Brian King, F, 1999, Golden, CO Nate Knoepke, D, 1999, Farmington, MN Remi Laurencelle, F, 1995, Winnipeg, MB Dawson Leedahl, F, 1996, Saskatoon, SK Jantzen Leslie, D, 1999, Lloydminster, AB Clint Lewis, D, 1995, Burnsville, MN (NCAA-Cornell) Austin Lotz, G, 1995, St. Adolphe, MB Brayden Low, F, 1994, Richmond, BC Cole MacDonald, D, 1995, Wetaskiwin, AB Nik Malenica, F, 1997, Nanaimo, BC Auston Matthews, F, 1997, Scottsdale, AZ Alec Mehr, F, 1997, Los Angeles, CA Graham Millar, F, 1996, Penticton, BC Mirco Muller, D, 1995, Winterthur, Swi Jake Mykitiuk, F, 1995, St. Albert, AB Ivan Nikolishin, F, 1996, Moscow, Rus Mario Petit, G, 1997, Ile-Des-Chenes, MB Tristen Pfeifer, D, 1996, Phoenix, AZ Dayton Rasmussen, G, 1998, Eden Prairie, MN Addison Runey, F, 1997, Frisco, TX Nikita Scherbak, F, 1995, Moscow, Rus Lucas Skrumeda, D, 1996, Winnipeg, MB Carson Stadnyk, F, 1995, Saskatoon, SK Christian Stockl, F, 1995, Winnipeg, MB Brendan Studioso, F, 1999, Mukilteo, WA Riley Sutter, F, 1999, Calgary, AB Gunnar Wegleitner, F, 1998, Vancouver, BC Jordan Wharrie, D, 1997, Port Moody, BC Wyatte Wylie, D, 1999, Lake Stevens, WA

2006 NHL Entry Draft
1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round
 * 1) 8. Phoenix Coyotes Peter Mueller Bloomington, MN
 * 2) 26. Calgary Flames Leland Irving Swan Hills, AB
 * 1) 40. Minnesota Wild Ondrej Fiala Stenberk, CZE
 * 1) 73. Florida Panthers Brady Calla Kelowna, B.C.

2007 NHL Entry Draft
1st Round 2nd Round 7th Round
 * 1) 8. Boston Bruins Zach Hamill Port Coquitlam, BC
 * 1) 41. Vancouver Canucks Taylor Ellington Victoria, BC
 * 1) 206. Vancouver Canucks Dan Gendur Victoria, BC

2008 NHL Entry Draft
1st Round
 * 1) 11. Chicago Blackhawks Kyle Beach Kelowna, BC

2009 NHL Entry Draft
3rd Round 4th Round
 * 1) 82. Edmonton Oilers Cameron Abney
 * 1) 119. Chicago Blackhawks Byron Froese

NHL alumni

 * Ivan Baranka
 * Peter Mueller
 * Mike Wall
 * Riley Armstrong
 * Shaun Heshka

Jordan Mistelbacher
On January 13, 2009, former Silvertip left wing Jordan Mistelbacher was found dead. He had just been released from the Silvertips and had returned to his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba to play for the Winnipeg Saints. The autopsy showed the death was caused by alcohol poisoning.