Peel makes Team West

The MJHL is doing something the SJHL is not – sending players to the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge.
Swan Valley’s Landon Peel, a 16-year-old rookie defenceman (and brother of teammate Jeff Peel), along with Portage’s Brendan Harms, were both named to Team West (Saskatchewan and Manitoba) on Monday.
The event takes place Dec. 27 to Jan. 5 in Winnipeg.
There are only two junior A players on this team. The rest of the team is made up of players from the midget AAA and the major junior ranks.
Garth Mitchell, head coach of the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba Midget AAA Hockey League, will lead Team West this year. David Anning, bench boss of the Winnipeg Saints, will serve as one of three assistant coaches. The other two are from the SJHL – Bob Beattie from La Ronge and Kyle McDonald from Notre Dame.
After attending an evaluation camp this summer, Peel said he knew he had to have a solid start to this year to cement his position on the team.
“I was surprised when I got the call, but happy at the same time,” said the Virden native. “I first attended a camp in the summer with the top 40 (players from Manitoba and Saskatchewan), and they got it down to 25 or so, and then they said they would watch us throughout the year.”
Getting noticed was a bit tougher early in the year. Peel was good enough to start the year with the WHL’s Regina Pats, but due to a numbers game, he wasn’t getting into every game. Rather than have him sit in the press box, the Pats made the decision to reassign him to the Swan Valley Stampeders where he would dress every game.
Not only has the talented defenceman played every game, he’s also played key special teams minutes, and has chipped in offensively with three goals and an assist in eight games.
Peel said playing more minutes allowed the scouts to watch him.
“More ice time gave me a way better chance of making this team,” he said.
Several Stampeders have played on this team. Last year Evan Morden played in Timmins, Ont. And in 2004 trainer Graham Watt, coach Del Pedrick and forward Brodie Dupont took part in this event.
• Winkler Flyers’ netminder Peter Alexander is the latest puck stopper to be named the MJHL’s Player of the Week.
Alexander, who turned 20 last week, posted a 2-0 record and 1.92 GAA with an impressive save percentage of .948.
Also considered for this award was Cole Brunet, 19, of the Steinbach Pistons, and Evan Gravenor of the Winnipeg Blues.
Brunet, who hails from Morris, had five points in four games (two goals, three assists).
Gravenor, 20, registered six points (two goals, four assists) in three games last week for the Blues.
• Ryan Marshall (Swan Valley), Matt Krahn (OCN) and Mitch Van Teeling (Dauphin) did not medal at the World Junior A Challenge in Penticton, B.C., but they are saying it was a great experience.
“Any time you pull on the Canadian jersey it’s an honour,” Marshall told the MJHL. “The calibre of players in this tournament is really high.”
Canada’s Team West fell 8-3 to Switzerland in the bronze medal game.
Marshall – making his second straight appearance at the tournament – finished with two goals and two assists in five games and was tied for second in team scoring.
Van Teeling was held pointless in five games, while Krahn finished with a 2-3 record, a .873 save percentage and a 4.37 GAA.
The United States won this event for the second straight year, defeating Canada Team East in the gold-medal game.
• Some trades to report on this week, starting with the Portage Terriers, who traded 20-year-old defenceman Justin Minoletti and future considerations to the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the SJHL for 19-year-old defenceman Brett Adnum.
Minoletti, from Thunder Bay, Ont., had 28 points in 53 games for the Terriers last year.
Adnum, a native of Steinbach, wanted to be closer to place he could start university, and he told Laura Shantora Nelles from The Daily Graphic that while he was sitting at home, he wondered if he would ever get dealt.
“I said I wasn’t going to report (to La Ronge), and they called me six or seven times, asking me to reconsider, but I was hoping either to stay closer to home or go back to Alberta,” explained Adnum. “I sat at home for nearly a month ... and at one point, La Ronge hadn’t returned my calls in five days, so I thought they might just sit on me for a month.”
In the second part of this deal, the Winnipeg Blues traded 19-year-old defenceman and Saskatoon native Drew McDermott to the La Ronge Ice Wolves for Minoletti and 19-year-old forward Justin Remillard, who hails from Fort McMurray
As well, the Dauphin Kings acquired 19-year-old forward Luke Hannas (from Williams Lake, B.C.) from the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL for future considerations.
The MJHL also handed out several suspensions last week.
Waywayseecappo Wolverines player Cale Horn was suspended for two games for receiving a major penalty for delivering a blow to the head Nov. 7 against the Winkler Flyers.
Dauphin Kings player Calvin Cairns and Neepawa Natives player Richard Kinderwas were both suspended three games for participating in a staged fight Nov. 6.