Texas CHL Teams Involved in Quiet Deadline Deals

The Central Hockey League (CHL) trade deadline expired on Monday at 3:00 PM (CST) with very little movement. The Tulsa Oilers made two deals and several players who were dealt prior in the season were on the move again finding new homes at the deadline.

The Mississippi RiverKings made a late splash finalizing a deal just minutes before the deadline expired that had high-scoring forward Martin Gascon of the Tulsa Oilers on the move again. Gascon was traded from the Arizona Sundogs to the Oilers on January 27th and in six games with Tulsa he scored a goal with an assist. On the season, Gascon has 46 points (8-38=46) in 47 games.

To get Gascon, the RiverKings sent forward Jason Weitzel and future considerations to Tulsa. Weitzel was acquired earlier in the day by Mississippi from the Amarillo Gorillas as the future considerations in the Brad Bonello deal that happened earlier in the season. Weitzel has 11 goals and 14 assists in 39 games with the Gorillas.

The other deal made by the Oilers sent forward Jereme Tendler to the Corpus Christi IceRays in exchange for defenseman Matt Smyth. Tendler has four goals and three assists in 36 games with Tulsa this season. Smyth has three goals, seven assists and 113 penalty minutes in 44 games with the Rays this season.

The Laredo Bucks made a four player swap with the Rapid City Rush on ‘deadline day’ acquiring forward Josh Bonar and the rights to forward Mickey Gilchrist from the Rush in exchange for forward Mitch Stephens and defenseman Ryan Hand. Bonar has no points in five games with Rapid City but was a 20-goal scorer a year ago with Rio Grande Valley. Gilchrist is currently playing in Asia but could join the Bucks in the coming weeks upon his return to North America.

The Rush get Stephens (acquired by the Bucks from New Mexico at the end of January) who has 50 points (14-36=50) in 47 games this season combined with Laredo and New Mexico. Hand has two points (1-1=2) and 57 penalty minutes in 22 games with the Bucks.

Deadline Deals:
-Mississippi gets Jason Weitzel (F) from Amarillo as a part of future considerations from a previous trade
-Mississippi trades Weitzel to Tulsa along with future considerations in exchange for Martin Gascon (F)
-Corpus Christi trades Matt Smyth (D) to Tulsa in exchange for Jereme Tendler (F)
-Laredo trades Ryan Hand (D) and Mitch Stephens (F) to Rapid City in exchange for Josh Bonar (F) and the rights to Mickey Gilchrist (F)

Corpus Christi's Tebbs Earns Player of the Week Award

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending January 25th, 2009 are forward Bobby Chaumont of the Mississippi RiverKings and Kris Tebbs of the Corpus Christi IceRays.

Chaumont broke out of his mini-slump (scoreless in four straight games) in a big way scoring three points in each of the RiverKings games last week, both victories. In Friday’s 4-3 win versus Rio Grande Valley, the Sudbury, Ontario native scored the first goal for the RiverKings and assisted on two others including the game winner. He had a game-high 10 shots on net. In Saturday’s 5-3 win versus Laredo, the 6-0, 200-pound forward scored a first period goal and had two assists. For the season, the CHL All-Star leads the RiverKings with 22 goals and nine power play goals. His 38 points are second on the team.

Tebbs won all three starts for the IceRays last week, all on the road. During his hot stretch, the Calgary, Alberta native allowed five goals on 107 shots (.953 save percentage) and finished the week with a 1.67 goals against average. The 5-10, 170-pound goaltender’s wins came against Rapid City, Rocky Mountain and New Mexico. Tebbs is 13-10-3 on the season winning each of his last four starts vaulting the IceRays into the fifth and final playoff spot in the Southern Conference.

In recognition of their achievement, both Chaumont and Tebbs will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Goals: 2
Assists: 4
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: +1

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Kris Tebbs, Corpus Christi IceRays
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Record: 3-0-0
GAA: 1.67
Save %: 0.953
Saves: 102 of 107

Corpus Christi IceRays vs. Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs - 12/26/08 Fight

Just because of the craziness of it all - the sheer WTF factor - I needed to post this clip when I saw it was available today. The CHL has it's share of fights...but in 5 years of covering games, this is the craziest I've ever seen in this league. Enjoy!

Ulanski and Traylen Earn Oakley CHL Awards

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 14th, 2008 are forward Kevin Ulanski of the Colorado Eagles and goaltender Dustin Traylen of the Corpus Christi IceRays.

Ulanski had six points in three games for the Northwest Division and Northern Conference leading Eagles. Colorado went 2-1 on the week and the Madison, Wisconsin native had points in each game and scored the game winning goal in each victory. In his first CHL season, the former Denver University star ranks just outside the league’s top 10 with 31 points (11-20=31). Last week, he notched the game winning shootout goal and an assist in the Eagles 3-2 win in at Rapid City. After recording an assist in Colorado’s loss to Amarillo, Ulanski scored the game winner and had a pair of assists in the team’s 7-5 win versus Arizona.

Traylen is coming off a 2-0 week that saw him tested by 74 shots. His first start of the week came against Laredo where he turned away 33 shots and all three shooters he faced in the Rays 2-1 shootout win. The Kirkland, Quebec native followed that up with a 39 save performance in Corpus Christi’s 7-1 road win in Amarillo. On the season, Traylen is 4-4-0 with a sparkling 2.18 goals against average (third in the CHL). He is fourth in the CHL with a .928 save percentage.

In recognition of their achievement, both Ulanski and Traylen will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Kevin Ulanski, Colorado Eagles
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 2
Assists: 4
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: E
GWG’s: 2

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Dustin Traylen, Corpus Christi IceRays
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.973
Saves: 72 of 74

CHL's Performance of the Week Fan Poll Returns

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today the five nominees for the CHL’s Performance of the Week. Fans can vote for the winner of the weekly award at www.centralhockeyleague.com in the CHL Performance of the Week fan poll.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week one of the season are as follows:

-Corpus Christi’s Chris Richards scoring seven points (4-3=7) in 12-3 win versus Tulsa on October 18th

-New Mexico’s Jason Wolfe making 25 saves in the Scorps 6-0 shutout win at Amarillo on October 18th

-Rookie Mudbugs goaltender Ryan Mior making 27 saves in 2-1 win at Laredo on October 18th

-Tulsa’s Kevin St. Pierre making 55 saves in 3-2 shootout loss at OKC on October 17th

-Laredo rookie Daryl Smith netting a hat trick in the Bucks 7-1 win over RMR on October 17th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, October 27th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, October 28th.


CHL’s Hat Tricks for Kids
The CHL and Infinity Pro Sports have partnered for the 2008-09 season for a new program called Hat Tricks for Kids. Infinity Pro Sports will donate $25.00 for every hat trick scored throughout the CHL regular season. Fans are also able to donate money to the program that will donate all proceeds to The Hoffen Foundation (www.hoffenfoundation.org). To follow the Hat Trick’s Tote Board and see how much money has been donated to date or to donate money yourself visit www.hattricksforkids.org.


CHL All-Star Game on January 14th in Loveland, Colorado
The 2009 CHL All-Star Game is scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado. The game is hosted by the Colorado Eagles and presented by Poudre Valley Health System. The format for this year’s game features a team of CHL All-Stars taking on the Colorado Eagles. For more information and for all-star updates visit www.centralhockeyleague.com or www.coloradoeagles.com.