By Derek Harper
It’s a new week in major junior hockey and there are a few pieces of news that broke this week. Starting with the bad news, Prince George Cougars assistant coach Carter Rigby has been suspended three games for violating the Western Hockey League (WHL) Standards Code of Conduct.
Per the press release, the suspension will take effect Friday, September 20. He’ll be eligible to return to the team’s bench for their fourth regular season game at Wenatchee. The press release also said that the WHL and Prince George Cougars are committed to holding players and staff to the highest standards of conduct both on and off the ice.
Also, in the WHL’s Western Conference, the Wenatchee Wild made a trade with the Eastern Conference’s Prince Albert Raiders. The Wild acquired 2004-born defenseman Easton Kovacs from Prince Albert in exchange for a fifth-round selection in the 2028 WHL Prospects Draft.
The Delta, British Columbia native, Kovacs brings four years of WHL experience to the Wild. He’s appeared in 178 games, putting up five goals and 15 assists for 20 points for the Raiders, Seattle Thunderbirds and Lethbridge Hurricanes. He’s also made his WHL playoff debut, playing all five games in Prince Albert’s first-round playoff series against the Saskatoon Blades, where he posted a goal and an assist for two points.
In more Western Conference news, the Portland Winterhawks have made a couple of signings official. The team signed CHL Import Draft selections Ondřej Štěbeták and Marek Chaloupka have signed WHL Scholarship & Development Agreements for the 2024-25 season.
The 17-year-old Štěbeták was selected by the Winterhawks with the 57th overall pick in the 2024 CHL Import Draft. He stands between the pipes at 6-foot-2 and 176-pounds. He completed another strong campaign in net with Czechia’s HC Dukla Jihlava U17 program. He amassed 13 wins and boasted a 3.20 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. His strong play at the under-17 level also earned him a three-game stint playing in the under-20 league and skating with Czechia at the international stage.
Štěbeták recently won a silver medal with Team Czechia at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He ranked second among goaltenders who made multiple appearances with a sparkling .947 save percentage and 1.27 goals-against average. He was named Czechia’s Player of the Game twice at the tournament.
The 18-year-old Chaloupka was originally selected by Portland in the second round (#117 overall) of this summer’s CHL Import Draft. He joins Portland after spending the 2023-24 season in Czechia with HC Vítkovice U20 program. He’s 6-foot, 187 pounds and led all defensemen on his team with 34 points in 51 games. His 31 assists were the third most in the league for his position.
Both were expected to report to Portland in time for this year’s Neely Cup Training Camp.
Perhaps the biggest news this week came out of the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a trade between Prince Albert and the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Prince Albert acquired forward Tomas Mrsic, a 2025 third round pick, and a 2028 third round pick from the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for forward Ryder Ritchie. Ritchie will join a Medicine Hat team looking to make a deeper run this year. He’ll now play along star player, Gavin McKenna in Medicine Hat.
Stephen Heisler 