Raiders acquire Ice forward

The Prince Albert Raiders welcomed a new face to their roster Monday afternoon as they acquired forward Hayden Pakkala from the Winnipeg Ice for a ninth round draft pick in the NHL’s Hockey League Prospects Draft. West 2021.

Pakkala, a native of Okotoks, Alta., Was a seventh-round pick for the Ice in 2019 and appeared in three preseason games for the club earlier this month.

The 17-year-old won the Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League’s top forward award in 2019-20 after amassing 92 points in 35 games with his hometown Under-16 Oilers.

He had four points in five games last year for the Oilers Under-18 program before the end of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In other Raiders news, defenseman Landon Kosior returns to Prince Albert after attending Los Angeles Kings training camp.

As of Monday afternoon, forwards Reece Vitelli (Arizona Coyotes) and Ozzy Wiesblatt (San Jose Sharks) were still with the National Hockey League clubs, as well as defensemen Nolan Allan (Chicago Blackhawks) and Kaiden Guhle (Montreal Canadiens) ).

The Raiders begin their 2021-22 campaign in the WHL on Friday night when they host the Regina Pats at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Center.

Around the WHL

For the first time since 1972, Bob Ridley’s voice will not call action for a Medicine Hat Tigers game.

Ridley, who has called more than 4,000 games for the club since joining the Western Hockey League, will not be with the team for his home and away streak against the Swift Current Broncos this weekend while undergoing radiation therapy in Lethbridge.

Scott Roblin, who has worked on colors with Ridley for the past few seasons and is a former Melfort Mustangs and Nipawin Hawks announcer, will take over the play-by-play duties on a temporary basis.