The Prince Albert Raiders welcomed a new face to their roster on Monday afternoon as they acquired forward Hayden Pakkala from the Winnipeg Ice for a ninth round pick in the 2021 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft.
Pakkala, who is from Okotoks, Alta., was a seventh round pick by the Ice in 2019 and suited up in three pre-season games for the club earlier this month.
The 17-year-old earned Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League’s best forward award in 2019-20 after putting together 92 points in 35 games for his hometown Under-16 Oilers.
He had four points in five games last year for the Under-18 Oilers program before the season ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In other Raiders news, blueliner Landon Kosior is heading back to Prince Albert after taking part in the Los Angeles Kings training camp.
As of Monday afternoon, forwards Reece Vitelli (Arizona Coyotes) and Ozzy Wiesblatt (San Jose Sharks) are still with National Hockey League clubs, along with blueliners Nolan Allan (Chicago Blackhawks) and Kaiden Guhle (Montreal Canadiens).
The Raiders will start their 2021-22 WHL campaign on Friday night when they’ll host the Regina Pats in a 7 p.m. tilt at the Art Hauser Centre.
Around the WHL
For the first time since 1972, Bob Ridley’s voice won’t be calling the action for a Medicine Hat Tigers game.
Ridley, who has called over 4,000 games for the club since they joined the Western Hockey League, will not be with the team for their home-and-home series against the Swift Current Broncos this weekend as he’s undergoing radiation treatment in Lethbridge.
Scott Roblin, who has done colour work with Ridley over the past few seasons and is a former announcer for the Melfort Mustangs and Nipawin Hawks, will be taking over the play-by-play duties on a temporary basis.
