newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — The Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League traded Isak Quakenbush, a right wing and former West Valley High School skater, on Wednesday to the Prince George (British Columbia) Cougars, whose assistant coach and assistant general manager is Wade Klippenstein, a former Alaska Nanooks assistant coach and wing.

Prince George exchanged the 18-year-old Quakenbush for 19-year-old forward Colin Haas.

Quakenbush, 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds, had four goals and three assists for seven points and collected 94 penalty minutes in 112 career games in the past two seasons with Seattle. In 61 games last season, he chipped in three goals and two assists and racked up 57 penalty minutes which included five fighting majors.

Prince George general manager Dallas Thompson said in a press release that Quakenbush brings size and youth to the Cougars.

“The younger group of players we have really battled hard in camp and managed to take some of the ice time away from some of our older forwards,” Thompson said. “We feel that with Isak being a year younger, he fits nicely with our plans. At 6-5 and over 220 pounds, he will also bring some much-needed size up front.”

Quakenbush’s last action for Seattle was in last weekend’s Everett Silvertips Preseason Tournament in Everett, Wash. Quakenbush generated no points in the three-day tournament, but he accumulated three penalties, including a fighting major, in Saturday’s 7-4 loss to Everett.

Silvertips center Zack Dailey of Healy had two assists against Seattle and finished the tournament with four points.

Dailey provided an assist in Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Spokane (Wash.) Chiefs and scored in the first period Sunday of a 3-2 loss to the Chilliwack (B.C.) Bruins.

Nanooks exhibition tickets

Tickets go on sale today for the Alaska Nanooks’ exhibition game against the U.S. National Hockey Team Development Program Under-18 Team. The game begins at 7:05 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Patty Center.

Seating is limited to 1,300 spectators. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the Patty Center ticket office or Ticketmaster outlets in Fred Meyer stores.

The game is not included in season-ticket packages.

It’s the second meeting in two years between the Under-18 team and the Nanooks of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The national team won 5-3 on Sept. 29, 2006, at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.

This year’s Under-18 squad includes defenseman William Wrenn and goaltender Adam Murray of Anchorage, who last season played for the development program’s Under-17 team. Both have committed to the University of Denver for the 2009-10 season.

Filzen commits to Nanooks

Justin Filzen, who skated last season with the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay (Wis.) Gamblers, verbally committed to the Alaska Nanooks on Saturday, becoming the first recruit for new head coach Dallas Ferguson.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward from Duluth, Minn., is scheduled to join the Nanooks this season. In his first season of junior hockey, he rang up five goals and 15 points and collected 19 penalty minutes for the Gamblers in 56 games.

The Nanooks start the season with their annual Blue-Gold Game at 6:05 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26 at the Patty Center. After playing the Under-18 national team there on Sept. 27, Alaska hosts the University of British Columbia in an exhibition game at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3 at the Carlson Center.

Alaska opens the regular season in the Kendall Classic at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage on Oct. 10-11, respectively taking on Northeastern and Connecticut.

The Nanooks continue their tournament experience by playing host to the inaugural Brice Alaska Goal Rush on Oct. 17-18 at the Carlson Center. Alaska will play Mercyhurst and Hockey East powerhouse Maine.

The Nanooks begin CCHA play against Bowling Green State on Oct. 24-25 at the Carlson Center.