Locally: 5 current Spokane Chiefs players to attend NHL camps
From staff reports
Five current Spokane Chiefs are hitting National Hockey League ice at training camps this fall, including forward Berkly Catton, goaltender Dawson Cowan, defenseman Nathan Mayes, defenseman Will McIsaac and defenseman Saige Weinstein.
Catton, 18, will attend the Seattle Kraken rookie camp. Catton was selected by the Kraken No. 8 overall at the 2024 NHL entry draft in June – the highest-selected Chief since Pat Falloon in 1991 (second overall – San Jose). He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Seattle in July.
Mayes, 18, will attend Toronto Maple Leafs rookie camp. The 6-foot-4 defenseman out of Salmon Arm, British Columbia, was selected with the 225th pick in the entry draft.
McIsaac, 18, will attend St. Louis Blues rookie camp. The 6-3 defenseman from Vancouver, British Columbia, was selected 145th overall by the Blues in the entry draft. McIsaac finished his second full season with the Chiefs with career highs across the board – six goals and 21 assists for 27 total points – and improved from a -15 last season to a +15 this season.
Weinstein, 19, will attend Colorado Avalanche rookie camp. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Avalanche in October as an undrafted free agent.
Cowan, 18, will attend San Jose Sharks rookie camp. The 6-2 netminder from Warren, Manitoba, completed his first full season with the Chiefs in 2023-24 and finished with a 3.59 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. He went 18-20-2-1 in net for Spokane this season and toted 1,322 saves, surpassing the 2,000-save mark for his career with 2,245 total saves so far.
The Chiefs will continue their preseason schedule on Thursday in Cheney as they take on the Portland Winterhawks at 5 p.m. The game will take place at Eastern Washington University, with free tickets for students with ID and $10 for the public.
Spokane will open the 2024-25 season on the road Sept. 20 when it faces Prince George.
Spokane’s home opener is Sept. 28 against the Tri-City Americans.
Single-game tickets are on sale and can be purchased online, at the Chiefs’ Ticket Office, or by calling (509) 535-PUCK.
Baseball
Infielder Scott Schultz (Coeur d’Alene) and pitcher Kerry Pease (Cheney) helped the Denver-based Colorado Buffaloes win the Mike Coley Memorial Baseball Tournament (50+ Division) on Sept. 1 in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Schultz batted .444 during the Labor Day weekend tournament. Pease got the win in the extra-inning semifinal against Mountain Militia (Colorado Springs, Colorado) and closed out the final two innings in the 13-5 championship victory over the host South Dakota Rushmores.
College sports
Former Moscow High School basketball and track and field star Heather Owen has been hired as athletic director at Santa Clara.
Owen, who spent the past 15 years at Stanford in a variety of roles, most recently deputy athletics director, was a standout basketball player for the Cardinal and helped the lead them to three NCAA Final Four appearances. She also played in the WNBA.