By Scott Roblin

Tigers & Bandits off to NHL rookie camps this month

Jul 1, 2017 | 2:54 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – NHL rookie camps are underway across North America, with a number of past, present, and future Medicine Hat Tigers and Brooks Bandits looking to make their mark.

Two Tigers forwards will be off to Calgary Flames development camp, which will begin on July 5.

Zach Fischer was a fifth round selection by Calgary last month, scoring 34 goals and 63 points in 62 games while racking up 145 penalty minutes in 2016-17.

He will be joined by teammate Mark Rassell, who was invited to the camp on a try-out basis. Last year with the Tigers, Rassell played in 72 games and posted 36 goals and 61 points.

Development camp begins on Saturday for the Edmonton Oilers, and a pair of graduating Tigers from last season will be hitting the ice.

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Leading scorer Chad Butcher and forward Steven Owre were both tabbed to join the Oilers’ top prospects at the camp.

Butcher broke out for a 27 goal and 103 point season with Medicine Hat last year, while Owre was no slouch either with 26 goals and 88 points in 71 games.

Mason Shaw, who was the Tigers’ highest drafted player from this past season, is expected to join the Minnesota Wild at their development camp.

Selected 97th overall in the fourth round by Minnesota, Shaw finished second in team scoring behind Butcher with 27 goals and 94 points in 71 games last year.

Incoming netminder Jordan Hollett with join Ottawa Senators development camp after being drafted by the team a few weeks ago in the sixth round.

Hollett played for the Regina Pats last season, posting a 15-2-0 record with a 2.83 goals against and a .901 save percentage as a backup.

Last year’s captain in Clayton Kirichenko will have a chance at furthering his NHL dream, as he will join the top prospects with the Los Angeles Kings on a try-out agreement.

Leading the Tigers from the blueline, Kirichenko had 12 goals and 64 points in his final 72 games of junior hockey.

Texas native Max Gerlach will get a bit closer to home, as he was tabbed by the Arizona Coyotes to join their rookie camp earlier in the week.

In his second season with the Tigers, Gerlach played in all 72 games with 34 goals and 62 points to his name.

Recent CHL Import Draft selection Linus Nassen will also be attending rookie camp with the Florida Panthers in the ‘Sunshine State.’

Drafted by Florida in 2016, Nassen split time between divisions in the Swedish Elite League, and was drafted 119th overall by the Tigers this year.

As for the Brooks Bandits, three of their former players have or will be attending camp this summer.

Top prospect Cale Makar just finished up his first NHL rookie camp with the Colorado Avalanche.

Makar was selected fourth overall by Colorado in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, scoring 24 goals and 75 points in just 54 games in his final season in Brooks.

Former Bandits in Jeff Mallott and Derek Lodermeier will hit the ice in the coming days as well, as Mallott will join Calgary Flames camp while Lodermeier will play with Philadelphia Flyers prospects.

Mallott played for Brooks for two seasons before joining Cornell (NCAA Div I) this year, playing in 30 games and scoring nine points as a freshman.

As for Lodermeier, he captained the Bandits in his final season in 2015-16, and scored 18 points in 37 games in his first season with the University of Vermont Catamounts.

One other piece of news from Brooks this week, as the team has traded the rights of forward Nolan Kurylo to the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers in exchange for future considerations.