Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter reassigned 12 players following Sunday’s Black and White game, with the list including promising 16-year-old goaltender Colby Entz and 18-year-old defenceman Alex Pernitsky.
Entz will be the No. 1 stopper for the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals in 2014-15, while Pernitsky, from Unity, Sask., will likely play in the SJHL with the Battlefords North Stars.
Pernitsky was invited to camp after getting positive reviews from members of the Rebels coaching and scouting staffs who watched the former Battlefords Stars midget AAA rearguard in action last winter.
Also reassigned were ‘98 born defencemen Max Salpeter of St. Albert, Carter Brown and Cale Chalifoux of Edmonton, and ‘99-born blueliners Carson Sass of Melville, Sask., and Ethan Sakowich of Athabasca, neither of whom are eligible to play in the WHL this year.
The reassigned forwards are ‘98-born Bronson Littlechilds and Shane Sherban of Lanigan, Sask., and 15-year-olds Brayden Labant of St. Paul, Austin Pratt of Lakeville, Minn., and Chase Stevenson of West Kelowna, B.C.
The moves leaves Red Deer with a 33-man roster. The players will practise this week in preparation for the club’s first two preseason games — Saturday and Sunday in St. Albert versus the Prince George Cougars and Swift Current Broncos.
The Rebels will participate in the Tri-City Americans tournament Sept. 5 and 6 — taking on the host Americans and the Portland Winterhawks — and will close out their exhibition slate with Sept. 12 and 13 meetings with the Edmonton Oil Kings at the Centrium and Medicine Hat Tigers at Stettler.
Red Deer’s regular-season opener is Sept. 19 against the visiting Kootenay Ice. The Rebels will take on the host Calgary Hitmen 24 hours later.