Former Tri-City Americans return to hockey training camps as NHL season ramps up

Here are some bits and pieces of some of the latest local sports happenings, starting with National Hockey League camps re-opening this week. And there are a few former Tri-City Americans who have gone into their team’s bubble in preparation to complete the 2019-20 season.

For starters, goalie Carey Price is, of course, with the Montreal Canadiens.

And defenseman Brandon Carlo is with the Boston Bruins.

Defenseman Juuso Valimaki, who has struggled with injuries in the past year, is with the Calgary Flames in camp.

And the Carolina Hurricanes have two former Ams in their camp: defenseman Jake Bean and forward Morgan Geekie. Both players have had outstanding seasons with their minor-league teams, but it was Geekie who got hot right before the coronavirus shutdown with the big-club Hurricanes.

He scored three goals and an assist in his first two — and only — games with the Hurricanes in March before all games stopped.

The resumption of the NHL season and playoffs begins Aug. 1, with Eastern Conference teams playing in Toronto, and Western Conference teams in Edmonton.

MLB camps re-opened

Major League Baseball training camps re-opened a few weeks ago as teams prepare to play in a shortened 60-game schedule to salvage something of the 2020 season.

Only two Mid-Columbia names seem to be on any of those teams’ rosters.

Richland High grad Eric Yardley is with the Milwaukee Brewers now.

Yardley, 29, made his MLB debut last summer when the San Diego Padres called him up in August, sent him back to the minors not long after, then recalled him for good in early September.

Yardley is one of those great stories, where he almost was cut from the Seattle University baseball team until he figured out how to throw sidearm.

Then he spent seven seasons toiling in the minor leagues — pitching well, mind you — until he got that callup by the Padres.

In 10 games last season with San Diego, Yardley had a 2.31 earned run average.

In November, the Padres released him. But the Brewer quickly signed him. He was sent to the minor leagues before the lockdown, but he’s with the big club right now.

The other local player is Southridge High graduate Mason Martin, who was assigned to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ taxi squad. What that means is Martin will continue to work out with the Pirates’ other taxi squad players in Altoona, Pa., with the idea that if any players are needed due to other players’ injury or illness, they can get to Pittsburgh quickly.

Martin, 21, spent last season with two of the Pirates’ Class A teams in Greensboro, N.C., and Bradenton, Fla. Between the two teams, Martin played in 131 games, hitting 35 home runs and driving in 129 runs.

More hockey

The Tri-City Americans drafted to players in the Western Hockey League’s Import Draft on June 30, snaring Czech Republic goalie Thomas Suchanek with the ninth overall selection; and defenseman Andrej Golian, from Slovakia, with the 69th overall pick in the second round.

Golian has already signed a contract with the Ams. Last season, he played with HC Devta in the Tipsport Liga, which is the top professional Slovak league.

Golian scored 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) and had 24 penalty minutes.

Meanwhile Suchanek, who hasn’t signed yet with the Ams, is a big pickup.

He made the all-tournament team last November at the World U17 Challenge. He would immediately battle for Tri-City’s starting goalie position if he signs with the team.

Signings

• Kamiakin senior-to-be Woodley Downard liked what he saw in Cheney, and so this past weekend he called Eastern Washington University head coach Aaron Best and committed to the Eagles for the 2021-22 season.

Downard caught 45 passes last season for the Braves as a junior. That was good enough for 850 yards and nine touchdowns.

Downard is also a pretty good punter. But the best play I saw all of last season had to do with Downard playing at nose tackle.

It was against West Valley of Yakima in the season opener. Downard chased the quarterback out of the pocket, and almost sacked him before he tossed a screen pass.

Yet Downard turned around and chased the receiver downfield. While it was a 5-yard gain, it showed me how much speed the junior had.

EWU will take advantage of Downard’s speed at wide receiver.

• Connor Rosane, a Southridge High grad, was a standout wrestler for the Suns during his prep career, competing at state a few times.

Rosane also wrestled for Highline Community College, where he qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association championships both seasons.

Rosane has been an assistant coach at both Kennewick High School and at Chinook Middle School in Kennewick.

But now, he’s headed to Arizona to finish his collegiate career.

Rosane has signed with Arizona Christian University, and will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Firestorm.

• Triniti Krishner, who just graduated from Kiona-Benton High School, has signed a letter of intent to play softball for Columbia Basin College in the spring of 2021. Krishner hit a sizzling .554 her junior season in 2019.

• Prosser’s Gabriella Olivarez has signed a letter of intent to play women’s basketball at Yakima Valley Community College.

Notes

• The coronavirus pandemic already has claimed a number of sports in college programs. Seattle Pacific University announced without warning last month that it was dropping women’s gymnastics.

Stanford University said it will be dropping 11 minor sports after this coming school year.

But the most disheartening so far has to be Boise State University’s dropping women’s swimming and diving, and the recently revived baseball program.

The Broncos had just brought back baseball a few years ago, and the baseball team was just 14 games into its new era when COVID-19 shut everything down.

In a move to cut costs, the school opted to drop baseball again.

What makes this local is former Richland High standout Travis Buck – who spent time in the major leagues as an outfielder — was BSU’s hitting coach.

• Caleb Christensen, the 6-3, 200-pound quarterback who led Royal to the Class 1A state football championship last fall, has been offered a scholarship to play next year at Whitworth University in Spokane.