Red Deer Rebels
4847 - 19th St Unit C
Red Deer, AB
T4R 2N7
403-341-6000
Official Red Deer Site
The Red Deer 2001-2002 Schedule
Doug Lynch
Shane Bendera
Andrew Bergen
Jim Vandermeer
Jeff Woywitka
Colby Armstrong
2001-2002 Season Preview
Losses to:
Overage: Jim Vandermeer, Devin Francon, Cam Ondrick.
Expansion Draft: Shane Grypiuk.
Goal: Shane Bendera '82, Cam Ward '84
Look for Bendera to play 60+ games and Ward to be groomed for the future. The Rebels have one of the league's best goaltenders and are set. Bendera will see a little more rubber this year with the loss of Vandermeer and likely Robinson, but the rest of the "d" is pretty solid. One thing is for sure...Bendera, himself, will be solid.
Defence: Darcy Robinson '81 (?), Ross Lupaschuk '81 (?), Bryce Thoma '82, Jeff Woywitka '83, Doug Lynch '83, Derek Meech '84.
If both Robinson and Lupaschuk are gone, it will be a major loss and the remaining guys will need to pick it up. I believe that one of the two will be back even though they are both signed. Thoma, Woywitka and Lynch will be solid and Meech has a good upside, but Sutter may want to to add a veteran defenceman to help shore things up. Bendera and the returning defence should allow the Rebels to carry over their excellent goals against this season.
Forwards: Andrew Bergen '81 (?), Justin Mapletoft '81 (?), Jeff Smith '81 (?), Kyle Wanvig '81 (?), Martin Erat '81 (?), Colby Armstrong '82, Diarmud Kelly '82, Joel Stepp '83, Boyd Gordon '83, Ladislav Kouba '83, Shay Stephenson '83, Joel Rupprecht '84.
Though Stepp, Gordon, Armstrong, Kouba and Kelly are solid, the Rebels are going to take a huge hit up front. Wanvig and Erat are both gone with Erat saying he's going back to Europe if he doesn't sign a pro contract. Mapletoft just might impress enough on a free agent tryout and may not return either. If this scenario plays out, goals will be tough to come by as the remaining cast is gritty but has no proven playmaker. Kouba, Armstrong, Gordon and Bergen will score, but there is no playmaker. Sutter will need to rectify the problem if the Rebels are to make another run.
Europeans: An offensive player with playmaking abilities..
Overagers: Smith and Bergen will return and the Rebels would like to see either Robinson or Lupaschuk return also. If neither Robinson or Lupaschuk does return, Sutter will need to go looking for a veteran defence
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