Lightning 2006 first rounder Riku Helenius [4] made his much-anticipated North American debut Friday night for the Seattle Thunderbirds, albeit in a preseason game. Helenius played the first half of Seattle's 5-4 win over Chilliwack, stopping 17 of 18 shots. According to the Seattle papers, the Thunderbirds view Helenius' addition as a substantial piece to their league title chances.
Everett also began their preseason Friday night, but it is unclear as of yet if Dane Crowley [5] played. The official WHL site does not provide stats for preseason games and a game report from the Silvertips did not mention Crowley in the game.
In the QMJHL, defensemen Michael Ward [6] had an assist, four PIM, and a minus-1 rating for Lewiston in a 8-4 preseason loss to St. John.