With the 2024-25 WHL season looming, the Tri-City Americans will look to rebound from a season to forget in 2023-24. The Americans finished second to last in the Western Conference with a 23-42-2-1 record. That season will hopefully be put in the rearview mirror with their new identity, which GM Bob Tory has built throughout this offseason to hopefully help the team reach the playoffs again.
The regular season will begin on Friday, Sept. 20th, when the Americans will take on the Victoria Royals in a doubleheader on the road. The Americans home opener will occur on Saturday, Oct. 5th, against the Kelowna Rockets.
Hockey Staff
Bob Tory, legendary general manager of Tri-City, returns for his 31st year as a general manager in the WHL and his 25th year in Tri-City.
Stu Barnes will return for his fourth season as the American’s head coach. Barnes, the former American’s player himself, has compiled a record of 76-111-13-4 over his three-season tenure, with additionally one playoff appearance.
The Americans are set to return with the same trio of coaches. Shortly after the season’s end, it was announced that associate coaches Jody Hull and T.J. Millar had signed contract extensions, marking their third year in Kennewick for the 2024-25 season.
Offseason Moves
This summer, GM Bob Tory made three trades that will change the Americans identity heading into this season.
At the start of the offseason, Tory acquired 2006-born defenseman Ismail Abogouche from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a fifth-round draft pick in 2027.
The second trade was the biggest of the summer. The trade of Seattle Kraken draft pick defenseman Lukas Dragicevic, who had requested a trade from Tri-City, and goaltender prospect Eric Kahl to Prince Albert. In return, Prince Albert gave up a Utah Hockey Club draft pick, defenseman Terrell Goldsmith, and 2006-born power forward Grady Martin. Goaltender Nathan Preston was also included in the deal.
On August 15th, the Americans made their third and final trade of the summer. Tri-City sent 2005-born winger Deagan McMillan and two draft picks to Victoria to acquire 2005-born defenseman Austin Zemlak.
Key Departures
The Tri-City Americans lost some valuable players by trade or aging out this offseason, here’s a look at the notable ones.
Lukas Dragicevic
Defenseman Lukas Dragicevic is the biggest name who won’t be back in Kennewick this season after being traded to the Prince Albert Raiders in July.
Dragicevic was the fourth overall pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft for Tri-City and wore an Americans uniform for three seasons. He played in 202 games for the Americans and had 157 points. Dragicevic was a second-round draft pick of the Seattle Kraken in 2023 and signed with them following the end of this past season. The fan favorite was known for being the quarterback on the power play and creating loads of offense. Sometimes even being considered a fourth forward on the ice with his playstyle. Dragicevic led the blue line in Tri-City for several seasons and will be missed dearly.
Parker Bell
Forward Parker Bell is an overager from last season who isn’t eligible to return to Tri-City.
Bell played five seasons in Tri-City. After having a breakout season as an eighteen-year-old in 2021/22, Bell was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fifth round of the NHL Draft. Bell was a freak of nature, often the quickest and tallest player on the ice. He brought tons of energy to the top line for a few seasons. Bell suited up 239 times for the Americans and had 184 points overall. Bell will now play for the Calgary Flames AHL Affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, this upcoming season.
Kyle Kelsey
Another departure that affects Tri-City is goalie Kyle Kelsey. Tri-City can only bring back three overage players, and unfortunately, Kelsey did not make the cut.
Kelsey was brought in from Red Deer last year after the Americans traded then-backup goalie Nick Avakyan to Portland after a slow start to his season. Kelsey was a reliable goalie for Tri-City and split games with Matecha last year, appearing in thirty-two games, having a .877 save percentage, 4.65 GAA, and 9-19-1 record. In the second half of last season, Kelsey was the primary starter for Tri-City. Kelsey did not have great numbers on paper, but overall, was a solid goalie that could be used to ease Matecha’s workload or if Matecha was having a bad stretch of games.
Alex Serraglio
The last big departure is that of the 34th Captain in American’s history, Alex Serraglio. Serraglio is a player who aged out and was a big part of the 2022/23 team that made it to the playoffs. Along with being a former Humanitarian of the Year award winner in Tri-City and a great leader off the ice.
Serraglio played his entire WHL career in Tri-City, which lasted over four years and 209 games. He had an unforgettable 22/23 campaign as he patrolled the top line with Lukas Dragicevic, finishing the season with a +26 plus/minus and a season-best 25 points. Serraglio played a defensive defenseman role and will be greatly missed on the blue line for Tri-City this season.
Key Forwards
The Americans will see the return of several high-quality forwards, each bringing their unique strengths to the team. The lineup comprises of many experienced forwards and a sprinkle of highly touted prospects.
Jake Sloan
Heading into his final WHL-eligible season and fifth season in Tri-City, Jake Sloan will be the most valuable player on the Americans. Last season, Sloan was named the Americans Team MVP and offensive player of the year.
Sloan was the top point scorer for the Americans last season, with seventy points, including thirty-one goals. On July 10th, Sloan was also named the 35th Captain of the Franchise. At 6’5″, Sloan is known for his NHL passing potential and ability to challenge goalies from the net-front position with his height. Sloan is also a deadly scorer at the WHL level. Sloan has also worked extensively on his skating this offseason, which was his primary defect that ushered scouts away, and Sloan showed in camp the work he’s put in with his skating.
Jordan Gavin
Sloan’s partner in crime, Jordan Gavin, is back in Tri-City for his first NHL draft-eligible season and third overall.
Gavin finished second on the team in points last season, just two behind Sloan, with sixty-eight. He is well-regarded for his offensive toolset, notably precise shot, and high offensive IQ. Gavin is currently ranked as high as thirtieth on early 2025 NHL draft boards.
Maximillian Curran
Maximillian Curran, a towering Czech import sitting at around 6’4, is set to bring more excitement to the upcoming season for American fans.
After a strong rookie campaign, Curran’s selection in the NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche in the sixth round this past summer has only heightened the anticipation for his second year in North America. Despite playing only forty games due to an injury, Curran managed to amass thirty-two points with twenty-seven assists. Curran is known for his playmaking abilities, having the ability to do something out of nothing with Houdini-esque plays. Curran will hold a top-six forward role on Tri-City.
Cash Koch
Cash Koch, the runner-up to Rookie of the Year last season in Tri-City and winner of the award for the most hardworking player on the Americans this past season, looks to break out in his first NHL Draft-Eligible season.
Koch is known for his hard work and physical play. As a sixteen-year-old, Koch had 23 points, including ten goals, in his first season. Watching Koch makes it very easy to separate him from the rest of the bunch. Koch brings plenty of physicality and aggressiveness to the lineup, often resulting in mistakes from opposing teams and turnovers. Koch is all over the ice and always gives opponents something to think about at all times. Additionally, Koch has great offensive IQ and gets in scoring lanes often. Along with that, Koch has a rapid release on his wrist shot and will be a big part of the lineup this season.
Key Defenseman
The Americans, as stated, have strategically reshaped their identity this offseason, strongly emphasizing defense and physicality, acquiring a handful of quality WHL defensemen. Tri-City has also brought back a crucial defenseman from the 2023-24 season, further solidifying their defensive strength this season.
Terrell Goldsmith
Nineteen-year-old Terrell Goldsmith, a seasoned WHL player, is entering his fourth year in the league and his first season with Tri-City.
Goldsmith is an entirely different player from Dragicevic. Renowned for his hardnosed, physical style of play, making him a formidable lockdown defenseman. Although he is not a significant offensive presence, his defensive prowess is undeniable. Standing at 6’5″, the Fort St. James product’s 122 penalty minutes last season placed him fourth in the entire league. Goldsmith will add an intimidating presence to the top line.
Jackson Smith
Jackson Smith, the 2023-24 Tri-City Americans Rookie of the Year, will arguably be the most pivotal defenseman this year for Tri-City as Smith has some big shoes to fill.
Smith will likely take over Dragicevic’s old role in quarterbacking the power play as he enters his second year in the WHL and gets plenty of first-line minutes as a seventeen-year-old. In Smith’s rookie campaign, Smith notched twenty-nine points in sixty-two games. Many coming after a red-hot second half of the season following his first career goal on New Year’s Eve that sparked the second-half run.
This summer, Smith competed at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the most notable U18 tournament, representing Canada. Smith racked up three assists as he and Canada won Gold. Smith is also on draft radars for the 2025 NHL Draft. The Daily Faceoff ranks him as high as eighteenth.
Smith’s best qualities are his superb skating skills for his size—he stands at 6’4″—and excellent puck-handling skills. Smith also creates many offensive opportunities, carrying the puck into the zone and opening up scoring lanes that should fit into replacing Dragicevic’s role with his playstyle and get top-line minutes.
Ismail Abogouche
The addition of Ismail Abogouche may go under the radar in the WHL. However, Abogouche possesses just what Tri-City is looking for in a player as he joins his third team.
Abogouche can play a significant role in Tri-City as a vital part of the blue line’s depth. Abogouche is entering his third year in the WHL after becoming the first 12th-round Kelowna Rockets draft pick to make the Rockets roster just a few years ago.
The eighteen-year-old Lac La Biche, Alberta native, will definitely get his opportunity on the ice with Tri-City, as he did not get much last season with Edmonton and Kelowna. Abogouche’s game is similar to Terrell Goldsmith’s: a very physical, hard-nosed, and defensive player willing to lay the boom but not much of an offensive threat.
Austin Zemlak
One final defenseman who will be very important for Tri-City this season is the newly acquired nineteen-year-old Austin Zemlak from the Victoria Royals. He will cruise into being a top-four defenseman for Tri-City this year.
Zemlak, a former Victoria first-round pick, is known for being a two-way defenseman following last season. He is entering his fourth year in the WHL. Zemlak had been primarily known for his excellent punishing physical defense and had a +9 with Victoria last season; however, Zemlak also drastically improved his offensive game this past year. Zemlak had a career-high twenty-two points with the Royals last season, almost triple his previous career best of 8 points.
Although unselected in the NHL Draft this past summer, this strong showing did not go unnoticed, and Zemlak earned an invite to the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights development camp after the draft.
Goaltending
Lukas Matecha
Czech import Lukas Matecha, born in 2005, will return to Tri-City as the starting goaltender for the 2024/25 season.
Matecha’s performance in his first year in North America was a mix of ups and downs. In the 2023-24 season, Matecha played thirty-five games with a .901 Save Percentage, 3.42 Goals Allowed on Average, and a 13-19-1 record, including one shutout.
Despite being one of the top names not selected, Matecha’s edge work and ability to handle pucks toward the bottom of the net have been praised by scouts. After the draft, Matecha was invited to the Florida Panthers’ development camp.
Matecha is expected to be one of the premier goaltenders in the WHL this season, especially with a strong defense in front of him and is a top goalie prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Nathan Preston
More than likely, Kyle Kelsey will not be in an American uniform for the season, which means nineteen-year-old Nathan Preston will serve as Matecha’s backup as he enters his first full year in the WHL.
Preston, a former Prince Albert Raider acquired in the Dragicevic trade, is a sizable goaltender at 6’4″. Preston spent most of the last season in the Jr. A Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) with the Princeton Rose, posting a .920 save percentage, 2.47 Goals Allowed on average, and a 12-3 record in fifteen games.
After an impressive first half with Princeton last season, Preston was given a contract and called up to be the backup goaltender for the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL. Preston appeared in four games and finished with a 0-4 record, a .853 save percentage, and 4.10 Goals Allowed on Average.
Although these games did not end well for Preston, they were a valuable experience from which he learned from to prepare for his first full season in the WHL.
Important Rookies
Here’s a look at the rookies that will immediately impact the American’s.
Cruz Pavao
First, there’s forward Cruz Pavao. Pavao was Tri-City’s thirteenth overall pick in the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft and is entering his rookie season.
He played eight affiliate games for the Americans last season and scored an impressive five goals as a fifteen-year-old. Pavao then spent the rest of the year with Edge School’s U18 prep team, where he had an impressive thirty-nine-point season in twenty-seven games as a fifteen-year-old playing with older players.
Fans can expect Pavao to bring offensive awareness beyond his years and superb speed for a sixteen-year-old. Pavao also has an excellent wrist shot and is highly confident with the puck. Pavao is definitely a strong candidate to win Rookie of the Year for not only Tri-City but also the WHL.
Gavin Garland
The other being the most significant signing of the offseason which was 2006 born forward Gavin Garland. Garland was initially committed to playing Division One hockey at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. However, flipped that commitment this summer. Garland was a second-round American pick in 2021 and played in the Junior A Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) last season.
In the AJHL, Garland was one of the best rookies and a finalist for the AJHL Rookie of the Year. Garland had forty-three points in fifty-two games played for the Calgary Canucks of the AJHL and helped the Canucks win an AJHL title, the tenth in team history. Garland has also won a Gold Medal in the World Junior A Challenge while representing Canada.
As Garland begins his first year in Major Junior Hockey, he will be an essential addition to the depth of the American lineup this season. Garland has prior experience playing with an American player. A few years ago, Garland played with Jordan Gavin for a season during their prep hockey days. Fans can expect Garland to bring some excellent speed to the lineup paired with solid game sense and junior hockey experience.
Overview
GM Bob Tory has made several offseason moves that have reshaped the team’s identity to become more physical and defensive, along with having a very in-depth roster to go with that. Tri-City has added quite a bit of size and become one of the larger teams, along with some outstanding skaters.
The Americans will be a playoff team in 2024-25. If everything adds up on the ice as it does on paper, American fans can expect a season of very physical play and to possibly shake some things up in the Western Conference.
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