Four Hitmen Crack NHL CSS Midterm Rankings

The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club is pleased to announce that forwards Jake Virtanen and Radel Fazleev, and defencemen Ben Thomas and Travis Sanheim have all been recognized by NHL Central Scouting in its midterm rankings for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

JAKE VIRTANEN - Left Wing
RANK: 9th North American Skater
HOMETOWN: Abbotsford, BC               DOB: August 17, 1996
HEIGHT: 6’1”                                         WEIGHT: 210 lbs.
SHOOTS: Right
ACQUIRED: Drafted by Calgary 1st overall in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft
DID YOU KNOW?: Virtanen won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2013 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament in August.  He recorded his first career WHL hat trick on Oct. 20, 2013, scoring three goals by the 8:16 mark of the first period.

BEN THOMAS - Defenceman
RANK: 49th North American Skater
HOMETOWN: Calgary, AB                     DOB: May 28, 1996
HEIGHT: 6’2”                                         WEIGHT: 193 lbs.
SHOOTS: Right
ACQUIRED: Drafted by Calgary 45th overall in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft
DID YOU KNOW?: Thomas is currently ninth in the Eastern Conference in rookie scoring, with four goals and 19 points in 44 games played.

RADEL FAZLEEV - Center
RANK: 129th North American Skater
HOMETOWN: Kazan, Russia                  DOB: January 7, 1996
HEIGHT: 6’0.5”                                      WEIGHT: 178 lbs.
SHOOTS: Left
ACQUIRED: Drafted by Calgary 52nd overall in the 2013 CHL Import Draft
DID YOU KNOW?: Fazleev is currently seventh in the Eastern Conference in rookie scoring, with five goals and 25 points in 38 games.  He won a silver medal with Team Russia at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

TRAVIS SANHEIM - Defenceman
RANK: 167th North American Skater
HOMETOWN: Elkhorn, MB        DOB: March 29, 1996
HEIGHT: 6’3”                             WEIGHT: 189 lbs.
SHOOTS: Left
ACQUIRED: Drafted by Calgary 177th overall in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft
DID YOU KNOW?: Sanheim recently had a very strong month, recording 10 of his 13 points this season over a 13-game stretch (Dec. 3 - Jan. 5).  He scored his first career WHL goal on December 15 in a 5-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos.