By Jeff D'Andrea

Raiders to wait for clearance on Messier; pre-game thoughts

Oct 24, 2014 | 5:39 PM

The Raiders announced on Thursday evening that they claimed 20-year-old forward Marcus Messier, but he isn’t eligible to play in Friday’s game against the Portland Winterhawks.

Because the Raiders put Dakota Conroy on the suspended list after the 20-year-old forward left the team on Sunday, that means the Raiders have to wait five business days until another addition can be cleared by the league.

Friday’s game is the fifth business day after Conroy was suspended.

“Whenever a player goes on the suspended list, there’s a regulation. There’s five business days (waiting period), that’s just the way it is,” said Raiders general manager Bruno Campese. “We’re hoping (Messier) gets cleared for tomorrow night’s game. “

Raiders acquired Marcus Messier as free agency to fill two vacant and immediate needs, at the forward and overager positions. Before the Messier addition, the Raiders had only 11 total forwards and two 20-year-olds.

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Campese said that since Conroy left after the Oct. 15 overage deadline, that made adding another 20-year-old quite tough. Teams have decided on the three overagers they’ll go with for the rest of the season.

He added that the team was lucky to get Messier, who didn’t sign a Junior A contract as he wanted to return to the WHL. Messier was made a free agent when the Spokane Chiefs released him after two games this season.

“We were very fortunate, Marcus is very motivated to play in the Western Hockey League,” said Campese. “Unlike a few others, he hasn’t signed with a Junior A team with the hopes of landing back in the Western Hockey League. He was going to give it to this weekend actually, to see if there was any interest.

Messier, listed at 5’9, 155 pounds, scored 31 points in 71 games between the Tri-City Americans and the Spokane Chiefs last season as a 19-year-old. The Canmore, Alta. native is the younger brother of former Tri-City American and Moose Jaw Warrior Jordan Messier, and is a cousin of NHL legend Mark Messier.

Pre-game thoughts– The Danish X-factor

The Winterhawks started the season off 0-5 as their Euro scoring machine Oliver Bjorkstrand was vying for a spot with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Since Bjorkstrand returned to Portland for his first game on Oct. 6, the Winterhawks have posted a 3-4-0-2 record. Bjorkstrand has six goals and 12 points in nine games this year.

That also includes seven games since playmaker Nicolas Petan has returned from the Winnipeg Jets training camp, they have a 2-4-0-1 record with both Bjorkstrand and Petan. Petan finished second in WHL scoring last year with 113 points, and was first in assists with 78.

The last time

The last time the Portland Winterhawks gave Prince Albert a visit, they won 5-2 in front of a loud and boisterous Art Hauser Centre crowd of 3,143.

That was the Raiders’ first regulation loss that year, snapping a 7-0-0-1 streak they started that season with.

Only four Raiders that played in that game are currently with the team in defencemen Sawyer Lange and Josh Morrissey, and forwards Reid Gardiner and Tim Vanstone.

The Winterhawks still have eight players on their current roster that played in that game. Layne Viveiros, whose father Manny Viveiros is on the Raiders Wall of Fame. Also on that Nicolas Petan, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Chase De Leo, Keegan Iverson, Josh Hanson, Paul Bittner and Brendan Burke.

Super Series

Friday’s game with feature two players representing Team WHL in this year’s Subway Super Series Nov. 10-11. Both of the teams’ captains, Raider Josh Morrissey and Winterhawk Nicolas Petan, have been named to face Team Russia.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea