Thunderbirds call up Pelechaty to bolster depleted defense

On Monday, the Thunderbirds called up Jared Pelechaty, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound defenseman from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

When Jerret Smith went down with an injury on Saturday against Everett, it further depleted a defensive group that was already missing 16-year-old Jarret Tyszka, who is expected to return in the next two to three weeks.

Pelechaty, 17, had seven points in 31 games for his Junior A team, the Neepawa Natives of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. According to a press release from the Natives, it is “likely” that Pelechaty will join the Thunderbirds until Feb. 11, at which point he will be sent back to Neepawa.

At this point it appears that Pelechaty will only spend a short time with Seattle this season, though he impressed at training camp last season. What was once a position of depth for Seattle has now been heavily affected by the injuries to Smith and Tyszka. We should have a better idea later Tuesday on the severity of Smith’s injury when the WHL releases its weekly report, though early indications were that it did not look good.